WrestleMania XL, the 40th edition of the Show of Shows, took place in Philadelphia this past weekend and is already being hailed as the greatest WrestleMania of all time.
The first WrestleMania to take place without Vince McMahon behind the scenes, it was a product of the "Triple H" era and an indication that WWE is changing for the better without the disgraced 78-year-old.
WWE has yet to announce when or where WrestleMania 41 will take place, a surprise seeing as we typically know by now. Minneapolis remains the top contender, though there have been rumblings about the Showcase of the Immortals hailing from either Las Vegas or the UK as well.
In the meantime, WWE is keeping the focus on this year's unforgettable effort, announcing that it's become "the most successful and highest-grossing event in company history." Tellingly, viewership rose by a whopping 41% without McMahon's creative input!
Here's the full press release from WWE:
STAMFORD, Conn. - WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that WrestleMania XL became the most successful and highest-grossing event in company history.
Highlights include:
GATE: WrestleMania XL broke the previous record set by WrestleMania 39 by 78 percent, with 145,298 in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field over two nights. The event drew fans from all 50 states and 64 countries worldwide.
VIEWERSHIP: WrestleMania XL viewership was up 41 percent across both nights versus last year’s record-setting audience.
MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up more than 20 percent versus the previous record set at WrestleMania 39.
SPONSORSHIP: WrestleMania XL featured the first-ever ring mat sponsorship with PRIME Hydration.
FAN EVENT: WWE World at WrestleMania, in partnership with Fanatics Events, is now the highest-grossing and most-attended fan event in company history.
SOCIAL: WrestleMania XL became the most socially viewed WrestleMania of all time, with over 660 million views consumed over the two days. WWE’s YouTube channel saw its most-viewed day in channel history on WrestleMania XL Sunday with more than 67 million views in 24 hours.
SMACKDOWN: Friday Night SmackDown at Wells Fargo Center drew the largest gate in SmackDown history.
RAW: Monday Night Raw at Wells Fargo Center drew the largest gate in Raw history.
NXT: Stand & Deliver was the most-attended NXT event ever with 16,545 in attendance at Wells Fargo Center.
The record-breaking event was highlighted by the highly anticipated in-ring return of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes’ triumphant victory over Roman Reigns.