WWE WrestleMania 42 start time (by time zone), match card, preview, and more

The biggest event in live sports entertainment is once again upon us. You know what I’m talking about: The nights in which WWE superstars put on a show on the Grandest Stage of Them All: WrestleMania. And you can bet that the company has a stacked deck for the 42nd-annual event.

The pro-wrestling phenomenon, spread out across two nights, is sure to be one for the ages, particularly as the first night is headlined by Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in a battle that fans have been waiting to see for years. Now, it’s set to go down with the WWE Undisputed Championship on the line. Pat McAfee’s future in professional wrestling is also on the line, but we’ll get to that shortly! In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the WWE Premium Live Event – including when to tune in around the world and where you can watch it in your area.

WrestleMania 42 exact start time where you live

WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 airs on Saturday, April 18, at 6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, 5:00 p.m. CT, and 4:00 p.m. MT. It will air on ESPN in the US while being available to stream on Netflix internationally. You might notice that the start time is earlier than the typical WWE PLE might stream simply due to the scale and size of the Showcase of the Immortals – which has always been longer than the typical WWE event (hence the earlier release time).

Of course, WWE PLEs now stream on the platform worldwide, meaning that fans all over the world can tune into the event simultaneously. With all of that in mind, here are the global release times forWrestleMania 42, including in areas like the UK, Australia, and India.

• Hawaii: 1:00 p.m. HST on Saturday, April 18
• Alaska: 2:00 p.m. AKDT on Saturday, April 18
• West Coast of the US: 3:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18
• Mountain Time: 4:00 p.m. MT on Saturday, April 18
• Midwest of the US: 5:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 18
• East Coast of the US: 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18
• Brazil: 7:00 p.m. BRT on Saturday, April 18
• UK: 11:00 p.m. BST on Sunday, April 19
• France: 12:00 a.m. CET on Sunday, April 19
• Germany: 12:00 a.m. CET on Sunday, April 19
• Italy: 12:00 a.m. CET on Sunday, April 19
• Spain: 12:00 a.m. CET on Sunday, April 19
• South Africa: 2:00 a.m. SAST on Sunday, April 19
• Israel: 1:00 a.m. IDT on Sunday, April 19
• India: 4:30 a.m. IST on Sunday, April 19
• South Korea: 7:00 a.m. KST on Sunday, April 19
• Japan (Abema): 8:00 a.m. JST on Sunday, April 19
• Sydney, Australia: 8:00 a.m. AEST on Sunday, April 19

*Note: WrestleMania 42 is not available on Netflix in Japan, as WWE PLEs stream on the platform Abema over there. However, you can still tune into it there at the time listed above.

WrestleMania 42 expected runtime

WWE’s Premium Live Events can often fluctuate in runtime given that they are live, and WrestleMania is the greatest example of that. That makes predicting an exact runtime hard, but ever since the Grandest Stage of Them All incorporated its current two-night format, each night usually runs for around 3 – 4 hours each.

With that in mind, we’re expecting both Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 to have a runtime of around 3.5 – 4 hours, making the event somewhere around 7-8 hours long in total. It’s become the norm for WWE to showcase how larger-than-life the event is with longer runtimes, and we don’t expect this year to change that.

WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Match Card

Ever since the 2020 edition of WrestleMania saw WWE forced to split the event across two nights, the company has maintained that approach to the wrestling extravaganza. This year is no different, and all involved have ensured that both nights have stacked match cards to entertain audiences throughout the weekend.

Night 1 is headlined by the long-awaited showdown between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Rhodes puts his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against the Viper, who won the Elimination Chamber match to earn his spot in the WrestleMania main event. While the two have a long-storied history, things took a graphic turn when Randy Orton returned to his heel roots, destroying his former protégé and recruiting the managerial skills of Pat McAfee.

Given the history between the two, some fans were expecting this one to headline Night 2, but that honor will go to CM Punk and Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship bout instead (which also makes sense considering Reigns won the Royal Rumble). But closing Night 1 still counts as a Mania main event, as The Undertaker and AJ Styles proved back in 2020 when they closed the Saturday show with their iconic Boneyard Match.

With all of that in mind, here is the FULL match card for WrestleMania 42 Night 1, including any stipulations or notes that each match has.

Looking at that match card, it’s safe to say that there is a lot to be excited about coming from Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. We’ve obviously talked about Orton and Rhodes, which will undoubtedly be an epic based on the pair’s decades-long history alone, but we can’t ignore the other great matches we’re going to see as well.

AJ Lee and Becky Lynch have been embroiled in a heated feud that has played out over the past eight months. Lee made her long-awaited return to WWE back in September, shocking the world when she teamed up with husband CM Punk after more than a decade away from the ring. The pair battled Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, with the latter and Lee taking part in a long-term on-again off-again feud ever since. Lee had her first singles match since her in-ring return against Lynch at Elimination Chamber, where she won the Intercontinental Title. Now the pair are set for a rematch that could very well serve as the “series finale” of their rivalry.

Speaking of Seth Rollins, he has been engaged in an aggressive rivalry with Gunther, who has been on the high of his career after retiring John Cena with a victory at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December. The Ring General has also been running his mouth about it ever since and Rollins, ever the workhorse, looks to put an end to the bragging with a decisive defeat. These two are captivating storytellers in the ring, so we can’t wait to see what they bring now that they have already told one heck of a story out of it.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for what is undoubtedly going to be an incredible evening of wrestling, storytelling, and all-around entertainment. It’s what WrestleMania – and WWE as a whole – is all about!