WWE is firing back up and hitting the road again.
The professional wrestling promotion announced plans for a 25-city schedule through Labor Day. Things kickoff with three stops in the Lone Star State starting in July. Texas is home to “SmackDown,” “Money In The Bank,” and “Raw” July 16, 17, and 18.
The host cities for the events are Houston, Fort Worth, and Dallas marking the first time in 2021 that the WWE is promoting a traveling tour. They knocked out their first attempt at having live fans during last month’s “Wrestlemania 37” at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. WWE sold out the event to a restricted capacity of 25,675 fans in a 51,30 seat stadium.
“Wrestlemania 37” sold out both nights this year and was a nice boost amidst a tough financial stretch due to the pandemic. The week surrounding all the action set viewership records for WWE. The media push garnered 1.1 billion video views across digital and social platforms, representing a 14% increase from 2020. The big picture view still left WWE revenue down 9% compared to the first quarter of 2020.
“During the first quarter, we continued to effectively execute our strategy, demonstrating our ability to adapt to a challenging live event environment and to expand the reach and monetization of our content in a changing media landscape,” WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon said. “The launch of WWE Network on NBCU’s streaming service, Peacock, the multi-year extension to distribute NXT on USA Network, and the successful staging of WrestleMania illustrate the enduring and increasing value of the WWE brand as the foundation for long-term growth.”
Getting out of the Thunderdome and back on the road should help those revenue numbers get back to where they expect. The Tampa-based facility has staged events with no fans for months. The slams and knockouts aren’t being shackled to Florida for much longer.