WWE’s WrestleMania continues to bulk up, providing a dayslong extravaganza for fans

Defending WWE World Champion Cody Rhodes arrives for a "ladder match" against Kevin Owens during Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (IBJ photo/Mickey Shuey)

As wrestling fans prepare to descend upon Las Vegas for WWE’s WrestleMania 41, demand has steadily grown so much over the years that it’s now bulked up into a dayslong event.

While WrestleMania matches will be held on April 19 and 20, a flurry of activities will take place in the days before and after, including meet and greets with wrestlers, a WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, matches for weekly television shows including “Smackdown,” “Raw,” and “NXT” and a Roast of WrestleMania hosted by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

The build-out of activities is similar to what the NFL does for the Super Bowl, which hosts meet and greets with current and former football players, flag football clinics, food experiences and other events.

Indianapolis got a taste of the action when WWE brought this year’s Royal Rumble to the Circle City. In addition to Friday Night SmackDown at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the men’s and women’s Royal Rumbles at Lucas Oil Stadium, ancillary events included official meet and greets, watch parties and amateur wrestling events. Public art celebrated the event from the Indianapolis International Airport to Fountain Square and downtown.

Indianapolis’ eight-year deal with the entertainment company also includes turns hosting SummerSlam and Wrestlemania, although dates have not yet been announced for these events.

WrestleMania has come a long way since its start in March 1985. Back then it was a one-night event that focused primarily on the wrestling matches, with celebrities like Mr. T, Liberace and Muhammad Ali sprinkled in.

By 2016 there were more than 100,000 fans in attendance for WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas. The annual event was expanded in 2020 to two days of wrestling matches with WrestleMania 36.

WrestleMania 41 is being held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the same location where the Super Bowl was held last year. Similarly, WrestleMania 42 will be held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in 2026. That’s where this year’s Super Bowl was held.

Jason Cieslak, global president of global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale, said that WWE has managed to find a way to continue to have WrestleMania successfully pay dividends for the company over time.

“There is a considerable benefit to treating WrestleMania like the Super Bowl or the World Cup,” he said. “WWE has been masterful at looping in celebrities for participation and leveraging social channels to build excitement for the event.”

WrestleMania’s expansion to several days worth of activities and events is a benefit to the brand.

“From a brand perspective, it makes what once was a narrow social event into something more mainstream and entertaining,” Cieslak said. “This is a major accomplishment when you consider the brand’s origins.”

Sports entertainment company WWE, which is part of TKO Group Holdings, has previously said that WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble have a combined economic impact of more than $300 million.

Indianapolis’ turn at hosting the Royal Rumble was the first in an eight-year, three-event deal between the Indiana Sports Corp. and WWE. The deal, which extends through 2032, also includes WrestleMania and SummerSlam, which the city last hosted in 1992 and 2008, respectively.

This year’s Royal Rumble, which took place at Lucas Oil Stadium Feb. 1, broke multiple records for the company, WWE officials later announced, including attendance (70,347), merchandise gross, all-time viewership (up 14% year-over-year on Peacock, domestically).

In the aftermath of the event’s success, multiple sources told IBJ the city hopes to schedule the yet-to-be-announced SummerSlam in 2027 or 2029 and WrestleMania in 2032.

Live events are a significant component of TKO’s business. The New York company, which also owns UFC, hosted more than 300 live events worldwide last year.

Jefferies’ Randal Konik said in a recent client note that he anticipates the momentum that TKO’s live events have to continue throughout this year.

“We believe TKO will continue to have multiple levers to drive live event expansion from increased ticket pricing to greater implementation of site fees,” he wrote.