The Sports Business Journal reports that WWE’s first time overseas for its Friday Night Smackdown and Money in the Bank PPV the following night drew a combined gate record of more than $5.4 million becoming the highest grossing arena event in WWE history for both shows.
The shows were held at the O2 Arena in London with Friday Night Smackdown first followed by Money in the Bank the following night.
The ratings for Smackdown on Fox drew 2.51 million viewers and 897,000 viewers in the A18-49 demo.
During the Money in the Bank PPV, John Cena made an appearance and stirred rumors that the WWE would bring Wrestlemania to London. The proclamation was made due in part to AEW running Wembley Stadium later this summer and reportedly breaking a ticket record.
The WWE has done big business with piggy-backing events in the same arena back to back nights with Smackdown and then its PPV. Earlier this year Montreal, Quebec, Canada and San Juan, Puerto Rico had similar frenetic crowds both nights for WWE events. The attendance and gate reflect the popularity of the company internationally as things continue to look up and a nice trend for fans outside of the U.S.
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