Fox 13 (April 19, 2024) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – New official numbers show in vivid detail the economic impact the WWE Royal Rumble had on St. Pete and how visitors came in droves to witness the event.

Almost 50,000 people – 48,044, to be exact – packed into Tropicana Field for one of the WWE’s premier events on the calendar in January. Attendees hailed from all 50 states and 40 different countries.

The attendance set a record for the Trop, and around 12,000 people went to Monday Night RAW two days later at Amalie Arena.

According to the new report, the Royal Rumble event earned $47,047,401 in total economic impact. The report also calculated $28,337,038 in total direct spending and $2,923,664 in taxes.

Excitement from the event also spilled over into a boom in business at nearby St. Pete spots:

The Imagine Museum reported a 25% increase in attendance the day after Royal Rumble;
Ferg’s Sports Bar did 7x the business of a normal Saturday;
Green Bench reported a 10-15% increase from normal Saturday operations.
Additionally, the Sun Runner saw a 95% increase in ridership on the day of the event.

All in all, $60,000 was donated to ARC Tampa Bay, Miracle by the Bay, Boys & Girls Club of St. Petersburg, and the Pinellas Education Foundation.

Watch the news clip here.