Why WrestleMania 40 is a two-night event, explained
Why WrestleMania became a two-night event, explained.
WrestleMania 40, and the return of The Rock, is here!
That’s right; we’re talking about the lovely chaos of WrestleMania 40. Over the next two evenings, the WWE’s biggest stars will gather at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for wrestling’s flagship contest.
But, if you haven’t paid as much attention to the WWE as you would’ve liked recently, you might wonder: When did WrestleMania turn into a two-night event? It used to be a long Sunday card, and that was it, right?
The answer here is simple: In 2020, for WrestleMania 36, in reaction to the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show was taped and held over two evenings in late March 2020, then later aired on tape delay on its usual early April weekend.
The show was initially planned as a one-night event to air live from Tampa Bay, but the WWE made safety adjustments/shifts in light of the pandemic. WrestleMania 36 was only attended by essential personnel and was the first-ever WrestleMania with no fans in attendance.
WrestleMania has been a two-night smorgasbord of between-the-ropes goodness ever since – and it makes for a better viewing experience, as well.
As WrestleMania became bigger and bigger, and WWE did their best to give a deep roster of stars at the very least a cameo appearance, the length of the event became a huge problem.
WrestleMania 35, the final one-night show, took 7.5 hours in total. That’s a lot to ask anyone to ask in one sitting.
(This post was originally published in 2023 and has been updated for WrestleMania 40.)