Why is WrestleMania 38 a 2 night event?
WrestleMania is undoubtedly the grandest event pro wrestling has to offer. With its legacy dating back to 1985, the event has gone on to become WWE's most iconic show.
For the first 35 editions of WrestleMania, it was a single night where the biggest feuds came to a climactic conclusion. 'Mania 36, however, saw Vince McMahon divide the historic extravaganza into two nights. The 38th edition will follow the same pattern, making fans wonder why WWE has decided to split up their most famous event.
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There are a variety of reasons behind this decision. The first two-night WrestleMania was organized in 2020, the year COVID-19 forced sports to either shut down or work behind closed doors.
WWE opted to continue without the crowd and decided to tape the event at their Performance Center before telecasting it. The company claimed the event was "too big for one night" and made it into two nights.
The pandemic forced the company to make last-minute changes and stretch its creative muscles by putting forth a wide array of cinematic matches. 'Mania 36 saw AJ Styles battle The Undertaker in an outdoor Boneyard Match and Braun Strowman replace Roman Reigns against Goldberg for the Universal Championship.
I can't believe some of y'all here want WWE to go back to one night Wrestlemanias, after what happened with 35.
Another reason for the change could possibly be the reception of WrestleMania 35. The event garnered praise from fans and critics alike for its matches but faced immense criticism for its runtime. If including the pre-show, the event clocked in at a lengthy seven hours and thirty minutes.
The runtime was tiring for viewers, especially for those in attendance. Fans were already exhausted by the time Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey entered the ring for the first ever women's 'Mania main event.
Lastly, the reason they are continuing with this format deals with finances. WWE is a business after all, and a two-night event could give the company the chance to capitalize on even more revenue.
WrestleMania may continue to be a two-night event in the future
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This is the third consecutive time the show will be organized into a two-night event. It appears that WWE is attempting to make this the standard format for the Show of Shows moving forward. Dave Meltzer echoed this thought, which he noted on the Sunday Night Main Event Podcast.
“I think WrestleMania is gonna be a two-night thing going forward. I think was the first step to see will people buy and they bought in good enough numbers. Did it sell out first day, were the original numbers gigantic? No, but it’s fine. It’s a big stadium. It wasn’t gonna be easy to sell it out two straight days.” (H/T - WrestlingNews)
WrestleMania 38 will take place on April 2nd-3rd in Arlington, Texas at the AT&T Stadium. The stadium is home to the Dallas Cowboys and is also where WrestleMania 32 took place. Both shows saw Roman Reigns headline the main event.
In 2016, Reigns battled Triple H for the WWE Championship. This year will see The Tribal Chief put his Universal Championship on the line against WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All unification bout.