WWE to hold first stadium event in U.K. in 30 years
STAMFORD — WWE has announced it would hold its first stadium event in 30 years in the United Kingdom, one of the mostimportant markets for the Stamford-based company.
The show in Wales will take place Sept. 3 at the approximately 74,000-seat capacity Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. As one of the largest venues in the UK, the stadium hosts a range of events, including the Wales national rugby union team’s home games.
“Principality Stadium is the perfect place for a major event, hosting our amazing fans from Wales, throughout all of Europe and around the world,” John Porco, WWE senior vice president of live events, said in a statement. “The weekend will be filled with a variety of WWE experiences that we believe will leave a lasting memory, on par with SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium in 1992.”
The event’s list of performers was not immediately released, while WWE said in its announcement that “information regarding event name, ticket(s) on sale and further event updates will be available soon.”
“We’re extremely proud that Principality Stadium has been chosen by WWE to host this major event, which is a testament to the stadium’s reputation as a world-class venue,” Principality Stadium Manager Mark Williams said in a statement. “Principality Stadium is unique in its position at the heart of the city center, which will undoubtably offer WWE fans an unrivaled event experience both inside and outside of the stadium and bring great benefit to the wider city of Cardiff.”
Welsh officials said the event would provide worldwide exposure for their country, which has a population of about 3 million people.
“Wales will provide an iconic location for WWE’s return to the UK after 30 years and showcase our country to a global audience of millions including extended reach in the USA,” Welsh Government Minister for Economy Vaughan Gething said in a statement. “This is set to be the perfect addition to a huge year of sport, entertainment and culture in Wales that will attract people from across the globe to experience what our country has to offer.”
The Cardiff show will be WWE’s first stadium event in the UK since the 1992 edition of SummerSlam, which was held at London’s Wembley Stadium. The 1992 SummerSlam marked WWE’s first major pay-perview event to be held outside North America. The company now refers to PPV events as “premium live events.”
WWE has since held a number of arena shows in the UK, with the most recent one being held last November at OVO Arena Wembley, which stands next to Wembley Stadium.
The announcement of the Cardiff show reflects the recent revival of WWE’s live-event business, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE broke its event-attendance record when about 156,000 fans gathered on April 2-3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for WrestleMania 38.
WWE’s revenues from live events dropped from about $126 million in 2019 to around $20 million in 2020, a year in which WrestleMania was held behind closed doors at WWE’s training center in Orlando, Fla. Last year, WrestleMania took place at a reduced-capacity Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., contributing to about $58 million in liveevent revenues in 2021.