WrestleMania generates $165 million for New York/New Jersey region

According to a recent study from research consultancy Enigma Research, the WWE’s premier sports entertainment event of the year – WrestleMania – generated $165 million in economic impact for the New York/New Jersey region in April.

Arriving every year in April, WrestleMania is like the Super Bowl of “sports entertainment” – the preferred nomenclature for the unique brand of theatrical, scripted wrestling which the WWE provides. The pay-per-view event delivers the most-watched platform for the company’s “superstars,” which have included notable names like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena. The WWE’s current roster is headlined by Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, and Ronda Rousey.

The WWE annually enlists Enigma Research to quantify the economic impact of WrestleMania. The New York-based research consultancy focuses on surveying and analyzing the economic impact of special events.

WrestleMania 35 generated $165 million for New York/New Jersey in April, down slightly from the $175 million of economic impact from WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. The $165 million was the direct, indirect, and induced impact of spending by visitors to the region.

The MetLife Stadium drew 82,265 fans from all 50 states and 68 countries, and was the highest-grossing entertainment event in the stadium’s history. Fifty-two percent of fans were from outside the New York and New Jersey region, and spent an average of 4.6 nights. $23.9 million was spent on hotels and accommodations, while $6.6 million was spent by visitors at area restaurants.

The economic impact of WrestleMania Week was equivalent to the creation of 1,534 full-time jobs, approximately the same as the figure from last year’s event (1,583 jobs).

Wrestlemania 35 generated more federal, state, and local taxes ($27.1 million) than WrestleMania 34 in Louisiana ($23.7 million).

“New Jersey is proud to have hosted WrestleMania 35 in April, the fourth time our state has been host to this great event,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “This data underscores what we already knew – bringing large-scale events that draw fans from all over the world brings significant economic benefits to our state and the region.”

Next year’s event will take place on April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.