WWE’s Clash at the Castle show channelled over £20 million into Welsh economy

WWE’s “Clash at the Castle” event in Cardiff last September delivered a massive 10:1 return on investment by channelling £21.8m back into the Welsh economy, a new report shows.

The first major WWE stadium event in the UK for 30 years was hosted at the Principality Stadium and featured a specially designed set that incorporated Cardiff Castle.

The event attracted a global audience of millions and according to WWE it was the top premium live event in the organisation’s history in terms of viewing figures.

The attendance of 62,296 was also the largest European gate ever for the company.

Merchandise sales at the venue also made it the best-selling non-WrestleMania event in WWE history.

The independently generated Economic Impact Study sought the views of over 3,000 respondents. The study found:

62,296 attendees to the Principality Stadium;

75.3% of spectators came from outside Wales;

57% of non-locals indicated the event experience made them want to explore other parts of Wales. Of those that said they wanted to return, they said their experience of the event was the deciding factor;

The event attracted a diverse audience, with nearly a quarter of spectators being female, and many of the spectators attending as family groups.

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Welcoming the findings, Wales’ Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “This is great news. We partnered with a world-renowned events and entertainment company to bring a truly spectacular global event to Wales. It was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase how our cities and venues can help deliver successful and globally recognised occasions.

“In addition to the direct economic impact the event delivered here in Wales, it provided us with a huge boost to our profile internationally. This included opportunities to showcase Wales’ vibrant language and culture through bespoke content creation shared globally on WWE’s social media channels.  Coverage of the event included 9 minutes of premium footage that showcased the whole of Wales and regular references to ‘Cardiff, Wales’ throughout commentary.”

Mark Williams, Principality Stadium Manager, added:  “We were extremely proud that Principality Stadium was chosen by WWE to host this event – their first major UK stadium event in 30 years! Hosting events of this scale are extremely important, and WWE’s Clash at the Castle offered us an unbelievable platform upon which to showcase Principality Stadium as a versatile, world-class venue.”

“Principality Stadium is unique in its position at the heart of the city centre, which undoubtedly offered WWE fans an unrivalled event experience both inside and outside of the stadium and brought great benefit to the wider city of Cardiff too.”