The real WrestleMania winner? Peacock

Cody Rhodes held his newly won WWE Universal Championship belt in his hands and fell to his knees Sunday night, as Lincoln Financial Field erupted in cheers.

The moment, which capped WrestleMania 40, marked the culmination of an epic, two-year story in which Rhodes, the son of late wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, attempted to win the championship that had eluded his father. Excitement surrounding the professional wrestler’s journey has been a boon for WWE business, and it also translated to record viewership on Peacock.

WrestleMania 40 was Peacock’s most-streamed entertainment event ever; the event attracted a total of 1.2 billion live minutes across April 6 and April 7, according to data from NBC.

Second only to Taylor: The two-night event also saw gains in average minutes of viewing from last year, with Night 1 up 26% and Night 2 up 30%. Saturday and Sunday’s combined viewership marked Peacock’s second-highest usage weekend ever, trailing only Jan. 13–14, the weekend of the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, which was the first NFL playoff game to air exclusively on streaming. (Taylor Swift attended that event to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.)

April 6’s show featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first announced WWE match in 11 years. Johnson teamed with his “cousin,” Roman Reigns, to defeat Rhodes and Seth Rollins.

Peacock has been WWE’s exclusive streaming partner since 2021 as part of a $1 billion rights agreement. The partnership is set to expire in 2026.

WWE, which is part of TKO Group Holdings along with the UFC, will host Backlash France on May 4, and it will stream on Peacock.