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Pros and Cons of WrestleMania Being Two Nights Going Forward

By Anthony Mahon

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Bill Goldberg attends WWE 20th Anniversary Celebration Marking Premiere of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX at Staples Center on October 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Bill Goldberg attends WWE 20th Anniversary Celebration Marking Premiere of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX at Staples Center on October 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images) /
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WrestleMania 36 marked the first time the Grandest Stage of Them All took place on two nights. This has created conversation as to whether or not it should be the last.

Amidst the circumstances of the widespread COVID-19 pandemic, WWE made the controversial decision to proceed with the planned date for this year’s WrestleMania and relocate the event from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to their Performance Center in Orlando.

The move to go along as scheduled without an audience sacrificed a lot of the elements of what makes WrestleMania special in the process.

The roar of the fans in attendance, the major pyrotechnic displays and even some of the performers who rightfully chose to prioritize their health as well as that of their colleagues and sit out this year’s event have contributed to unforgettable WrestleMania moments over the event’s near 40-year existence.

With the flexibility of outright owning the venue that WrestleMania would take place in, WWE made another decision, this time to extend the show to be two nights.

Major wrestling events being expanded past a standalone is starting to appear more commonplace as New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom event this year was the first in the annual Tokyo Dome show’s history to span two nights.

Unlike New Japan who had a year-in-advance to prepare for the show however, WWE had a mere two weeks and no live audience to deliver these performances in front of.

The next WrestleMania is another year away which leaves time for global circumstances to improve and for WWE to consider whether or not to roll forward with a two-night event, assuming all stars align with the SoFi Stadium.