
WrestleMania 42 faced criticism for prioritizing advertisements over wrestling, with many fans feeling matches were too short. An analysis revealed how much time was dedicated to wrestling versus other entertainment aspects during the event.
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How much of WrestleMania 42 was actual wrestling?
It was a major talking point during WWE's annual mega event April 18-19, as there was a wide belief there wasn't enough wrestling − with matches too short − and there were too many advertisements. People felt ad revenue took priority instead of the focal point of the entire thing, robbing several wrestlers from truly putting on their best performance on the grandest stage.
While wrestling is the basis of it all, the event is an entertainment spectacle. It isn't just fights and commercials in the biggest show of the year; there's grand entrances, post-match celebrations and non-match moments like promos.
USA TODAY Sports timestamped every aspect of WrestleMania 42 to see how much time was spent on everything during the two nights, and the results may surprise you.
WrestleMania 42 match rankings, grades: Which were best, worst?
WrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.
See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.
Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
The analysis conducted during WrestleMania 42 revealed the exact percentage of time dedicated to wrestling compared to other entertainment segments.
Fans expressed dissatisfaction due to the belief that there were too many advertisements and not enough wrestling, impacting the overall experience.
WWE aimed to balance wrestling with entertainment by including grand entrances, post-match celebrations, and promos alongside the matches.
Main criticisms included short match durations and an overemphasis on ad revenue, which some felt detracted from the wrestling performances.

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LA Knight lands a punch against Logan Paul on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Austin Theory, IShowSpeed and Logan Paul enter the arena during the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LA Knight enters the ring on the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Usos enters the ring during the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
John Cena enters the ring at the start of the first night to host WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Building wraps for WrestleMania 42 are shown on the exterior of Allegiant Stadium on April 17, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The WWE's flagship event will be held at the venue on April 18th and 19th.
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WrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.
See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.
Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
1 / 7
WrestleMania showcases a mix of high‑profile matchups and crowd‑driven moments across its biggest stages.
See scenes from WrestleMania as competition unfolds and post‑match celebrations follow.
Above, LA Knight celebrates alongside The Usos following their pinfall victory over The Vision and IShowSpeed on Night One of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026.
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LA Knight lands a punch against Logan Paul on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Austin Theory, IShowSpeed and Logan Paul enter the arena during the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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LA Knight enters the ring on the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Usos enters the ring during the first night of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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John Cena enters the ring at the start of the first night to host WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Building wraps for WrestleMania 42 are shown on the exterior of Allegiant Stadium on April 17, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The WWE's flagship event will be held at the venue on April 18th and 19th.
First, we have to establish the segments that were timed, so here is what was kept track of, along with the rules of how it was recorded:
Winners: Who won at WrestleMania 42?
WrestleMania 42 night one and two combined for a total of 7 hours and 28 minutes. This does not include the preshow or post-show.
Of all the things that happened during WrestleMania, there was more wrestling than anything else. The 13 matches combined for 2 hours, 47 minutes and 4 seconds. It actually was nearly double the amount of time spent on ads.
Here is a complete breakdown of how time was spent during WrestleMania 42, from most amount of time spent to least:
Roman Reigns and CM Punk fight during their World Heavyweight Championship match during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Las Vegas.
Here is the percentage breakdown of what took up the time at WrestleMania 42:
The data shows that wrestling did make up a majority of the event, and when you put the entrances, matches and post-match activity together, it accounts for 73.20% of what happened.
However, nearly 20% ad time is still enough to frustrate fans, especially when there are considerable gaps between matches. The glass half-empty way of looking at it is that while there was more wrestling than anything else, 62.71% of WrestleMania was not actual match time.
It felt like matches were short, and that was definitely the case.
Of the 13 matches, only four went over 15 minutes: the two main events, Gunther vs. Seth Rollins and the Intercontinental Championship ladder match. After having nine matches go at least 10 minutes in 2025, only seven reached that mark in 2026.
That figure also highlights how long some entrances took. The longest entrance of the show was Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton (with Pat McAfee) at 18 minutes and 1 second. Only two matches went longer than that: Rhodes and Orton's match itself, and Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk.
Here are some other notable stats from WrestleMania 42:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much of WrestleMania 42 was actual wrestling? Full time breakdown