DALLAS—A young fan happily takes a seat in a prop electric chair and smiles. Another attendee dishes out $400 for a shiny championship belt. A couple says “I do” while their wedding party looks on. This is WrestleMania.
And like most live, in-person tentpole gatherings, the main event (in this case, Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar) pales in comparison to the overall fan experience that happens outside the ring.
Earlier this month, WWE hosted WrestleMania 38, a multi-day experience that the company calls a “pop-culture extravaganza.” In addition to the two-night main event, which took place on April 2 and 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx., the media organization also set up its Superstore Axxess at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas from March 31-April 4. Here, “members of the WWE Universe” (aka fans) were able to shop a huge collection of merch, browse memorabilia displays, participate in WWE-themed activities and purchase tickets to premium experiences within the store, including panel discussions featuring past and present WWE wrestlers.
That’s where fans could enter the “Undertaker's Graveyard,” which included photo ops (like the electric chair), memorabilia and recreated sets from some of the popular WWE star’s iconic storylines. The four-time champion was inducted into the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania week.
Superstore Axxess tickets were priced at $10 and included unlimited entries into the space for all five days. Once inside, attendees could then purchase additional tickets to “premium experiences,” including the Undertaker’s Graveyard, Alexa’s Playground, Miz TV and The KO Show sets, Superstar Entrance (where fans were able to act out their favorite wrestler’s entrance with walk-in music and graphics) and Call A Match presented by Snickers, each starting at $10. Access to the panels was also an additional charge. In the past, the general admission ticket had cost more but included access to the premium experiences.
The WWE reports that WrestleMania 38 was the highest-grossing, most-attended event in the company’s history, with 156,352 fans in attendance over the course of two nights, surpassing the previous gate and attendance records set by WrestleMania 32 in 2016. Plus, for the first time, the event boasted two presenting partners: Snickers and WWE 2K22.
According to analytics firm Conviva, the event saw a record 2.2 billion impressions across all social media platforms, compared to 1.8 billion for Super Bowl LVI. In addition, WWE amassed 1.1 billion video views across various social media networks, 13.1 million hours of video watch time and 87 million engagements over the weekend of the event. WrestleMania 39 is set to take place in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park on April 1 and 2, 2023.
See more from the fan experience and brand activations at WrestleMania 38.