WrestleMania 28: A Financial Breakdown of WWE's Most Important Event

WrestleMania has grown from a simple WWE pay-per-view to one of the biggest phenomenons in the world.

It is a show that transcends wrestling and sports entertainment. Very few events compare to WrestleMania, especially in terms of spectacle and grandeur. 

The event has been so big that major Hollywood celebrities have taken part in it—either wrestling or making an appearance on screen. This show has huge financial implications for the company, the performers and the cities that host it. 

We want to take a look at the business side of WrestleMania and how it effects everything WWE and what other wrestling promotions gain from it. 

PPV Buy Rate and Reported Attendance

The ultimate goal of running WrestleMania, or any show, is to make it as profitable as possible. WWE is a business that needs to make money so we can have shows like this every year. 

Here is a look at how some of the past WrestleMania shows have fared as moneymakers in two key areas. (All buy rates not cited come courtesy of Wrestling Cafe.)

WrestleMania 27 

Attendance: 71,617

Buy Rate: 1,059,000, according to Wrestling Observer

WrestleMania 26

Attendance: 72,219

Buy Rate: 885,000, according to Wrestling Observer

WrestleMania 25

Attendance: 72,744

Buy Rate: 960,000, according to Wrestling Observer

WrestleMania 23

Attendance: 80,103

Buy Rate: 1,200,000, according to WWE

WrestleMania 21

Attendance: 20,193

Buy Rate: 1,085,000

WrestleMania XIX

Attendance: 54.097

Buy Rate: 560,000

WrestleMania X-Seven

Attendance: 67,925

Buy Rate: 1,040,000

WrestleMania XIV

Attendance: 19,028

Buy Rate: 730,000

WrestleMania 13

Attendance: 18,197

Buy Rate: 237,000

WrestleMania III

Attendance: 93,173

Buy Rate: 850,000

What Does This Mean

Basically, the trends in WrestleMania buy rates follow trends of the business. In the late '80s with Hulk Hogan, WWE was hot and WrestleMania III did huge business. In the mid '90s, the product was soft, so buy rates bottomed out. 

The show really got back to being a global phenomenon in 1998 with the rise of Steve Austin and the "Attitude Era."

Another trend is that attendance at the show has nothing to do with the kind of business. Fans will show up, but that is just one small part of the money machine. 

Venue Changes

WrestleMania has gotten so big now that it is being held in huge football arenas to accomodate the demand and a way to generate more profit for the company. It is the only show that they can get away with doing it, because more emphasis is put on this show than any other. 

Since 2007, the event has taken place in stadiums that can seat at least 65,000-70,000. WWE is even exploring unique outdoor venues like MetLife Stadium in 2013 to run the show in big markets. 

Madison Square Garden has served as the unofficial home for the show, hosting it three times. WrestleMania I, X and XX have all been held in the World's Most Famous Arena. 

Now that the show has gotten so big, it will be interesting to see if/when WWE brings it back to MSG. 

Celebrities

One of the biggest parts of WrestleMania season is the involvement of huge celebrities in various different outlets—film, television, music, etc. 

Here is a look at some of celebrities that have appeared on the show to generate mainstream publicity and interest in the show. 

NAME	EVENT
Mr. T	WrestleMania I
Muhammad Ali	WrestleMania I
Cyndi Lauper	WrestleMania I
Dick Butkus	WrestleMania 2 and VII
Alice Cooper	WrestleMania III
Donald Trump	WrestleMania IV, V, VII, XX, 23
George Steinbrenner	WrestleMania VII
Lawrence Taylor	WrestleMania XI
Burt Reynolds	WrestleMania X
Jenny McCarthy	WrestleMania XI
Pamela Anderson	WrestleMania XI
Mike Tyson	WrestleMania XIV
Pete Rose	WrestleMania XIV, XV, 2000, XX
Motorhead	WrestleMania X-Seven, 21
Snoop Dogg	WrestleMania XXIV, XXVII
Limp Bizkit	WrestleMania XIX
Ray Charles	WrestleMania II
Bob Uecker	WrestleMania III, IV
Snooki	WrestleMania 27
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson	WrestleMania 27

What It Means

While it is difficult to judge just how much celebrity involvement helped the show when it first started since there is limited information available, you can tell what it has meant in recent years. 

Three of the biggest buy rates in WrestleMania history were in 2007, 2008 and 2011.

In 2007, the show was largely built around the Donald Trump vs. Vince McMahon "Battle of the Billionaires" with the loser having his head shaved. 

In 2008, Floyd Mayweather made headlines for a (falsely) reported $20 million payday from WWE and a match with Big Show. 

Last year's show was built around the return of The Rock to PPV after a seven-year absence. 

Payouts

One of the reasons that you will see more wrestlers than usual on this show than any other is a WrestleMania payday is figured into their contract, and it is their best chance to make more PPV money than they would normally get. 

The actual amount that WWE pays its superstars is not made public, but there have been some celebrities whose checks have been made public. 

In 2007, Donald Trump's appearance earned $4 million for his charity. Last year, Snooki caught heat from wrestlers for stealing a WrestleMania paycheck from an actual WWE performer. 

Television Ratings

The weeks before WrestleMania and for a week or two after, ratings will pick up for television shows. Raw ratings are more than SmackDown, just because it is an easier show to watch for the WWE audience on Monday night. 

While ratings are not a direct reflection of a good or bad buy rate, it does indicate that there is more interest in the product. WrestleMania season should always bring peak ratings for WWE, particularly the go-home show and the night after. 

Revenue

Here is where WrestleMania really proves its worth to WWE. The company has to release its profits every quarter since it became publicly traded in 1999. 

All of the profit and revenue information can be found on the corporate website. 

To show just how valuable WrestleMania is to WWE, in 2010 when WrestleMania fell in the first quarter of the year, WWE made $138.7 million in total revenue. 

The previous year, when WrestleMania fell in the second quarter, the first quarter did $107.8 million in revenue. A respectable total, but it shows the value that this one event has for this company. 

Conclusion

There are obviously a lot of factors that go into putting on a WrestleMania show. The company has to put out a lot of money to get the show to be what it is, and you have to factor in pay for all the wrestling and celebrity talent, but it is more than worth it for WWE. 

So when you watch WrestleMania 28 this year, stop for a second and think about everything that WWE goes through just to put on this four-hour spectacle.  

Check back for more on the WWE as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Wrestling Page to get your fill of the WWE. For more WWE talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

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