WWE WrestleMania 42 Touted As One Of The Highest-Grossing Events In Company History

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WrestleMania 42 is in the history books, and WWE have declared it to be “one of the highest-grossing events” in company history.

The April 18 & 19 WWE Premium Live Event took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, marking the first time consecutive WrestleMania events have taken place in the same location.

In an official press release, WWE confirmed the success of the event, with the statement reading:

WRESTLEMANIA® 42 TAKES OVER LAS VEGAS WITH MORE THAN 106K ATTENDEES & ONE OF THE HIGHEST-GROSSING EVENTS IN WWE® HISTORY

April 22, 2026 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that WrestleMania 42 became one of the highest-grossing events in company history, with record or near-record performances across gate, sponsorship, merchandise, WWE World, On Location VIP experiences and digital.

WrestleMania 42 was highlighted by the historic Sunday night main event in which Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to claim the World Heavyweight Championship, and Saturday night’s main event where Cody Rhodes retained his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton despite early interference by Pat McAfee.

Across two nights at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, attendance reached 106,072 with tickets purchased from all 50 states and more than 69 countries.

WrestleMania 42 featured a record 32 marketing partners, including Snickers, 2K, Riyadh Season, Ram, DoorDash, Wingstop, Wheatley American Vodka, Minute Maid, The General Insurance, PepsiCo’s MUG Root Beer and Chumba Casino.

WrestleMania Saturday was the most-viewed telecast of the year on ESPN2, while WrestleMania Sunday was the most-viewed telecast of the entire weekend on ESPN.

At WWE World, a five-day interactive fan experience in partnership with Fanatics, paid experience sales reached all-time highs. WWE World also featured a lounge for attendees who signed up for Club WWE, the recently announced Gold membership experience for fans.

Additionally, WrestleMania 42 set a new digital record, generating more than 1.3 billion views across all social platforms – up 18 percent from the record set at WrestleMania 41.

With another successful Premium Live Event for WWE, WrestleMania 43 was previously announced to be taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027, with the region also hosting next year’s Royal Rumble.

The Rocky Road To WWE WrestleMania 42

A number of injuries in the run-up to WrestleMania 42 saw a change of plans, with it being reported that Triple H was subjected to “internal criticism” as things shifted.

While, arguably, the boat may have been righted for the two-night WWE Premium Live Event, the ticket prices for the event itself came under fire, with the cost being referenced in a promo by CM Punk, targeting TKO CEO Ari Emanuel.

It’s the cost of the tickets, among other expenses, that inevitably allows WWE to declare that it was “one of the highest-grossing events” in company history, particularly with that focus being on “gate, sponsorship, merchandise, WWE World, On Location VIP experiences and digital.”

This year’s event drew 106,072 in attendance, compared to last year’s 118,641, with WrestleMania 41 being the “most successful event in WWE history” according to the associated press release. Fewer fans in attendance, it was going to be challenge for the 2026 event to eclipse the “all-time gate” record that was smashed last year, although viewership, merchandise, sponsorships and social media records were all a possibility.

A lower attendance count, but still being deemed a success, no doubt TKO and WWE executives will look at the money as a benchmark of success. Whether they’ll look at the numbers and realize the cost to the very fanbase they need to bring to these marquee events, particularly in with the rise in cost of living expenses, remains to be seen.

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