WWE WrestleMania 38 Social Media Records and the Impact on Sports Entertainment

WWE not only set records for attendance and gross with its two-night WrestleMania 38, but it also obliterated social media records previously held by the NFL's Super Bowl 56.

Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal reported in February that the Super Bowl set social media records with 78 million engagements and 618 million video views.

WWE revealed Monday that its annual Showcase of the Immortals obliterated the NFL's championship game numbers, drawing 87 million engagements and 1.1 billion video views across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter, an increase of 47 percent from WrestleMania 37, according to Conviva.

It also accumulated 2.2 billion total impressions to the Super Bowl's 1.8 billion and a record 13 million hours of video consumed on social media.

Not only do those monstrous numbers reflect an event that had tremendous interest from fans across the globe, but it also indicates the significance and value of social media in the world of sports entertainment today.

The Power of Social Media

With numbers like those, it's almost impossible to imagine social media does not play some role in the crafting of WWE's weekly product. How much is the question, though. Does the company book certain angles and stories with social media consumption in mind?

Per the company's same press release, the two highest engagement posts in WWE history occurred at WrestleMania: The return of Cody Rhodes and the Pat McAfee-Austin Theory match and subsequent antics involving Mr. McMahon and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

We knew entering the event that the intrigue surrounding Rhodes was at a high, with the intrigue driven by social media teases from industry insiders and speculation the fanbase. Fans were always going to make that moment one of the most viewed of the show, thanks to a mix of curiosity and excitement. 

The other can be attributed to McAfee's online presence. He has his The Pat McAfee Show, which airs weekdays on YouTube and has carved out a social media following of his own. Coupled with the magnitude of WrestleMania, increased fan interest for the event and the presence of Stone Cold, it's no wonder that content engaged fans as it did.

With social media numbers like those drawn by The Show of Shows, it seems likely that if the company did not previously book with the platform in mind, it will now.

Is that a positive?

Sure. Social media has allowed fans to consume content in new and innovative ways. They no longer have to sit in front of a television for three hours every Monday night to see what happens on Raw. They do not have to watch television three nights a week to keep up with events in the WWE Universe.

They can simply fire up Twitter, Facebook or any other major account and follow along with the product that way, all while driving conversation and ensuring the show remains a trending topic.

Yes, TV ratings are important in terms of keeping network partners happy, dictating television deals and providing an idea of how popular the company is with the ever-important 18-35 demo, but social media has presented WWE with an alternative way of tracking its audience, what does and doesn't work on its show.

There's a reason why every WWE broadcast has a hashtag fixed in the upper left-hand corner and why the company previously so frequently touted its presence on social media. It understood the direction things were headed long before the same fans who now so feverishly engage with the company on those same platforms did.

So did former Superstar Zack Ryder, who got himself over with the fans via social media and his Z! True Long Island Story YouTube show to the point that the audience in New York's famed Madison Square Garden were not chanting for The Rock but rather The Broski instead.

Ryder, who now competes under his real name, Matt Cardona, understands the value of social media and its role in advancing feuds, selling product and putting over future stars. He was a trailblazer in that way and probably doesn't get enough credit for introducing the industry to the potential of social media.

The foundation of All Elite Wrestling can be traced back to The Young Bucks creating Being The Elite on YouTube and allowing fans to become more familiar with them, Rhodes, "Hangman" Adam Page, Adam Cole and Kenny Omega en route to nationwide merchandise deals and worldwide popularity. 

That company's foundation is rooted on social media and its fans are among the most vocal, resulting in a booking style that caters to them and what they want to see on Dynamite or Rampage every week.

It is not uncommon to open up a Facebook message from a friend with no connection to WWE, AEW or any professional wrestling company and see a GIF featuring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin toasting fans with a beer or The Rock raising his eyebrow. 

What seems like an innocent reaction to a particular message serves as yet another means to promote the Superstars who have performed for the masses on WWE television.

Then there is the critical element of social media via platforms such as Twitter, which provide instant feedback.

If a segment or angle did not work, the company knows immediately. If something was awesome and the fans want more, it is laid out instantaneously for WWE Creative to note. No longer are reactions from the stands the only means of recognizing Superstars who may be getting over or others who may not be living up to expectations.

The Negatives

If there is a negative side to the increased role social media plays on the company, it's that it has destroyed an element of mystery. People know the Superstars on screen and off, thanks to the personal element of their Instagram account. They may see a supposed badass dancing backstage with their friends on TikTok.

A Superstar like The Undertaker, notorious for his ability to stay in character and protect kayfabe, is not walking through the door anytime soon. The giants of the industry are out there, and fans know them better now than they ever have.

That also opens up the talent to personalized attacks from fans. WWE Raw color commentator Corey Graves previously told B/R: "And social media is...anyone who's in the public eye nowadays will tell you, it's sort of gotten so out of control that we pick and choose as to what we engage with anymore because it can be so overwhelming, and there can be so much negativity."

He added: "It's almost like there's a disconnect where it's not real life to them. They can say any of these bold, horrible things." 

Beyond the criticism that hovers just over the line into bullying, there is also the tribalism that has engulfed the online wrestling community, making it almost sacrilege to appreciate the content of both WWE and AEW.

A subset of fans has created an "us vs. them" mentality to the point that if you say you enjoy SmackDown and AEW Rampage on Fridays, you are an outcast.

If you speak positively of one, you cannot possibly like the other. It has sparked battles across Twitter and an unpleasant environment at times, as we witnessed in the form of AEW fans burning Rhodes T-shirts following his return to WWE at WrestleMania.

The Future

The positives of social media, and what it means for fans and sports-entertainment companies alike, far outweigh the negatives. Companies can create content exclusively for their streaming networks or social media accounts, driving audiences to them if they want to see the latest from a given promotion.

It creates a stronger connection between fans and wrestlers who are not afraid to be themselves, and it provides the company with instant analysis and reaction to any given angle. The platforms have provided new ways to consume content, provide alternative means for tracking the audience and create new and innovative ways to deliver that content.

There will always be negatives with any interactive setting, whether that involves fans hurling insensitive insults at a Superstar from the stands or hulking up and playing keyboard warrior from the safety of their home. Look no further than the nonsense Lita and Edge endured in arenas across the country in 2005 when their private lives became public knowledge.

Being able to minimalize the hate and maximize the positivity that exists within this new platform, and the many opportunities it has for talent to become greater stars than they otherwise would have, is key.

Fan-interaction, more specialized and focused content, greater opportunity to effect the creative future of WWE and AEW programming and stronger bonds between talent and fans have been the foundation of social media in wrestling and will continue to be long into the future.

And the industry will be better for it.