Metro Detroit solidified its place as a hotbed for professional wrestling by hosting what Stamford, Conn.-based WWE today revealed to be the most successful SummerSlam live event in its history.
More than 59,000 fans filed into Ford Field in downtown Detroit on Aug. 5, making SummerSlam 2023 was 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, SummerSlam generated a record gate of $8.5 million, the largest gate for any non-WrestleMania event ever. It also was the most-watched SummerSlam in company history and among the top three audiences in the history of WWE on NBC’s Peacock streaming platform.
The event also 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 more than 230 million views and four million hours of video consumed, a 26 percent increase over last year.
Professional wrestling has been drawing big crowds in Detroit going back to the 1960s and 1970s when then Cobo Arena and Olympia Stadium hosted events. In 1987, a reported 93,173 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III, setting an indoor attendance record that stood for many years. In 2007, the WWE staged WrestleMania XXIII at Ford Field drawing more than 80,000 fans.
