You might be looking for this page with more up to date data instead:
1996 to 2022 ticket sales data are sourced from WWE public filings. 2023 tickets sold are estimated by subtracting 9% from WrestleTix’s estimate of tickets distributed. Since the TKO merger, WWE hasn’t disclosed Q3 attendance data which suggests full-year 2023 attendance data won’t be disclosed when TKO reports Q4.
9% is chosen as the difference between ticket sales and tickets sold because that’s the average difference for events in the U.S. and Canada between WrestleTix estimate of tickets distributed and WWE’s reporting of its ticket sales throughout 2021 to 2023.
The data below represent main roster events only and therefore exclude any NXT or WWE ECW events. Events held without ticketed fans or with restricted capacity due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 are not included.
Total: WWE actual/estimated ticket sales
- FY1996 (ending Apr 30): 0.93M (247 events)
- FY1997: 1.06M (199)
- FY1998: 1.58M (218)
- FY1999: 2.27M (199)
- FY2000: 2.49M (206)
- FY2001: 2.45M (212)
- FY2002: 2.03M (237)
- FY2003: 1.82M (327)
- FY2004: 1.65M (329)
- FY2005: 1.62M (325)
- FY2006: 1.71M (300)
- CY2007 (ending Dec 31): 2.12M (308)
- CY2008: 2.20M (319)
- CY2009: 2.37M (342)
- CY2010: 2.16M (327)
- CY2011: 1.98M (321)
- CY2012: 1.85M (314)
- CY2013: 1.92M (321)
- CY2014: 1.93M (318)
- CY2015: 2.06M (329)
- CY2016: 2.10M (334)
- CY2017: 2.17M (384)
- CY2018: 1.95M (366)
- CY2019: 1.55M (310)
- CY2020: 0.26M (42)
- CY2021: 0.67M (101)
- CY2022: 1.43M (231)
- CY2023: 1.74M (220)
Total: WWE actual/estimated ticket sales
- FY1996 (ending Apr 30): 3,800 (247 events)
- FY1997: 5,300 (199)
- FY1998: 7,200 (218)
- FY1999: 11,400 (199)
- FY2000: 12,100 (206)
- FY2001: 11,600 (212)
- FY2002: 8,600 (237)
- FY2003: 5,600 (327)
- FY2004: 5,000 (329)
- FY2005: 5,000 (325)
- FY2006: 5,700 (300)
- CY2007 (ending Dec 31): 6,900 (308)
- CY2008: 6,900 (319)
- CY2009: 6,900 (342)
- CY2010: 6,600 (327)
- CY2011: 6,200 (321)
- CY2012: 5,900 (314)
- CY2013: 6,000 (321)
- CY2014: 6,100 (318)
- CY2015: 6,200 (329)
- CY2016: 6,300 (334)
- CY2017: 5,700 (384)
- CY2018: 5,300 (366)
- CY2019: 5,000 (310)
- CY2020: 6,200 (42)
- CY2021: 6,600 (101)
- CY2022: 6,200 (231)
- CY2023: 7,900 (220)
Analysis
The question often asked lately is how 2023 ticket sales compare to the hottest periods in WWE/WWF history. While the company undoubtedly improved fan interest in events last year, WWE runs fewer shows in this era versus prior ones, which complicates putting 2023 into a clean historical context.
Average attendance in 2023, about 7,900 tickets sold per show, was the highest for the company since 2002 averaged 8,600. In contrast, total attendance for 2023 was about 1.7 million, which is only the highest total since 2018 totaled 2.0 million, driven by WWE running 366 shows in 2018 versus 220 in 2023 — 146 fewer shows than just five years ago.
Further complicating comparisons is the fact that a larger portion of WWE’s live events today are televised events. As events have been reduced, those reductions are entirely a result of cutting down the number of house shows, which draw smaller crowds as many fans view them as less consequential than TV or pay-per-view shows. Indeed, before Smackdown joined Raw as a weekly flagship TV taping in August 1999, there weren’t two major TV events per week as there is today.
Nonetheless, the data leaves no room to deny 2023 was a much hotter year for live events than 2022, the first full calendar year back on the road after the pandemic, when the number of events on the schedule was similar, 231. Supporting the notion WWE in 2023 was a stronger live event business than it’s been in many years is the fact that the company in 2023 drove a higher average and total attendance than 2019, a year when there were 310 events — 90 more than in 2023.