Wrestlemania rumoured to have got 1.9 PPV buys!

[rge2010]

Gus Ramsey of ESPN is saying WM28 got 1.9 PPV buys. If this is true that is an incredible number and no wonder people like Rock and Brock are being brought back.

Looks to me like CM Punk has egg on his face aswell. A few months ago he said in various interviews that WM27 getting over 1m buys was nothing to do with The Rock.

I think if this number is true it proves that statement incorrect. Because those extra people buying this years sure as hell wernt buying it for Punk vs Jericho or Taker vs Triple part 3!

 

[Miz_Mark]

Really? You're the sole arbiter of why people buy WWE PPVs?

Because *I* damn sure *did* buy Wrestlemania for Jericho/Punk. It was by far the biggest draw for me before the show and the best match after.

WWE made a huge push for Wrestlemania this year with several major matches as a part of that push. The Rock may well have contributed some of those buys, but to act as if this can be laid firmly at his feet is absurd. I'm sure I'm not alone, or even in limited company, in watching Wrestlemania expressly for Punk/Jericho.

 

[ape_shit]

i have to agree wit the op to a certain extent. avid fans like ourselfs bought the ppv for the "wrestling" matches, but the rock/cena match attracted occasional viewers, but ya to say the entire credit falls on to the rock is a little absurd. punk/jericho and taker/hhh had a big part in that number, if it indeed is correct.

 

[IHW]

I bought it for HHH vs. Taker 3. As soon as they announced Hell In A Cell, my mind was made. HBK was just icing on the cake. Yeah, Rocky got a lot of buys, but it was guys like HHH, Taker, HBK, Cena, Punk, and Jericho that sold the show as well. No one man would affect it this much. It is a combination of the entire card.

 

[The Ram]

Yeah I knew I was going to buy wrestlemania 28 because of The rock vs. John Cena but that wasn't the only reason, I bought it for cm punk vs. jericho and Triple H vs. Undertaker an I'm glad I did buy it. For me the Undertaker vs. Triple H match was great enough and told a good enough story to make me feel like I got my moneys worth.

 

[Tyler44]

Now IF those numbers are correct, then yes that would be the highest buy-rate draw in history. That would be insane, but honestly, those numbers are easily due to WWE putting on 3 blockbuster matches.

The Rock is a huge part of this. You need to give him some credit, as he was the draw to the Cena match. If it was Cena vs. anyone, I just cannot see that many people buying it for the other 2 matches and a mediocre Cena match with a current WWE talent. The Rock had to be, in tons of cases, the straw that made people buy it. The Rock was just a heavy contribution, not the reason. If it was The Rock making you consider and then the hell in cell was thrown in which convinced you, then that is WWE's credit right there. Taker vs. HHH 3 was not appealing without the cell. WWE got it right there.

Think about it now. Last year's Wrestlemania card looked like this:

A lumberjack match for the US Title
Edge vs. Del Rio
Cody Rhodes vs. Mysterio
Kane/Big Show/Kofi/Santino vs. Barrett/E.Jackson/Gabriel/Slater
Orton vs. Punk (remember, this isn't the current CM Punk)
Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawlor
Undertaker vs. HHH
John Morrison/Trish Stratus/Snooki vs. Ziggler/Laycool
Miz vs. Cena

Seriously and honestly, that card is dreadful. It's not even great for a standard ppv. The main event is just a one on one Cena match with an alright WWE talent, and the other draw was the Undertaker match, but that happens every year. It's nothing new. And even with that awful card, the buyrates were 1,042,000 (not that far off from the highest buyrate of 1,250,000 on Wrestlemania 23).

So with that said, a dreadful Wrestlemania 27 card still drew over 1.0. So when a Wrestlemania has 3 blockbuster matches, 1 being a candidate for "the most historic match in modern years", is it that much of a surprise they drew close to 2? Based on the numbers, they should have. Props to them on their success as I was satisfied with the result, but it shouldn't be that big of a shock.

 

[mrpops]

You guys are idiots. The reason it sold so much was purely because of the rock/cena match. Just because your a hardcore wrestling fan and bought it for jericho or takers matches doesnt mean that everyone else did. But let me guess since you bought it for jericho/taker....EVERYONE else mustve. Those extra 900,000 were ALL because of taker and jericho....right?!?!....

1 million people bought it last year, not because of matches as most of them sucked but because the rock was hosting.

This year the rumored 1.9 million is purely because of the rock. Takers and jerichos matches are a foot note and were just extras. Casual/old fans bought the ppv because of the rock. Pure and simple. Get your heads out of your asses and realize the truth.

If it wasnt for Rock vs Cena WM wouldve sold half and you all damn well know thats the truth.

 

[Skinsley]

I am not sure if CM punks statement could be right or wrong.
The overall product of WWE this year has been a damn sight better....although still heavily lacking, than a few years before that and I believe this has plenty to do with the Buyrate.....I was more hyped up for this Mania than I have in years and I watch RAW&Smackdown every week and was going to be watching WM reguardless....plenty of factors can be brought up to explain the good buyrate.

Although lets face it.....If you hadnt seen wrestling in a long time...and you knew Rock was having his first 1 on 1 match in 8 years.......youd fucking buy it!

 

[LoudClearVoice]

For all the people that don't want to give The Rock a large amount of the credit, look at it like this: There are avid wrestling fans, that are going to buy the PPV no matter what the card looks like. Those are what I refer to as "automatic buys." When Vince makes the card for Wrestlemania, he doesn't care about the automatic buyers. What he cares about is getting the fringe or casual fans or even fans that would never even watch wrestling. Those are the buyers that put the numbers where they're at.


So, in looking at this card, is there any match there that would make the casual fan shell out 65 bucks for the event? Most casual fans probably don't even know who Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, or even CM Punk are.

Take for example the "attitude era" generation of fans who gave up on Wrestling after the Attitude era died. Would those fans randomly buy a wrestling PPV for the first time in years to watch Punk and Jericho or Big Show and Cody? No.

They're buying it to the see The Rock. The huge number of buys if from this group, "non-fans," and casual fans.

The Rock's presence on the card fighting Cena (let's not sell him short, he's the WWE's top guy), accounted for most of the extra buys along with probably Trips, Taker, HBK in the Cell.... You take those two matches off the card, you'd be lucky to get a million buys.

 

[Benz19]

You guys are idiots. The reason it sold so much was purely because of the rock/cena match. Just because your a hardcore wrestling fan and bought it for jericho or takers matches doesnt mean that everyone else did. But let me guess since you bought it for jericho/taker....EVERYONE else mustve. Those extra 900,000 were ALL because of taker and jericho....right?!?!....

1 million people bought it last year, not because of matches as most of them sucked but because the rock was hosting.

This year the rumored 1.9 million is purely because of the rock. Takers and jerichos matches are a foot note and were just extras. Casual/old fans bought the ppv because of the rock. Pure and simple. Get your heads out of your asses and realize the truth.

If it wasnt for Rock vs Cena WM wouldve sold half and you all damn well know thats the truth.

Agree 100% with this, taker hhh got 1 million last year, Rock Cena was what got 1.9 this year, tho taker hhh punk jericho helped, im not sure they sold that much tbh

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Although lets face it.....If you hadnt seen wrestling in a long time...and you knew Rock was having his first 1 on 1 match in 8 years.......youd fucking buy it!

You're exactly right. It's not a diss on Punk if Rock made the difference in the buyrate. It's reality.

Some of my friends who haven't watched wrestling in 10 years were talking about Wrestlemania and they watched the event, just to see Rock vs. Cena (and Trips vs. Undertaker in the Cell).

The Rock did his job. He got the WWE's entire product, the most exposure it's gotten from a PPV, ever.

 

[Azane]

I called it when they first announce Rock vs Cena

Buyrates good? YAY ROCKY
Buyrates bad? NOT EVEN ROCK COULD SAVE THE CURRENT ROSTER!

This is why I don't put a huge burden on this, the card was stacked, and match of the night was HHH vs Taker, Rock vs Cena alone didn't sell them all.

Although you will now see abysmal buyrates, now that The Rock buried the entire WWE roster.

 

[RJJ]

I bought wrestlemania to see Rock/Cena, and I'm damn sure ALOT of people did, mainly, for the same reason. Don't get me wrong, it is a team effort, but just like in every team, there is a superstar that carries around the load, and for the wwe that guy is the Rock. He's the main reason why WM 28 got 1.9 PPV buys.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

You guys are idiots. The reason it sold so much was purely because of the rock/cena match. Just because your a hardcore wrestling fan and bought it for jericho or takers matches doesnt mean that everyone else did. But let me guess since you bought it for jericho/taker....EVERYONE else mustve. Those extra 900,000 were ALL because of taker and jericho....right?!?!....

1 million people bought it last year, not because of matches as most of them sucked but because the rock was hosting.

This year the rumored 1.9 million is purely because of the rock. Takers and jerichos matches are a foot note and were just extras. Casual/old fans bought the ppv because of the rock. Pure and simple. Get your heads out of your asses and realize the truth.

If it wasnt for Rock vs Cena WM wouldve sold half and you all damn well know thats the truth.

You are 100% correct. I think part of the problem we'll find with this thread is that the CM Punk fans aren't going to admit that The Rock's presence is what gave it the buyrate it did because they view it as "proving" that Punk was wrong about what he said. They won't admit reality. I love CM Punk and I don't care if he was right or wrong with what he said about the buys.

I can accept reality. The reality is, Rock was on the card for Wrestlemania for the first time in YEARS and it got the most buys ever. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Although you will now see abysmal buyrates, now that The Rock buried the entire WWE roster.

How did he bury the entire roster? He was in one match against John Cena. That only took up one "current" wrestler's spot on the card.

If anything he got these younger guys a ridiculous amount of exposure. Think about all the non-fans or casual fans that watched just to see The Rock. They're now asking themselves, "who's this Cody Rhodes guy? This CM Punk guy is pretty cool. Maybe I'll get back into watching wrestling."

 

[Jenna.]

Wow that's fantastic if they did that many buyrates.

I for damn sure bought WM for The Rock and Cena match. I knew a year in advance when this match was announced I was buying it because of The Rock. Same reason last year and same reason I attended Survivor Series last year.

I'm pretty sure that's why most people bought WM. But I will say the HITC match and Jericho/Punk were icing on the cake.

This Wrestlemania definitely deserved that amount of buyrates, if not more. Really good ppv I've seen in awhile. Here's hoping next year is even better in NY/NJ!

 

[rge2010]

How did he bury the entire roster? He was in one match against John Cena. That only took up one "current" wrestler's spot on the card.

If anything he got these younger guys a ridiculous amount of exposure. Think about all the non-fans or casual fans that watched just to see The Rock. They're now asking themselves, "who's this Cody Rhodes guy? This CM Punk guy is pretty cool. Maybe I'll get back into watching wrestling."

Good post. I agree 100%. The roster should be kissing The Rocks ass because he just got them all a huge Wrestlemania payday!!!

The Rock didnt bury Cena anyway. He beat him then put him over the next night. I am pretty sure this isnt the end. If buy rates were 1.9m for this bout but then you can guarantee WWE will do it again sometime down the road, probably next year or at 30. And Cena will go over next time.

 

[closet_fan]

If true it's good for the WWE. But it's a sad state of the product as a whole.

3 of the top matches involved guys who have been around the block (Jericho, HBK, HHH, Undertaker, Rock).

How much longer can the E count on part-time guys to get WM over every year? Eventually, guys like Ziggler and Rhodes are going to have to step up. And that in itself is scary for me.

 

[Natural Selection]

Like CM Punk all you want(I do) But EVERYTHING he has said about The Rock has been completely wrong. The Rock sells. That's what he does, even in Tooth Fairy that first weekend/week tickets fly. People want to be entertained, The Rock is entertaining. And yes I bought WrestleMania for the Undertaker, but all the casual/old school fans bought for The Rock. Hell 1.9 sounds low for the show we got. I haven't bought a ppv in quite awhile and I have no problem saying from start to finish that show was worth $65

 

[LoudClearVoice]

If true it's good for the WWE. But it's a sad state of the product as a whole.

3 of the top matches involved guys who have been around the block (Jericho, HBK, HHH, Undertaker, Rock).

How much longer can the E count on part-time guys to get WM over every year? Eventually, guys like Ziggler and Rhodes are going to have to step up. And that in itself is scary for me.

You're right. Many in the locker room and many fans want to complain about these guys who keep coming back or who fight one match a year but the thing is, THE REST OF THE YEAR THEY'RE GONE! The rest of the year, RAW gets low ratings and the PPVs get low buy rates. Then these guys come back and BOOM, ratings go up. What does that tell you?

 

[rge2010]

You're right. Many in the locker room and many fans want to complain about these guys who keep coming back or who fight one match a year but the thing is, THE REST OF THE YEAR THEY'RE GONE! The rest of the year, RAW gets low ratings and the PPVs get low buy rates. Then these guys come back and BOOM, ratings go up. What does that tell you?

In defence to the 'current roster' it has lost a few names over the last few years. Shawn Michaels retired, Edge retired, Batista left, Jeff Hardy left. The product would be better if them four were still going. They were all main event and they wouldnt have to rely on bringing part timers like Rock and Brock back 'so much'.

But the future does look pretty bleak. I dont see anyone making the step up to challenge Cena as the face of the company. Punk could be there eventually but that is it. People are lying to themselves suggesting Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler.

 

[Davi323]

Guys, One match is not going to account for almost twice as many buys as last year. We can say that it was because of Cena/Rock, but in reality, the fact is, one match is NOT going to generate enough additional interest to account for that size of a leap. If the 1.9 million buys is accurate, and I am pretty skeptical that it is, there has to be more to it than just the presence of ANY individual wrestler on the card. Rock didn't increase the buys by 900,000. Sorry, he just didn't. Neither did Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk or Chris Jericho. HOWEVER, Rock, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, Chris Jericho etc, taken as a whole, as part of a pretty solid card overall, might, possibly, under the absolute best case scenario possible.

However, I wouldn't be shocked at all to find out the official buyrates end up being closer to 1.3 million rather than 1.9. 1.9 million would be absolutely astonishing.

Sorry, but 1.9 million is simply not true. It can't be. First, there is no way they would be able to know that this quickly. PPV buyrates aren't usually known for at least a month after the PPVs happen. To believe that somehow, this guy at ESPN would have known what the buyrate was 24 hours after the event happened is incredulous. It's simply implausible. But, just for the sake of argument, let's assume that the numbers are close to reality. Why would the Rock account for TWICE the buys from last year, when none of the other Wrestlemanias he appeared in ever got buys even close to 1.9 million? Hell, Wrestlemania X8, where he went up against Hogan only did about 880,000. If Hulk Hogan/Rock can't get 1.9 million, no way in hell that Rock/Cena would have. Not in an era where overall professional wrestling interest has waned as viewers shifted over to the UFC, and there is no competition for the WWE. Yet, we are to believe that despite a smaller wrestling viewing audience, that one guy who has never drawn like that before, was responsible for DOUBLING the buyrate from last year? BULLSHIT. The Rock is a draw, but he isn't THAT much of one. Not an extra 900,000 buys worth, certainly.

Even if we were saying that it was the result of a very solid card overall, that it was Rock, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and everyone else combined, not giving credit to any specific person more than another, 1.9 million is an incredibly high, completely unprecedented number. I will remain extremely skeptical until next month, when the ACTUAL buyrate comes in, not just the rumored one.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I really hope this shows WWE that people WILL fork over the money if they're able to put on HUGE blockbuster matches like they did at Wrestlemania 28. The WWE has to be ecstatic about the number that WM drew for them, very impressive indeed. As for the main cause- it was obviously Rock/Cena. Sure, there were great supporting matches all up and down the card, but Rock/Cena was clearly the biggest draw far and away, and a true dream matchup. If you disagree, then remember, you're in IWC: the non-IWC was in love with Rock/Cena the whole way- that's what drew this historic number.

I hope WWE makes it a point to put on these "dream matchups" as often as possible. Every year wouldn't hurt, but every other year would be optimal. Bring back guys like Rock, Austin, Lesnar, Edge (if health permits) for these kinds of special one-off matches. The fans obviously love them, and they draw like crazy.

 

[RJJ]

Guys, One match is not going to account for almost twice as many buys as last year. We can say that it was because of Cena/Rock, but in reality, the fact is, one match is NOT going to generate enough additional interest to account for that size of a leap. If the 1.9 million buys is accurate, and I am pretty skeptical that it is, there has to be more to it than just the presence of ANY individual wrestler on the card. Rock didn't increase the buys by 900,000. Sorry, he just didn't. Neither did Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk or Chris Jericho. HOWEVER, Rock, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, Chris Jericho etc, taken as a whole, as part of a pretty solid card overall, might, possibly, under the absolute best case scenario possible.

However, I wouldn't be shocked at all to find out the official buyrates end up being closer to 1.3 million rather than 1.9. 1.9 million would be absolutely astonishing.

Sorry, but 1.9 million is simply not true. It can't be. First, there is no way they would be able to know that this quickly. PPV buyrates aren't usually known for at least a month after the PPVs happen. To believe that somehow, this guy at ESPN would have known what the buyrate was 24 hours after the event happened is incredulous. It's simply implausible. But, just for the sake of argument, let's assume that the numbers are close to reality. Why would the Rock account for TWICE the buys from last year, when none of the other Wrestlemanias he appeared in ever got buys even close to 1.9 million? Hell, Wrestlemania X8, where he went up against Hogan only did about 880,000. If Hulk Hogan/Rock can't get 1.9 million, no way in hell that Rock/Cena would have. Not in an era where overall professional wrestling interest has waned as viewers shifted over to the UFC, and there is no competition for the WWE. Yet, we are to believe that despite a smaller wrestling viewing audience, that one guy who has never drawn like that before, was responsible for DOUBLING the buyrate from last year? BULLSHIT. The Rock is a draw, but he isn't THAT much of one. Not an extra 900,000 buys worth, certainly.

Even if we were saying that it was the result of a very solid card overall, that it was Rock, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and everyone else combined, not giving credit to any specific person more than another, 1.9 million is an incredibly high, completely unprecedented number. I will remain extremely skeptical until next month, when the ACTUAL buyrate comes in, not just the rumored one.

HEY THERE!! I hate to say it, but I told you so. Remember months ago when you're clowning about how overrated rock was as a draw, right after survivor series? I remember. And I told you "We'll see how overrated rock really is after WM 28". 1.9 buys or not, it's already been reported that this WM is the highest grossing WM ever(No has done before, not even that clown in your avatar picture), and the main reason is The Rock.



"Even if we were saying that it was the result of a very solid card overall, that it was Rock, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and everyone else combined"

This list(-Rock) has been in WM card for the past 4yrs, still couldn't reach near 1.9 up untill this WM. hmm, wondering why...


"Hell, Wrestlemania X8, where he went up against Hogan only did about 880,000. If Hulk Hogan/Rock can't get 1.9 million, no way in hell that Rock/Cena would have. "

First of all, the build up to Hogan/Rock was only 1 month, while Rock/Cena build-up lasted for a year. 2nd thing, Rock is a bigger star than he used to be 10yrs ago, and hogan wasn't as big back then as he used to be in 80's.

 

[Jeremy5144]

I was unable to buy this years WM due to the financial problems but one cannot deny that card was stacked. It proves that Dream Matches sell!! A ton of wrestling fans that quit watching it on the regular was because of The Rock leaving. If you were privledged enough to witness the Attitude era you didn't leave the arena disspointed.

The nice thing is you really didn't know who was going to win these matches. There was not a one inking on who was going to win they sold that to a T which was awesome.

Bring on more dream matches as dream matches sell PPVs.