WWE PLE host city reportedly paid big money for recent event
WWE officials began to focus on securing subsidies from local governments hosting premium live events in 2022. Since then, the company has raked in millions of dollars associated with various PLEs, and now details have surfaced on how much officials brought in for a recent top event.
WWE President Nick Khan went public with the PLE subsidy model during a 2023 earnings call, revealing talks with governments and tourism groups around the world about receiving subsidies to run PLEs in their markets. The trend began when the Welsh government paid around $2.8 million for the inaugural Clash at the Castle event in September 2022.
WWE also received a seven-figure subsidy of $1.5 million plus free venue use from the Puerto Rican government for Backlash 2023. More recently, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority approved a $5 million payment to WWE for sponsorship of WrestleMania 41. The company has reached similar deals with host cities for other PLEs.
According to government records obtained by Wrestlenomics, the City of San Antonio, Texas, gave World Wrestling Entertainment more than $500,000 in value for the 2023 Royal Rumble PLE at The Alamodome. The exact value estimated ahead of time was $546,710.74, but the city submitted total expenses of $575,415.98 to the Governor's Office for reimbursement.
In addition to a $250,000 cash site fee, the city covered production expenses related to the event's setup and teardown, catering, ambulance services, telecommunication services, security, and other costs. WWE gave San Antonio 15% of the sale of all "Novelties," which could refer to all venue merchandise sales.
The city also received a small cut of all ticket sales. These cuts were broken down as follows: $3 per ticket to offset maintenance and operational costs, $2 per ticket to cover a ticket service fee, and 50 cents per ticket to help cover traffic safety costs and transit services.
It's no secret that WWE has a massive local economic impact on PLE host cities. The Los Angeles area benefited from an effect of $215 million for WrestleMania 39 in 2023. The Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC) organization spent $500,000 to host the 2024 Royal Rumble at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.
While touting the winning bid for this year's Rumble, VSPC mentioned San Antonio receiving $69 million in local economic benefits for the 2023 Rumble. After this year's Rumble, VSPC said it put $47 million back into the area.
TKO filings show that Las Vegas paid $300,000 for SummerSlam 2021, plus $30 in marketing costs. Arlington, TX, covered $5.2 million in costs and fees for WrestleMania 38 in 2022 at AT&T Stadium.
TKO executives have reiterated how these site fees will continue to drive big events for WWE and UFC. The subsidies are described as "meaningful payments" and include other cash and non-cash incentives. Officials have stressed how important the site fees are to the growth of both brands.
WWE partnering with Destination Vancouver for WarGames
World Wrestling Entertainment has announced that Survivor Series: WarGames will return to the main roster for the third year. The PLE is scheduled for Saturday, November 30, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
WWE partnered with another local government group for Survivor Series 2024. The company joined the official tourism center, Destination Vancouver, to make the upcoming PLE happen. This will be the first-ever Survivor Series to emanate from Rain City.
Survivor Series: WarGames was held in Chicago last year. The event was headlined by Team Rhodes defeating The Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre in the WarGames main event.