WrestleMania 42 is now a thing of the past, with plenty of talk surrounding the event going to CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes’ injured eye, and even the security, or lack thereof, protecting talent throughout the week. What hasn’t been talked about much, however, is the money WWE pulled in for the event, beyond an earlier report that WWE received a $4.3 million tax break for running the show in Las Vegas, Nevada for the second straight year.

Now more financial information has come out about the money WWE made during WrestleMania weekend, information that could shed some light on why WWE opted to run in Vegas again after originally planning for WrestleMania 42 to take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. POST Wrestling reports that public records show WWE’s site fee was $6 million, paid for by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority.

The $6 million mark would mean that WWE topped their site fee from 2025, when they were paid $5 million to bring WrestleMania 41 to Vegas. Between the tax break and the site fee, this would mean WWE made more than $10 million in incentives from WrestleMania weekend, though the promotion has claimed it will have spent $35 million on events surrounding WrestleMania, “Raw,” “SmackDown,” and other WrestleMania themed events.

The site fee included several concessions to the LVCVA, including featuring the organization’s name and photo in various promotional packages, events, and press conferences. Several tickets were provided to LVCVA members to attend WWE events throughout the week as well, including 20 lower level tickets for “SmackDown,” “NXT,” and “Raw,” 10 tickets for each day of WWE World, 40 lower-level tickets for each night of WrestleMania, and a suite for LVCVA personnel for each night of of WrestleMania.

Since Vince McMahon stepped down from his position as WWE CEO in 2022 after he was accused of sex trafficking and abuse by former company employee Janel Grant, some wrestlers have openly voiced their distain for the 80-year-old, while others often share their love for him after the impact he had on their careers. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is among those who have continued to express their admiration for McMahon, and during a recent appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” he claimed that wrestling fans should appreciate Vince today, and reflected on being lent $800,000 from him when he was in serious debt.

“Everybody in the world that likes wrestling should be thanking Vince McMahon,” Flair stated. “I feel like there’s so much going on that I would be wasting his time. He knows how I feel about him. He lent me $800,000, and unlike what people portray, it was not for the IRS. It was to help me get through three divorces at one time … they hate hearing this, I paid him back every dime when he called me and said; ‘I can write this off,’ I paid him back. Because I didn’t want to let him down. But they use that against me … You know how hard it is to pay taxes on $800,000 in phantom income? It took me five years to get out of that hole—all because I paid him back.”

Flair continued to share that after his final WWE match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 in 2008, he received a cheque for the event from McMahon, signed it, and gave it directly back to him, despite the former Chairman not wanting anything in return.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Ariel Helwani Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

A victory over Randy Orton to retain his Undisputed WWE Championship wasn’t the only thing Cody Rhodes left WrestleMania 42 with. The three-time WWE Champion also came away with a pretty nasty wound to his eye, an injury he suffered earlier in the Orton match as a result of an errant Orton punch, which was then exacerbated by Orton punting Rhodes in the face during the post-match angle.

The punt resulted in Rhodes being left with his eye swollen even a day after his match with Orton, and he also required stitches to his face and four staples to close a wound in the back of Rhodes’ head. Despite that, Rhodes still appeared on “Raw” sporting a nasty black eye, and a Tuesday report from Dave Meltzer revealed that Rhodes wasn’t believed to have suffered a concussion, despite being in concussion protocol or a broken orbital bone.

Meltzer further indicated that both WWE and Rhodes felt they had dodged a bullet, a feeling reinforced by Rhodes on Wednesday. On his Instagram story, Rhodes provided an update regarding his eye that he received from a doctor, one that underscored just how bad things could’ve gotten.

“‘You won’t lose the eye…’ has to be the most positive yet absurd thing I’ve ever heard in a doctor’s office,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes may still have his eye, his championship, and no concussion, but it’s unclear whether he has clearance to return to the ring at this time. While Rhodes is expected to continue his feud with Orton, a match between the two has not been announced for Backlash, and with only three weeks to go before the PLE, it’s possible Rhodes will be kept off the show in order to heal up before facing Orton again.