
On the 20th of November the Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie announced that Wrestlemania 29, which had been held on April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, had generated a whopping $101.2 million for the state’s economy.
For those unfamiliar with professional wrestling and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Inc., Wrestlemaina is the company’s showcase event. The spectacle has been held annually in late March or early April since 1985. Headline acts have included wrestling legends such as Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker and the Rock.
The announcement by Governor Christie confirmed that the event had, for the second year in a row, broken through the $100 million barrier in ‘economic impact’ for the host city. The city of Miami believe the 2012 event generated $102.7 million dollars for the local economy.

Furthermore, 54% of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the New York/New Jersey area and stayed an average of four nights in the city, with $5.2 million spent by non-locals at New Jersey and New York restaurants.
While some of these figures are questionable, it’s hard to argue that this event is not value for money when compared to other major sporting events. Wrestlemania 29 had a greater attendance than the 2013 Super Bowl. With Irish WWE superstar Sheamus in vogue at the moment, maybe it’s time to see if we can bring 80,000 American’s to Croke Park for a weekend...