WWE touts economic impact of WrestleMania 35

WWE issued their annual press release today touting the economic impact that WrestleMania had on its host region.

WWE and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that — according to a study conducted by Enigma Research Corporation — WrestleMania 35 generated “$165.4 million in direct, indirect, and induced impact derived from spending by visitors to the New York/New Jersey region for WrestleMania 35.”

That number is up from the $101.2 million that WrestleMania 29 generated for New York/New Jersey in 2013 but down from the $175 million that WrestleMania 34 generated for the greater New Orleans region.

WrestleMania 35 took place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with WWE’s events surrounding the show being held in Brooklyn, New York.

“New Jersey is proud to have hosted WrestleMania 35 in April, the fourth time our state has been host to this great event,” Murphy said. “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. I thank WWE for choosing New Jersey and hope to continue this partnership in the future.”

“We are thrilled that WrestleMania’s return to our ‘front yard’ generated a significant economic increase for our partners in New York and New Jersey,” WWE executive vice president of special events John P. Saboor said. “This success would not have been possible without the tireless support of Governor Murphy, Barclays Center, NYC & Company, Meadowlands Chamber, New York Jets, New York Giants and the rest of our public and private sector partners throughout the region. We now turn our attention to next year for what will be a historic WrestleMania debut in Tampa Bay.”

Enigma Research Corporation’s report found that 52 percent of those who attended WrestleMania 35 were from outside of the New York/New Jersey region and stayed for an average of 4.6 nights. For WrestleMania 34, 77 percent of attendees were from outside of the New Orleans region. They stayed for an average of 3.9 nights.

The report for WrestleMania 35 stated that “$23.9 million was spent on hotels and accommodations within the New York/New Jersey region,” while $6.6 million was spent by visitors at restaurants in the area. Those numbers were $22 million and $9.9 million for WrestleMania 34.

WWE also noted that WrestleMania 35 “generated approximately $27.1 million in federal, state, and local taxes.”

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida will host WrestleMania 36 on Sunday, April 5, 2020.