Fans of wrestling have been treated to some incredible scenes over the years, none more so than those who have been lucky to attend one of the many iconic WWE events live in person. As the sport grew in popularity, so too has the list of locations in which major events have been hosted. From the recent Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to the Beast in the East event of 2004 that took place in Tokyo, Japan, there have been numerous times when the WWE has successfully put on huge shows outside of North America – which is testament to just how popular the sport is throughout the world.
But when it comes to all time biggest attendances for WWE events, which ones make the top of the list? Read on to find out.
SummerSlam (1992)
Of the top 5 biggest attendances in WWE history the 1992 SummerSlam is the only entry which took place outside the United States. The event was held at Wembley Stadium in London, England and drew a crowd of 80,355 people.
The main match was between The Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Other matches included home favourite “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith vs Bret Hart and The Undertaker against Kamala, with British Bulldog and The Undertaker coming out on top.
WrestleMania 29
This is the first of two events in this list which were held at the MetLife Stadium. This arena is currently home to two NFL franchises but it has also attracted huge attendances for WWE events, including WrestleMania 29.
The main event saw John Cena defeat The Rock to win his eleventh WWE Championship. The Undertaker continued his WrestleMania winning streak by beating CM Punk and Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred match. Triple H’s career was on the line because if he had lost the match, he would have been forced into retirement. By grossing $72 million, it became the highest grossing live event in WWE history.
WrestleMania 35
This is the most recent event in the 5 biggest attendances in WWE history having taken place in 2019. Like WrestleMania 29, it was staged at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and attracted 82,265 fans. It was the longest pay-per-view event the WWE has ever produced as it ran for 7.5 hours, including the pre-show.
It is also known for having the first women’s main event match in WrestleMania history between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. It was a winner takes all triple threat match for two titles and it was Lynch who came out on top.
WrestleMania III
This is the only WWE event in the list which was staged at a stadium in the United States which is no longer in existence. WrestleMania III took place at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan in-front of 93,173 people. At the time it was the largest stadium in the National Football League.
WrestleMania III was made famous for the match between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant. It was mostly an even contest but Hulk Hogan sealed the win thanks to his trademark leg drop which followed a scoop slam of the Giant.
WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 took place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 3 2016. This venue has a capacity of 80,000 for football games, but it can be increased to 105,000 for some other events, wrestling being one of them. At 105,000 spectators, this would make the AT&T Stadium the 5th biggest stadium in the whole world and the third biggest in the USA – but as it has an official capacity of 80,000, it finds itself a bit further down the list of the world’s biggest sporting venues.
WrestleMania 32 boasted a claimed attendance of 101,763, although this has since been disputed. It is thought the total amount of paying fans was closer to 94,000, which is still a record for a WWE event.
The main event was between Roman Reigns and Triple H, with the former coming out on top to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon in a hell in a cell match and Charlotte won the new WWE Women’s Championship.
Will this record ever be broken? Perhaps. Prior to 2016, many people thought that the attendance record at WrestleMania III would last forever, but they were wrong. Who’s to say that the same won’t happen again, with a new event taking the top spot?
