WWE Money In The Bank 2023 Sets Record For Highest-Grossing Arena Event
WWE announced on Wednesday that Money in the Bank 2023 is officially the most successful and highest-grossing event of its kind.
The company occupied the O2 Arena in London, England, and June 30 and July 1 for "WWE SmackDown" and Money in the Bank, respectively. Money in the Bank set a new record for the highest-grossing arena event in WWE history, while Friday's show was the highest-grossing "SmackDown" of all time. The combined gate totaled more than $5.4 million.
Viewership numbers were up 17 percent from Money in the Bank 2022, which emanated in Las Vegas. Additionally, it surpassed Clash at the Castle's viewership by 30 percent. Sponsorship revenue was up nine percent, merchandise sales became the highest-grossing for an arena event, and WWE's On Location fan experience packages set a record for non-WrestleMania events.
Social media numbers also told a story. Video views of the Bloodline Civil War tag team match passed 40 million in just 48 hours. This was four times the amount of the clip of Jimmy Uso super-kicking Roman Reigns at Night of Champions in May.
WWE also touted "SmackDown"'s viewership of 2.51 million total viewers, which was up 17 percent from one year ago. The show ranked #1 in the key 18-49 demographic with a 0.7 rating and 897,000 total viewers. That number is up 39 percent from last year.
With an estimated 18,885 fans in attendance, WWE produced a seven-match card that had surprises sprinkled throughout, including appearances by Drew McIntyre and John Cena. Other highlights included new Women's Tag Team Champions being crowned, Damian Priest and IYO SKY winning Money in the Bank contracts, and Jey Uso becoming the first person to pin Reigns since December 2019.