This last week/weekend was a huge one for wrestling as whole with a ton of events going on. Saturday, WWE held their PLE Payback from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The show was a big hit with some really solid matches. WWE has indicated in a press release that Payback delivered records for viewership, gate and merchandise.
STAMFORD, Conn., September 5, 2023 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Payback, which emanated from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, became the most-watched and highest-grossing Payback in company history. The premium live event set new records for viewership, gate and merchandise.
Viewership of Payback was up 36 percent versus the previous record set in 2016. With 12,468 in attendance, it marked the largest gate ever for any Payback, up 13 percent versus the prior record set in Chicago in 2016. Payback also became the highest-grossing WWE event ever held in Pittsburgh.
In addition, Payback broke the all-time event merchandise record. In partnership with special event retail partner Fanatics, merchandise sales were up 182 percent versus the previous record set in 2017.
2023 Payback was also the most-viewed social Payback of all time with a combined 146 million social views, up 44 percent from the previous record set in 2020. The most-viewed moment across social platforms was Cody Rhodes announcing Jey Uso would be joining the Monday Night Raw roster which generated more than seven million social views across all platforms in one day.
Did you all watch WWE Payback? What did you think about WWE Payback breaking records for viewership, gate and merchandise? Will you be watching the WWE Superstar Spectacle this Friday from India? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on our Twitter account. As always stay tuned to Culture Splat for more content coming your way!
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