- The event began following a two-night format since WrestleMania 36 in 2020.
- WrestleMania 40 was highlighted by Cody Rhodes’ victory over Roman Reigns
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WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia became WWE’s highest-grossing event, breaking previous PPV, box office and social media records.
The two-night celebration at Lincoln Financial Field was the organization’s fifth attempt to extend the PPV beyond a single night. Ultimately, it became the most successful WrestleMania as the masses tuned in to watch Cody Rhodes be crowned WWE Universal Champion.
145,298 fans came to Lincoln Financial to witness the action live on both nights. The figure surpassed the previous record, held by WrestleMania 39, by 78 percent. All 50 states were represented in the crowd, as well as 64 nations from around the world.
WrestleMania raised last year’s viewership record by 41 percent. Additionally, the event became the most viewed WrestleMania on social media, with more than 660 million views consumed on both days.
It wasn’t just the event that set the bar higher for the company: the shows leading up to WrestleMania also set new viewership records.
WrestleMania 40 broke records and became WWE’s highest-grossing event of all time
The event was highlighted by the return of The Rock and Cody Rhodes’ highlight reel.
Lincoln Financial Field and Philadelphia hosted WWE’s first two-night pay-per-view
Celebrities such as Jason Kelce, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Lane Johnson appeared.
Friday Night Smackdown and Monday Night Raw earned their highest gates ever at the Wells Fargo Center. NXT’s Stand & Deliver also became the busiest NXT event in history, with 16,545 attendees.
The event was highlighted by the long-awaited return to the ring of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. At WrestleMania 40, Rocky teamed with Roman Reigns for the main event of Night 1 as they defeated Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match.
The Rock also shared the ring with fellow legends John Cena and The Undertaker.
Night 2, however, saw American Nightmare’s crowning moment over Reigns to become the WWE Universal Champion.
WrestleMania also featured appearances by Drew Barrymore, Vanessa Hudgens, Lil Wayne, Speed and Snoop Dogg. Beloved Philadelphia icons Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson also took to the ring to help Rey Mysterio and Andrade in their victory over Legado del Fantasma.