{"id":159820,"date":"2026-04-22T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=159820"},"modified":"2026-04-22T04:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:33:51","slug":"was-wrestlemania-42-the-beginning-of-the-wwe-ad-ittude-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/22\/was-wrestlemania-42-the-beginning-of-the-wwe-ad-ittude-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Was WrestleMania 42 the Beginning of the WWE \u201cAd-ittude Era?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are three days removed from WrestleMania 42, and there is certainly a lot to talk about. If a casual were to ask the perfect way to describe this year\u2019s two-night spectacle, it would be \u201csplit-personality.\u201d While one half felt like a polished tribute to the legends of the past, the other felt like a chaotic, high-speed collision course into the future of the industry. One noticeable change, however, was that the event\u2019s grandeur and magic waned under the weight of constant interruptions and excessive advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Night 1 delivered mostly quick matches, with the exception of the 28-minute and 18-second main event between <\/span>Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton<\/span><\/a>, alongside relentless advertising. The trailers for the upcoming Hulk Hogan Netflix documentary were shown so frequently that fans might feel they\u2019ve already seen the film. Ultimately, the four-hour, seven-match broadcast offered just 86 minutes of wrestling against a staggering 74 minutes of commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most frustrating match of Night 1 was the co-main event between <\/span>Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer<\/span><\/a>, clocking in at just 6 minutes and 51 seconds. The two had one of the best builds in a year otherwise defined by lackluster storytelling, only to receive what felt like the ultimate slap-in-the-face treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While online speculation suggests Morgan hadn’t fully recovered from the attack by Vaquer two weeks prior that landed her in concussion protocol, this was undeniably a match that failed to live up to its potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Night 2, however, WWE rose to the occasion despite the lingering skepticism from fans. The card kicked off with arguably the most highly anticipated matchup of the entire weekend between <\/span>Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi<\/span><\/a>. Even though it was short, lasting only 4 minutes and 38 seconds, it still managed to accomplish everything that fans were hoping for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ruler\u201d officially became the next big star by slaying and conquering \u201cThe Beast.\u201d The match was followed by one of the most shocking moments in recent WrestleMania history: an emotional Lesnar removed his gloves and boots, signaling to fans that this was his final match and he was retiring.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opening helped set the mood for the rest of the night, as fans enjoyed high-quality matches from start to finish. The Intercontinental Championship ladder match saw Penta retain in incredible fashion; meanwhile, <\/span>Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn<\/span><\/a> to become the new United States Champion, and Finn Balor dominated Dominik Mysterio in his \u201cDemon\u201d persona.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The last two matches also didn\u2019t disappoint, as Jade Cargill had her best match since arriving in WWE against Rhea Ripley. This led into the main event between <\/span>Roman Reigns and CM Punk<\/span><\/a>, which was so incredible that many fans are calling it the best main event in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

While things may have seemed like sunshine and rainbows for Night 2, fans dealt with the same frustrations that plagued Night 1. Viewers at home still sat through long advertisements alongside shorter matches. Although Punk vs. Reigns clocked in at 33 minutes and 57 seconds, the entire three-and-a-half-hour broadcast featured only 82 minutes of wrestling compared to 60 minutes of commercials and advertising plugs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all, nearly 25% of the total runtime across both nights was eaten up by commercials. Coupled with a 15% drop in attendance compared to last year, the message is clear: TKO\u2019s focus on the bottom line is actively hurting the overall quality of the product by prioritizing profit margins over the fan experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the bottom line matters more than the matches, the “WrestleMania Magic” begins to fade. Let\u2019s examine how WWE can fix this trajectory for future WrestleManias and restore the prestige and grandeur that fans expect from the Grandest Stage of Them All. If WWE doesn’t pivot soon, the Showcase of the Immortals will become nothing more than a glorified billboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Less Involvement in Storylines\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: <\/span>TKO\u2019s frustrating interference in creative <\/span><\/a>storylines. While the company successfully pivoted from the original Roman Reigns vs. The Rock matchup to create “The Final Boss,” TKO\u2019s meddling has largely been a total failure ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since WrestleMania 40, TKO has been responsible for two of the most disastrous creative involvements in recent memory. Last year, we saw Travis Scott integrated into John Cena\u2019s iconic heel turn alongside The Rock, with the artist later playing a crucial role in the finish of the Cena vs. Rhodes main event. Despite the fact that history was being made as Cena became a record-setting 17-time World Champion, the significance of the moment was overshadowed by Scott\u2019s unnecessary presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, TKO made an arguably even bigger mistake by casting Pat McAfee as the one responsible for waking up \u201cThe Viper,\u201d Randy Orton. This decision was reportedly pushed by TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, given that he is McAfee\u2019s agent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving forward, TKO needs to stop getting involved in creative and let the experts do their job. And while fans may be sick of the constant celebrity involvement, the frequency isn\u2019t necessarily the issue; it\u2019s the execution. IShowSpeed\u2019s storyline with The Vision and their subsequent Night 1 match is a prime example of how to do it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lowering Ticket Prices\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

If there is one lesson that TKO should take away from this year\u2019s WrestleMania, it is that ticket prices have finally hit a breaking point. While being in Las Vegas for a second consecutive year certainly played a factor in the attendance dip, the significant <\/span>year-over-year price hike<\/span><\/a> was an even more critical influence.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the creative output hasn\u2019t been as strong in recent years, it becomes even harder for fans to feel welcome when the company drastically increases the cost of entry. Though the calls for creative changes have grown louder, the demand for lower ticket prices has arguably grown louder.<\/span><\/p>\n

We even saw CM Punk a few weeks ago deliver what has now become the most significant promo of the year, calling for a reduction in ticket costs so the average fan can actually afford to experience wrestling live.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evidence of this dissatisfaction has become increasingly clear as empty seats appear in venues that once consistently sold out. This year\u2019s WrestleMania saw Night 1 attendance drop from 61,467 to 50,816, while Night 2 fell from 63,223 in 2025 to 55,255. It is clearly apparent that fans are showing their displeasure with their wallets.<\/span><\/p>\n

While TKO may argue they are hitting record gates, that isn\u2019t the only metric that matters. Attendance is often more significant than the total revenue collected at the box office. TKO could generate record profits by selling 41,000 tickets at inflated prices, but filling a stadium with 70,000 to 80,000 fans at a lower cost is, in the eyes of most, a far greater accomplishment.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Less Advertisements, Longer Matches\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u200b\u200bLet\u2019s get to the crux of the matter, which is the source of the real criticism surrounding WrestleMania. The biggest complaints stem from TKO\u2019s decision to flood this year\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans don\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having fewer advertisements doesn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WrestleMania 42 is proof that record-breaking gates don’t translate to quality storytelling.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

If TKO continues to keep a tight grip on higher prices, they run the risk of driving more fans away and turning the \u201cGrandest Stage of Them All\u201d into the \u201cBlandest Stage of Them All.\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are three days removed from WrestleMania 42, and there is certainly a lot to talk about. If a casual were to ask the perfect way to describe this year\u2019s two-night spectacle, it would be \u201csplit-personality.\u201d While one half felt like a polished tribute to the legends of the past, the other felt like a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5699,"featured_media":157434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[9655],"class_list":["post-159820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-wwe-wrestlemania-42"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5699"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159839,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159820\/revisions\/159839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}