NEW YORK — WWE is continuing to enhance its presence on social media, showcasing a successful fusion of wrestling and celebrity appearances during its Royal Rumble premium live event held over the weekend.
On Monday, the sports entertainment giant announced that this year’s Royal Rumble achieved a historic milestone for social video engagement, recording the highest views ever for the event. A notable confrontation between wrestler Bron Breakker and prominent streamer IShowSpeed generated over 300 million views across social platforms in less than 24 hours, making it the most-watched social media post in Royal Rumble history.
IShowSpeed, a familiar face at various WWE occasions including WrestleMania 40, boasts an impressive following of over 35 million subscribers on YouTube. Logan Paul, who also took part in this weekend’s men’s Royal Rumble match, has surpassed 23 million subscribers on the platform.
Currently, WWE is leading in the social media space with an impressive total of over 100 million subscribers on YouTube. This figure significantly overshadows those of other major sports leagues, including the National Football League with nearly 14 million, the National Basketball Association with over 22 million, Major League Baseball at around 6 million, and the National Hockey League with close to 3 million subscribers.
Merchandise sales, in collaboration with Fanatics, saw an astonishing increase of more than 95% compared to last year’s record for the Royal Rumble. Sponsorship revenue also soared by 94% in comparison to previous records from 2024.
The premium live event, which aired on Peacock in the U.S. on Saturday, achieved record-breaking viewership for the Royal Rumble, witnessing a nearly 14% rise in numbers domestically compared to the prior year.
This edition of the Royal Rumble crowned Jey Uso as the champion of the men’s match and Charlotte Flair as the winner of the women’s competition. The event took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, in collaboration with Indiana Sports Corp. The partnership, established last year, extends beyond the Royal Rumble, promising to bring WWE’s SummerSlam and WrestleMania events to Indianapolis in the upcoming years.
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, has previously stated that its marquee events—WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble—generate a substantial economic impact exceeding $300 million.
This agreement also encompasses WWE television programs such as Raw, Smackdown, and NXT, along with live events happening in various venues, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville, all under this partnership.
