World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced its annual SummerSlam event attained the highest levels of viewership in its history, combining with record gate revenue ($8.5 million) for a non-WrestleMania event. While the exact linear viewership figure was not divulged by the company, Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. held 59,194 attendees as they anticipated premier matchups, including the bout between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso for the Undisputed Universal Championship. In the days before the event, Reigns and his special counsel Paul Heyman made various media appearances, including a segment on ESPN’s morning debate show, First Take.
The event garnered over 230 million views on social media, along with 4 million hours of video consumed, which is up 26% year-over-year. The consensus signature moment of the night occurred when Uso’s twin brother Jimmy turned on him and facilitated his loss of the match and the sought after title of “Tribal Chief.”
According to the wrestling promotion, the event also generated the most sponsorship revenue for a non-WrestleMania event at $7 million, which is 23% higher than last year’s figure. Premium sponsors for the event included C4, Rocket Mortgage and Slim Jim among other partnerships forged for the premier pay-per-view spectacle.
Merchandise sales were also 60% higher than when the company set a record during the 2021 iteration of the event. It was the best performance in the history of the company for any premium live event excluding WrestleMania. As WWE looks ahead to Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown and the upcoming Survivor Series, it aims to continue shattering records and remaining a consistent force in the sports entertainment sector. Everything ultimately leads up to a highly-anticipated WrestleMania XL from Philadelphia, Penn. in April 2024.
