All That Jazz: With Ronda Rousey In Play, WrestleMania 34 Sets SuperDome Record
By Barry Janoff
April 9, 2018: WWE came into New Orleans and played a hot number at WrestleMania 34.
WWE said that WrestleMania 34, held Sunday night, broke the record for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s highest grossing entertainment event, grossing $14.1 million.
That figure surpassed the venue’s previous record of $10.9 million, which was set by WrestleMania 30 in 2014.
WWE also reported the attendance was a sold-out crowd of 78,133, including people from all 50 states as well as 67 countries.
That figure was the sixth highest in WrestleMania history.
WrestleMania 32 (2016) holds the all-time attendance record for the event, 101,763 in AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.
Over the past 11 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event, according to WWE.
WWE also said that its digital streaming service, WWE Network, reached a record 2.12 million total subscribers following WrestleMania 34, a 9% increase from April 3, 2017, the day after WrestleMania last year.
“We expect to deliver record subscriber levels, revenue and adjusted OIBDA in 2018,” George Barrios, WWE co-president, said in a statement. “WWE Network’s continued growth along with our massive reach across traditional television as well as digital and social platforms, reaffirms the effectiveness of our global, multi-platform content strategy.”
A big part of the attraction was the WrestleMania debut of Ronda Rousey, former UFC champion, who teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
According to John Saboor, WWE evp-special events, “WrestleMania’s return to New Orleans once again delivered record results. This would not have been possible without the tireless support of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and our socal Organizing Committee partners throughout New Orleans.”
Among other results, Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns in the Universal Championship Match, AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in the WWE Championship Match and Nia Jax defeated Alexa Nliss to become WWE’s new women's champion.
As part of its week-long WrestleMania celebration, WWE will host five consecutive nights of events in New Orleans.
The events are scheduled to include WrestleMania Axxess (in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center); and four live events taking place in the Smoothie King Center: the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NXT TakeOver, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live.
WWE said it would also host activities designed to give back to the local community during WrestleMania Week, including "Be a STAR" bullying prevention rallies, hospital visits and Make-A-Wish events.
“New Orleans was extremely proud to make WrestleMania Week part of our Tricentennial celebration,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement. “It was so exciting to host WWE fans from around the world who traveled to experience the grandeur of WrestleMania, and all that our beautiful city has to offer.
“Thank you to everyone who makes it possible to stage such an epic event,” said Landrieu.
“We now look forward to a historic WrestleMania 35 celebration next year in New York and New Jersey,” said Saboor.
WrestleMania 35 is scheduled for April 7, 2019 in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. WWE said that ticket information would be shared later this year.
Top Ten All-Time WrestleMania Attendance Records
1. 101,763: WrestleMania 32, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, April 3, 2016
2. 93,173: WrestleMania 3, Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, March 29, 1987
3. 80,676: WrestleMania 29, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, April 7, 2013
4. 80,103: WrestleMania 23, Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan, April 1, 2007
5. 78,363: WrestleMania 28, Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida, April 1, 2012
6. 78,133: WrestleMania 34, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA, April 8, 2018
7. 76,976: WrestleMania 31, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California, March 29, 2015
8. 75,245: WrestleMania 33, Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida, April 2, 2017
9. 75,167: WrestleMania 30, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA, April 6, 2014
10. 74,635: WrestleMania 24, Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida, March 30, 2008
PHOTOS COURTESY WWE
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