WWE has informed their broadcast partners that all PPV events will now be extended to 4 hours in length. The promotion only recently reverted back to all co-branded PPVs following WrestleMania 34.
Big events, such as SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, could even run longer than the new 4-hour standard. This is according to a recent report from PW Insider which is stating WWE has communicated this information to those who still air these shows in a traditional pay-per-view format.
Listings for the Money in the Bank PPV are stating the start time as 7PM. The Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia was 5 hours in length.
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WWE PPV Length
The length of WWE pay-per-views has been steadily increasing over time. Originally, even the big 4 PPVs rarely lasted longer than three hours. When the company first switched to a monthly pay-per-view format, non-cornerstone shows were dubbed as “In Your House” events and had a run time of only two hours.
In recent years, however, PPV lengths for WWE and other promotions have increased. While New Japan Pro Wrestling has seemingly decreased their show length, it was not uncommon for some shows to run as long as five hours or more not too long ago.
The switch to longer PPVs is likely a way to book more talent on the shows. Following WrestleMania 34, WWE moved away from brand-specific PPVs and announced that all of these events will now be co-branded. As this creates more competition for spots on the events, WWE may have decided it was in their best interest to create more space on these shows.