Less Advertisements, Longer Matches
Let’s get to the crux of the matter, which is the source of the real criticism surrounding WrestleMania. The biggest complaints stem from TKO’s decision to flood this year’s show with far more advertisements and significantly shorter matches. While a short bout like Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar works because it delivered so effectively, the overall trend toward shorter matches has left fans frustrated.
But when Night 1 lasts almost four hours, and ads make up approximately 34% of the broadcast, you have a major problem. Incredibly, there was a 51% increase in commercial runtimes from WrestleMania 41 to this year, signaling a shift in priorities that has left the audience behind.
Fans don’t spend their hard-earned money or sit down for hours to watch the same monotonous advertisements they see on regular cable; they tune in to watch wrestlers beat the crap out of each other.
Having fewer advertisements doesn’t just mean on the television screen; it also means TKO needs to scale back the constant sponsorships cluttering the ring itself. Since TKO acquired WWE, the philosophy of keeping the ring “sacred” has faded, and it is a tradition that desperately needs to be revived.
While no one denies that advertisements are a necessary evil for generating revenue, the balance between a quality product and a show overrun by commercials has tipped in the wrong direction. Incredibly, the entrances of Dragon Lee, Rusev, and JD McDonagh weren’t even shown to make way for more commercials.
WrestleMania 42 is proof that record-breaking gates don’t translate to quality storytelling. That responsibility belongs to the writers who craft the narratives, the wrestlers who bring them to life, and the fans who energize them. WrestleMania should feel like a season finale, not a four-hour sales pitch.
If TKO continues to keep a tight grip on higher prices, they run the risk of driving more fans away and turning the “Grandest Stage of Them All” into the “Blandest Stage of Them All.” To save the legacy of this event, WWE needs to look at how it can fix the glaring imbalance between match quality and commercial breaks. WrestleMania is losing its soul to the highest bidder, and it’s time to demand better.
