Haus of Wrestling received a press release touting various records that this year’s WWE SummerSlam broke for the company.
MOST-WATCHED SUMMERSLAM® OF ALL TIME
SummerSlam Smashes Viewership, Gate, Sponsorship & Merchandise Records
STAMFORD, Conn., August 7, 2023 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that SummerSlam which emanated from Ford Field in Detroit became the most-watched and highest-grossing SummerSlam in company history. The premium live event set new records for viewership, gate, sponsorship and merchandise.
With 59,194 in attendance in the Motor City, SummerSlam generated a record gate of $8.5 million, the largest gate for any non-WrestleMania event ever. It was the most-watched SummerSlam in company history and among the top three audiences in the history of WWE on Peacock.
SummerSlam generated the most sponsorship revenue for any non-WrestleMania event ever with $7 million, up 23 percent versus 2022. Slim Jim®, C4 and Rocket Mortgage were among WWE’s sponsors for the premium live event.
In partnership with special event retail partner Fanatics, merchandise sales were up 60 percent versus the record set in 2021, marking the best performance in company history for any premium live event outside of WrestleMania. On Location packages set a new SummerSlam record, up 47 percent versus 2022.
In addition, SummerSlam became the most-viewed social SummerSlam of all time with over 230 million views and four million hours of video consumed, a 26 percent increase over last year.
This year’s SummerSlam saw Roman Reigns defeat Jey Uso in Tribal Combat to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The finish of the match saw Jimmy Uso return, concealed under a dark hoodie, and attack his brother, costing him the match.
Elsewhere on the card, Cody Rhodes wrapped up his feud with Brock Lesnar with a memorable victory that saw The Beast give The American Nightmare a big hug and handshake after the match. Also, IYO SKY shocked the fans in attendance at Ford Field when she successfully cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase on Bianca Belair, who had just won the WWE Women’s Championship in a triple-threat match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair.