WWE Royal Rumble ‘shatters Tropicana Field attendance record’ with 48,044 turning out to the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays… who only average 18,000 fans themselves!
- One of professional wrestling’s signature events draws big crowds in Florida
- Tropicana Field has not been known for its huge MLB attendance for years
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
One of the biggest nights on WWE’s annual calendar would have set the attendance record on Saturday evening at Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
WWE announced the official attendance of 48,044 at the Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tropicana Field officially lists its capacity at 42,735, with WWE able to hold more space in the venue due to limited space required for the ring and stage.
The monstrous number of fans at the WWE show comes at a time when the Rays are struggling to bring in fans, hitting a 104-year low for postseason baseball attendance last year.
The Rays averaged just 17,781 fans per game in 2023, up from 13,927 per game in 2022.
Tampa Bay hasn’t had an annual attendance average of more than 20,000 fans per game since 2010.
Cody Rhodes was the blockbuster winner of the Men’s Royal Rumble in Tampa Bay, Florida
Bayley emerges victorious in front of a record crowd of 48,044 at Tropicana Field
It was a wild night at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, with even Pat McAfee stepping into the ring
Tropicana Field is mostly a baseball field, but has far fewer fans on average than WWE
The Rays have announced plans to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg, as Tropicana Field is known for its several catwalks that have disrupted games since it opened in 1990.
Royal Rumble is known as one of WWE’s ‘Big Four’ shows, with one typically taking place in each quarter of the year. WrestleMania is a spring event, Survivor Series usually takes place in the late fall, with SummerSlam in between.
The Royal Rumble is best known for its namesake matches, which involve 30 people in one match, with the winner headlining WrestleMania.
The men’s rumble match was won by Cody Rhodes, while in the women’s rumble, Bayley emerged victorious after spending more than an hour in the ring.
With the exception of 2021, which was held without live attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic, every Royal Rumble event since 2017 has been held in a large stadium with a reported attendance of more than 40,000.