The World Wrestling Entertainment event Wrestlemania is bigger than the Super Bowl due to the event’s international success and worldwide appeal.
By Antonio Cooper
During the season four premiere episode of Lebron James’ HBO show, The Shop, rapper Jay-Z stated he believes Wrestlemania is larger than the Super Bowl. The rapper’s statement came up while discussing recording artist Bad Bunny, and his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he competed at Wrestlemania 37, WWE’s latest installment of their annual professional wrestling event.
Bunny stated that Wrestlemania was “More than The Grammys,” describing his experience as the best moment of his life, Jay-Z chimed in with, “Definitely bigger than the Super Bowl,” reported Essentially Sports.
While one could simplify Jay-Z’s statement to boasting a fellow artist’s accomplishment, his statement is worth exploring to determine if there is any truth to the iconic rapper’s statement.
Professional wrestling is a viewership juggernaut, beginning with WWE’s flagship show Monday Night Raw. Favorable across multiple demographics, Monday Night Raw has maintained over a million weekly viewers every week since its debut in 1993, reported Statista.
Fans love WWE to this day for its violent soap opera storylines, over-the-top characters, and the experience of being able to see their favorite performers showcase their craft.
According to an article published by Showbuzz Daily, a public source of TV viewership data, after almost a three-decade run, Monday Night Raw viewership remains ranked highly in comparison to other original programs airing on cable the same night (2020), reported Wrestlenomics.
Below is a chart showcasing how significant a difference WWE’s flagship show (WWE Raw) ranks against other programs on USA Network.
These numbers are consistent throughout the year. By the time Wrestlemania airs, which is WWE’s season finale, viewership reaches upwards of 1 billion streams across various platforms.
The fandom of both professional wrestling and the NFL blends hardcore fans, casual viewers, and nostalgia viewers.
According to Forbes Fab 40, a list that ranks the top events in sports, WWE’s event ranked as the sixth most valuable event, generating $245 million in revenue in 2019, and making Wrestlemania one of the highest-grossing events in the world, reported Forbes.
However, within the same Fab 40 list, the Super Bowl has routinely ranked first over the past decade, generating an estimated $780 million in 2019.
Financially, the Super Bowl dominates Wrestlemania. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, both events had no fan attendance. However, the Super Bowl generated an advertisement revenue record of $449 million.
While the NFL does not disclose the exact amount the Super Bowl generates in total revenue, The Street, a finance-based news platform, reported that the NFL pockets tens of millions on everything from ticket and merchandise sales, to the special events leading up to the big game.
These finance figures are in addition to the NFL’s guaranteed financial payoff, which earns the NFL an estimated $3 billion from CBS, Fox, and NBC in broadcast rights to cover the Super Bowl as well as regular season and playoff games.
The 2020 Super Bowl numbers, in comparison to Wrestlemania, are complete opposites. According to Wrestlenomics, Wrestlemania 37 cost WWE roughly $22 million, generating no revenue for their event, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
So, does Jay-Z’s statement hold any truth… Is Wrestlemania bigger than the Super Bowl?
Absolutely.
While the Super Bowl has the edge in financial success, Wrestlemania has the edge in worldwide success and international viewership.
The bulk of Wrestlemania viewers come from the streaming service Peacock, which makes it impossible to see their ratings. However, according to WWE, Wrestlemania’s latest installment saw a record of 1.1 billion video views across various video and social media channels, reported Variety.
According to Comcast, Peacock, which live-streamed this year’s Wrestlemania, had 33 million sign-ups in the United States at year-end; this surge of subscribers came a week ahead of WrestleMania 37.
In comparison to Wrestlemania’s worldwide success, the NFL’s primary viewership comes from North America. The 2021 Super Bowl attracted 96.4 million viewers. Compared to the 2020 installment, which recorded 102.1 million viewers, these numbers are low in comparison to WWE.
Additionally, the Super Bowl had lower streaming numbers. According to The Streamable, an estimated 5.7 million people streamed the Super Bowl in 2021.
Over the past decade, Wrestlemania has also outperformed the Super Bowl in ticket sales and attendance; WWE’s event grossed greater attendance in seven of the last ten years.
Due to global appeal, Wrestlemania is bigger.
While the Super Bowl is a North American financial juggernaut, dominating Wrestlemania in terms of overall money earned, the NFL’s grand event is almost exclusive to the United States; Wrestlemania’s continued attendance domination reflects the event’s global appeal.
Instead of comparing Wrestlemania to the Super Bowl, it should be compared to The World Cup, an event with a similar global appeal.
While The World Cup has a bigger impact and is more financially lucrative than Wrestlemania, both are comparable in viewership. According to FIFA, the 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia reached more than 1.1 billion people tuning in over its 90 minutes, reported World Sports Network.
Provided by Statista, this chart displays just how globally dominant the World Cup remains in comparison to the Super Bowl.
Much like Wrestlemania, the World Cup is also financially dwarfed by the NFL’s grand event, generating an estimated $5 billion in 2019, compared to the NFL’s $14 billion generated revenue.
While financially the Super Bowl is greater than The World Cup and Wrestlemania, Jay-z’s statement was indeed true. Wrestlemania is bigger, and the argument one should question is if financial success trumps global impact. Capitalism says one thing while audience engagement says another.
As previously mentioned, it’s impossible to measure the exact viewership numbers of Wrestlemania. However, it’s clear in terms of viewing success, to reach common metrics the Super Bowl should not be made the comparison because the monumental numbers of the World Cup are more closely comparable, as both this fútbol and professional wrestling event reach upwards to a billion worldwide viewers.
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