Last night's WrestleMania 31 set a Levi's Stadium attendance record at 76,976, topping the previous mark of 70,799. The event also grossed a record $12.6M. WWE's previous record gross for the event was $12.3M for WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in '13 (WWE). The show was the "consummation of 96 solid hours of muscle flexing, merch moving and mouthing off that began Thursday" with the WWE's Axxess fan fest at McEnry Convention Center in San Jose (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/30).
A front-page piece in the S.F. CHRONICLE notes the PPV was a "logistical dry run" for Super Bowl 50. It was a "chance to see how they could herd tens of thousands of newcomers through a major international event." Light-rail trains "from the Fremont BART station to the stadium were packed with an estimated 11,000 riders," 50% more than for the average 49ers game (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/30). Another S.F. story described the scene: "As impressive as any event could be without being remotely moving." WWE is a "big soulless machine, but you have to admire the machine's money-churning proficiency" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/30).
The show included a cameo appearance by UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, who "judo flipped" wrestler Triple-H out of the ring (L.A. TIMES, 3/30).
