For the first time in WrestleMania’s 35-year history, the main event of WWE’s flagship show was an all-female affair.
Irish wrestler Becky Lynch beat former UFC fighter Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to be crowned both Smackdown and Raw champion — two separate brands which operate under the WWE umbrella.
Fans from all 50 US states and 68 countries descended on New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium with WrestleMania 35 raking in $16.9 million, the organization said.
The sold-out 82,265 crowd helped it surpass the venue’s previous record of $12.3 million, set by WrestleMania 29 in 2013.
Overall, WrestleMania 35 became the second-highest grossing event in the franchise’s history, behind only WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Lynch was clearly moved when asked how she felt to have inspired a new, young generation of female wrestling fans.
“Anything is possible now, man,” she said after the event. “Anything. It’s hard to put into words how I’m feeling right now. It’s so overwhelming.
“I’ve worked for this my entire life, I’ve dreamed about this, I’ve obsessed about this moment and I never knew how I was going to feel.
“I think I probably had a picture of it but there’s just so much going on in my head right now that I can’t comprehend it. I just achieved all my dreams.
“I did what I said I would do and 80,000 people here supporting me and wanting me to achieve my goals and my dreams. That means the world to me and it’s only beginning.”
On the undercard, Kofi Kingston became just the second African-American wrestler in the organization’s history to win the WWE Championship, beating Daniel Bryan.
