Following is a press release issued today by WWE Inc.:
WrestleMania 21 Tickets Sell Out In Less Than One Minute; Fastest Sales in World Wrestling Entertainment and STAPLES Center History
Fans From Around The World Will Attend World Wrestling Entertainment(R)’s Premier Event To See WrestleMania(R) Go Hollywood
STAMFORD, Conn., Sep 27, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) — All available seats for WrestleMania 21 were sold in less than one minute on Saturday, Sept. 25, setting records for the fastest ticket sell-out in STAPLES Center and World Wrestling Entertainment history.
A capacity crowd comprised of fans from more than 14 countries and 34 states is now set to attend WrestleMania 21 on Sunday, April 3, 2005. The WWE(R)’s premier annual event also will be seen on pay-per-view, cable, and satellite television by millions of fans from more than 90 countries.
The 15,000 available tickets, ranging in price from $40.00 to $750.00 (where you can sit ringside and keep your commemorative WrestleMania 21 ringside chair), were sold in less than one minute between Internet orders and the line gathered to buy tickets at the STAPLES Center box office. More than a thousand WWE fans gathered at the STAPLES Center, starting as early as Wednesday, Sept. 22, in hopes of purchasing tickets to WWE’s annual extravaganza.
“The speed in which this event sold out further reinforces WrestleMania’s position as a beloved icon in pop culture,” said Kurt Schneider, WWE’s Executive Vice President, Marketing. “The event is more than six months away, and still our great fans rushed to purchase tickets simply on the basis that this is WrestleMania, and that this will be a Hollywood experience like no other. After WrestleMania 21, ‘Tinsel Town’ may never be the same.”
Schneider added that once staging requirements for WrestleMania 21 are completed closer to the event, additional tickets may be made available for sale.
“Every one of WWE’s 10 previous appearances at STAPLES Center has sold out, but to sell out in less than a minute is unprecedented in the five-year history of our arena,” said Brenda Tinnen, Senior Vice President Event & Guest Services, STAPLES Center. “There is no doubt that the STAPLES Center continues to lead the nation in hosting the most popular events and WrestleMania 21 is another example of that. Thanks to Vince McMahon for bringing WWE’s crown jewel to Los Angeles and STAPLES Center, and we look forward to presenting this event to the millions of fans worldwide on April 3.”
When WrestleMania 21 plays the STAPLES Center on Sunday, April 3, it will be the first time in a half-decade that the Big Event returns to Southern California, and the first time a WrestleMania has been performed at STAPLES. Monday Night RAW(R) on April 4, the evening after WrestleMania 21, also will be held at STAPLES Center. Tickets for RAW are still available.
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For additional information on WrestleMania 21, to be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, April 3, 2005, go to wrestlemania.wwe.com.
Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks, which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the conditions of the markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view, Internet, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed merchandise; acceptance of the Company’s brands, media and merchandise within those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with producing live events both domestically and internationally; uncertainties associated with international markets; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated.
SOURCE: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
