WWE appears to have learned from the mistake of not regularly hosting shows in the UK, as the company announced today that Money In The Bank would head to London in 2023. This announcement comes on the heels of a remarkably successful Clash At The Castle premium live event, which took place in Cardiff in September 2022. That show broke all kinds of records for WWE. It was the most-watched international PLE in company history, became the largest European gate ever, and sold more merchandise than any non-WrestleMania event.
In a press release, WWE announced the following: “WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that The O2 in London will host Money In The Bank on Saturday, July 1, 2023. Money In The Bank marks the first WWE Premium Live Event to be held in London in over two decades.” Dan Ventrelle, EVP, Talent at WWE also added that “[t]he O2 is one of the world’s premier venues and the perfect home for Money In The Bank. We are excited to bring one of our ‘Big 5’ events to the UK and look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to London on July 1.” Christian D’Acuña, Senior Programming Director at The O2 also said that “We are honoured to be hosting the first ever Money In The Bank event taking place in the UK here at The O2.”
WWE Is Wise To Capitalize On Clash At The Castle Success
It’s difficult to overstate how much of a success Clash At The Castle was for WWE. In terms of crowd size, it gave the company an extra WrestleMania-style attraction in the United Kingdom. It generated a boatload of revenue for WWE, and it would have been shocking if it had decided not to head back to the UK in 2023. It’s unclear at this juncture whether there will be another Clash At The Castle event, but Money In The Bank is one of the company’s biggest shows of the year. Taking it to London makes all the sense in the World, and it should be another outstanding showing for WWE overseas.
There was an element of the spectacle that Crown Jewel usually brings at Clash At The Castle, but the show was much more wrestling-centric. Not only was Clash At The Castle a commercial success, but it also featured several match-of-the-year candidates to boot. Roman Reigns Vs. Drew McIntyre was stellar, and the war between Gunther and Sheamus was a five-star fight through and through.
The O2 seats up to 20,000 fans for sporting events, which isn’t nearly as many as the 62,296 that filled Principality Stadium for Clash At The Castle. An arena full of 20,000+ WWE fans dwarfs the 16,076 that attended Money In The Bank at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2022, however. WWE had hoped to establish the premium live event as a SummerSlam-size show but was forced to check down to the MGM Grand Arena when ticket sales were initially slow for the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE shifting Money In The Bank to The O2 in London signals that the company still wants to make this a massive event, and even referred to it as one of the “Big Five” in its press release. The Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series have typically been referred to as the “Big Four” for WWE historically.
