WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Sets Record With Multi-Million Dollar Gate

While 2023 is six weeks away, WWE could be excused for premature chants of "Happy New Year!" after tabulating a record-breaking response to their first significant event of the coming year.

"WWE Royal Rumble 2023 – slated for Saturday, January 28 – has broken the company's record for largest gate in the event's 36-year history," said the promotion in a release sent to Wrestling Inc. "Over the weekend, Royal Rumble surpassed the $5M mark and previous record holder from 2017 – the last time the event was held at San Antonio's Alamodome. This carries a 2022 trend into 2023 where WWE set gate records for many of its events, including WrestleMania, Extreme Rules, and Crown Jewel."

The record-breaking result did not come as a complete surprise – last month, Fightful reported the January event was on track to surpass the record set by the 2017 Royal Rumble. At the time, the San Antonio happening already topped 25,000 tickets sold, breaking a record for the initial on-sale weekend of a Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble is also a moneymaker for its host city. This year's event, held in St. Louis on January 30, generated $8.3 million in revenue in the host city, including 11,000 hotel room stays in the area. In a press statement, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the city was "thrilled" to have the event, predicting that "Royal Rumble will bring tens of thousands of WWE fans from around the world to the Alamodome, bringing both an incredible economic boost to our beautiful city and community outreach events that will give back in a multitude of ways."

The following Royal Rumble slate has yet to be announced, although tickets have been on sale since September 30.