May 4, 2005 Observer Newsletter: WrestleMania 21 breaks records, TNA Lockdown review
The WWE released preliminary buy rate information on Wrestlemania XXI, which now goes into the record books as the biggest grossing pro wrestling event in history.
Based on already-released buy rate numbers, the combination of the PPV buys, live gate and merchandise for the show would be currently estimated at between $47 million and $49 million, based on what percentage of the PPV buys came from the U.K., which had a lower price per order than North America. It is not out of the realm of possibility that when all buys are processed, the total gross for the event could top $54 million. That would top the estimated $47.15 million for Wrestlemania XX ,last year, headlined by HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit. The biggest PPV show in company history was Wrestlemania X-7, which was also the second biggest live gate in company history, but with the difference in PPV price at $39.95, instead of the current $49.95, the total gross on the event was $45.99 million (including merchandise).
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.