WWE Confirms Earlier Start Times for WrestleMania 42

Night 1 and Night 2 of the two-night event will both begin at 6 p.m. Eastern, an hour earlier than previous years.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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WWE has announced that WrestleMania 42, its annual two-night flagship event, will have an earlier start time this year. Both Night 1 on April 18 and Night 2 on April 19 will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern, an hour earlier than the 7 p.m. Eastern start time of previous WrestleMania events. The event will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Why it matters

The shift to an earlier start time for WWE's biggest annual event is likely an effort to reach a wider global audience and accommodate international viewers. It also allows for more content to air during the event's broadcast windows on ESPN and Netflix.

The details

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque revealed the official graphic for the main event match between Roman Reigns and CM Punk, which confirmed the earlier 6 p.m. Eastern start time for both nights of WrestleMania 42. The first hour of each night's event will air on ESPN and ESPN2 respectively, marking the first time a WWE premium live event will be broadcast live on an ESPN channel.

  • WrestleMania 42 Night 1 will take place on April 18, 2026.
  • WrestleMania 42 Night 2 will take place on April 19, 2026.

The players

Roman Reigns

The current World Heavyweight Champion, who won the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble Match to earn the title opportunity against CM Punk.

CM Punk

A former WWE Champion who will challenge Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship in the WrestleMania 42 Night 2 main event.

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque

The WWE Chief Content Officer who revealed the official graphic for the Reigns vs. Punk match.

Drew McIntyre

The current Undisputed WWE Champion, who will defend his title against Cody Rhodes on the SmackDown prior to WrestleMania 42.

Cody Rhodes

The wrestler who won the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble Match and will challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

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What they’re saying

“For it all...in the main event of #WrestleMania. The BITW vs The OTC...”

— Triple H, WWE Chief Content Officer (Twitter)

What’s next

The Undisputed WWE Championship picture will become clearer after the March 10 edition of SmackDown, where Cody Rhodes will challenge current champion Drew McIntyre for the title.

The takeaway

WWE's decision to shift the start times for WrestleMania 42 to an earlier 6 p.m. Eastern time slot reflects the company's efforts to reach a wider global audience and maximize viewership across its broadcast partnerships with ESPN and Netflix.