10 Mind-Blowing WWE WrestleMania 42 Facts You May Have Missed
1. Total Match Time
One of the biggest talking points to come out of this weekend’s show was the proliferation of ads and lack of wrestling on the show, with six of the 13 matches clocking in at less than ten minutes, and another two logging less than 11 minutes in the ring.
But here’s the statistic that solidifies what everyone was feeling throughout the weekend: WrestleMania 42 had the shortest in-ring match time of any two-night WrestleMania in history, by a good 12 minutes.
During the course of both nights, the 13 matches lasted for two hours, 47 minutes, and four seconds (according to Cagematch). Every other two-night WrestleMania logged at least three hours of ring time (if you round up for WrestleMania 37, which clocked in at two hours, 59 minutes, and 39 seconds). Three of those 'Manias (36, 39, and 40) had cumulative match times of more than three-and-a-half hours.
Even last year’s WrestleMania managed to provide fans with nearly 200 minutes of in-ring action, a full half-hour longer than WM 42.
When fans and critics talk about the short times for matches, they aren’t making stuff up. It’s demonstrably less than anything we’ve seen in this era. Whether this is the new normal in the TKO era remains to be seen, but if they’re going to keep charging exorbitant prices for tickets, they’re going to need to figure out how to give fans value for their dollars.