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WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble lasted for 5 hours 0 minutes and 16 seconds (5h 00m 16s). Here is a breakdown of the timing for every single second of the show, in chronological order.
The matches are in bold. The “pre-match” segments include video packages, entrances, ring introductions, and any verbal promos that occur right before a match officially begins. The “post-match” segments include any celebrations, replays, angles, attacks, or promos that occur right after a match is finished.
PPV Timing for Greatest Royal Rumble
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
| 0m 00s | 0m 19s | Then, Now, Forever | 0m 19s |
| 0m 19s | 2m 20s | National anthems | 2m 01s |
| 2m 20s | 5m 02s | Video hyping Greatest Royal Rumble | 2m 42s |
| 5m 02s | 6m 33s | Opening pyro; Welcome to GRR | 1m 31s |
| 6m 33s | 12m 22s | Pre-match: Cena vs. Triple H | 5m 49s |
| 12m 22s | 28m 07s | Cena vs. Triple H | 15m 45s |
| 28m 07s | 30m 53s | Post-match: Cena vs. Triple H | 2m 46s |
| 30m 53s | 32m 46s | Two Brands One Night (music video) | 1m 53s |
| 32m 46s | 33m 06s | Filler commentary | 0m 20s |
| 33m 06s | 35m 29s | Pre-match: Alexander vs. Kalisto | 2m 23s |
| 35m 29s | 45m 43s | Alexander vs. Kalisto | 10m 14s |
| 45m 43s | 46m 57s | Post-match: Alexander vs. Kalisto | 1m 14s |
| 46m 57s | 47m 36s | Ad for WWE Shop | 0m 39s |
| 47m 36s | 52m 40s | Pre-match: Wyatt & Hardy vs. The Bar | 5m 04s |
| 52m 40s | 1h 01m 31s | Wyatt & Hardy vs. The Bar | 8m 51s |
| 1h 01m 31s | 1h 02m 44s | Post-match: Wyatt & Hardy vs. The Bar | 1m 13s |
| 1h 02m 44s | 1h 07m 30s | Pre-match: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal | 4m 46s |
| 1h 07m 30s | 1h 13m 40s | Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal | 6m 10s |
| 1h 13m 40s | 1h 15m 09s | Post-match: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal | 1m 29s |
| 1h 15m 09s | 1h 16m 42s | Ad for Make-a-Wish | 1m 33s |
| 1h 16m 42s | 1h 17m 51s | Panel Discussion 1 | 1m 09s |
| 1h 17m 51s | 1h 20m 09s | Video: Societal renaissance in Saudi Arabia | 2m 18s |
| 1h 20m 09s | 1h 21m 04s | Panel Discussion 2 | 0m 55s |
| 1h 21m 04s | 1h 23m 28s | Backstage Jericho promo | 2m 24s |
| 1h 23m 28s | 1h 26m 11s | Panel Discussion 3 | 2m 43s |
| 1h 26m 11s | 1h 27m 13s | Backstage Bryan promo | 1m 02s |
| 1h 27m 13s | 1h 28m 02s | Panel Discussion 4 | 0m 49s |
| 1h 28m 02s | 1h 30m 56s | Pre-match: Bludgeon Bros vs. The Usos | 2m 54s |
| 1h 30m 56s | 1h 36m 05s | Bludgeon Bros vs. The Usos | 5m 09s |
| 1h 36m 05s | 1h 37m 22s | Post-match: Bludgeon Bros vs. The Usos | 1m 17s |
| 1h 37m 22s | 1h 38m 12s | Ad for Backlash 2018 | 0m 50s |
| 1h 38m 12s | 1h 47m 04s | Pre-match: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Joe vs. Miz | 8m 52s |
| 1h 47m 04s | 2h 01m 37s | Rollins vs. Balor vs. Joe vs. Miz | 14m 33s |
| 2h 01m 37s | 2h 03m 37s | Post-match: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Joe vs. Miz | 2m 00s |
| 2h 03m 37s | 2h 05m 28s | Footage from WWE tryouts in Saudi Arabia | 1m 51s |
| 2h 05m 28s | 2h 12m 52s | In-ring Segment: Daivari Brothers | 7m 24s |
| 2h 12m 52s | 2h 13m 44s | Hype for Bruce Prichard podcast | 0m 52s |
| 2h 13m 44s | 2h 22m 19s | Pre-match: Styles vs. Nakamura | 8m 35s |
| 2h 22m 19s | 2h 36m 45s | Styles vs. Nakamura | 14m 26s |
| 2h 36m 45s | 2h 39m 01s | Post-match: Styles vs. Nakamura | 2m 16s |
| 2h 39m 01s | 2h 50m 20s | Pre-match: Undertaker vs. Rusev | 11m 19s |
| 2h 50m 20s | 2h 59m 58s | Undertaker vs. Rusev | 9m 38s |
| 2h 59m 58s | 3h 02m 55s | Post-match: Undertaker vs. Rusev | 2m 57s |
| 3h 02m 55s | 3h 14m 28s | Pre-match: Lesnar vs. Reigns | 11m 33s |
| 3h 14m 28s | 3h 23m 42s | Lesnar vs. Reigns | 9m 14s |
| 3h 23m 42s | 3h 27m 41s | Post-match: Lesnar vs. Reigns | 3m 59s |
| 3h 27m 41s | 3h 29m 21s | Hype for Backlash 2018 | 1m 40s |
| 3h 29m 21s | 3h 29m 41s | Glance at GRR Trophy & Championship | 0m 20s |
| 3h 29m 41s | 3h 32m 22s | Ad for WWE Network | 2m 41s |
| 3h 32m 22s | 3h 32m 38s | Filler commentary | 0m 16s |
| 3h 32m 38s | 3h 35m 54s | Pre-match: 50-Man Royal Rumble Match | 3m 16s |
| 3h 35m 54s | 4h 53m 13s | 50-Man Royal Rumble Match | 77m 19s |
| 4h 53m 13s | 4h 57m 08s | Post-match: 50-Man Royal Rumble Match | 3m 55s |
| 4h 57m 08s | 5h 00m 16s | Closing video package | 3m 08s |
Match Times
The 10 matches combined for a total time of 2h 51m 19s. This means that 57.1% of the show was devoted to bell-to-bell action. This is the 22nd highest percentage in this category out of the 73 WWE pay-per-view (PPV) events in my data set, which begins with Royal Rumble 2013.
Here is the sorted list of match times for Greatest Royal Rumble. This also includes where each match time ranks out of all 524 matches in my data set.
- 77m 19s: Greatest Royal Rumble Match (1st out of 524 matches)
- 15m 45s: John Cena vs. Triple H (172nd)
- 14m 33s: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Miz vs. Joe (198th)
- 14m 26s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (204th)
- 10m 14s: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto (331st)
- 9m 38s: Undertaker vs. Rusev (353rd)
- 9m 14s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (369th)
- 8m 51s: Deleters of Worlds vs. The Bar (382nd)
- 6m 10s: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal (468th)
- 5m 09s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos (490th)
A full breakdown of the timing for the Greatest Royal Rumble match can be found here.
As far as I can tell, the 50-man Royal Rumble was the first ever main roster PPV match for Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, and the Revival.
Pre-match Segments
The pre-match segments combined for a total time of 1h 04m 31s, which is 21.5% of the show. This is the 54th highest percentage in this category out of the 73 events in my data set.
Here is the sorted list of pre-match segment time for all 10 matches. For some context, keep in mind that the median pre-match segment time in my data set is 5m 47s and the average time is 6m 22s.
- 11m 33s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
- 11m 19s: Undertaker vs. Rusev
- 8m 52s: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Miz vs. Joe
- 8m 35s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 5m 49s: John Cena vs. Triple H
- 5m 04s: Deleters of Worlds vs. The Bar
- 4m 46s: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal
- 3m 16s: Greatest Royal Rumble Match
- 2m 54s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
- 2m 23s: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto
Four matches received the special treatment of a dedicated video package right before superstar entrances. The videos hyping Balor’s match (2m 10s), Nakamura’s match (2m 49s), Undertaker’s match (2m 01s), and Lesnar’s match (3m 45s) combined to take up 10m 45s of the pre-match segment time.
The Undertaker’s entrance lasted 5m 48s, which is longer than the Usos’ bell-to-bell match time of 5m 09s. Undertaker also pulled off this feat earlier in April at WrestleMania 34.
The pre-match segments for Undertaker and Lesnar’s matches were each longer than their respective match times.
Post-match Segments
The post-match segments combined for a total time of 23m 06s, which is 7.7% of the show. This is the 55th highest percentage in this category out of the 73 events in my data set.
Here is the sorted list of the post-match segment time for all 10 matches. For some context, keep in mind that the median post-match segment time in my data set is 1m 59s and the average time is 2m 27s.
- 3m 59s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
- 3m 55s: Greatest Royal Rumble Match
- 2m 57s: Undertaker vs. Rusev
- 2m 46s: John Cena vs. Triple H
- 2m 16s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 2m 00s: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Miz vs. Joe
- 1m 29s: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal
- 1m 17s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
- 1m 14s: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto
- 1m 13s: Deleters of Worlds vs. The Bar
Miscellaneous Segments
That leaves about 13.8% (41m 20s) of the show for everything else. This is the 21st highest percentage in this category out of the 73 events in my data set.
Most of these miscellaneous segments are crammed into the time after one post-match segment ends and before the next pre-match segment begins. Greatest Royal Rumble included eight different blocks of miscellaneous segments. Here is how long each block lasted, in chronological order:
- Block 1: 6m 33s (Then Now Forever; National anthems; Opening video)
- Block 2: 2m 13s (Two Brands One Night music video)
- Block 3: 0m 39s (Ad for WWE Shop)
- Block 4: 12m 53s (Panel discussion; Saudi Arabia video; Backstage Jericho/Bryan promos)
- Block 5: 0m 50s (Ad for Backlash 2018)
- Block 6: 10m 07s (Footage of tryouts; In-ring segment: Daivari brothers)
- Block 7: 4m 57s (Hype for Backlash 2018; Glance at GRR trophy; Ad for WWE Network)
- Block 8: 3m 08s (Closing video package)
Summary
The overall run time for Greatest Royal Rumble was 5h 00m 16s, and this ranks 3rd longest out of all 73 events in my data set.
Here is a listing of how much total show time was allocated for each match when you add up all 3 components: pre-match time, match time, and post-match time. This list also includes where each total time ranks among the 524 entries in my data set.
- 84m 30s: Greatest Royal Rumble Match (1st out of 524 entries)
- 25m 25s: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Miz vs. Joe (174th)
- 25m 17s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (176th)
- 24m 46s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (187th)
- 24m 20s: John Cena vs. Triple H (194th)
- 23m 54s: Undertaker vs. Rusev (202nd)
- 15m 08s: Deleters of Worlds vs. The Bar (383rd)
- 13m 51s: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto (407th)
- 12m 25s: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal (439th)
- 9m 20s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos (500th)
These numbers show that roughly 25 minutes of airtime was given to each of the five most important non-Rumble matches on this card.
Now here is a look at the “Match Time Percentage” for each match. For any given match, this percentage shows how the match time compares to the combined pre-match and post-match segment time. For some context, it’s good to know that the median result here since 2013 is 62.5%.
(Here’s an example calculation: an entry with a match time of 6m 00s, pre-match time of 3m 00s, and a post-match time of 1m 00s has a score of 60.0%, because the match time of 6m 00s is 60% of the total sum of 10m 00s for all three components.)
- 91.5%: Greatest Royal Rumble Match
- 73.9%: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto
- 64.7%: John Cena vs. Triple H
- 58.5%: Deleters of Worlds vs. The Bar
- 57.2%: Rollins vs. Balor vs. Miz vs. Joe
- 57.1%: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 55.2%: Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
- 49.7%: Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal
- 40.3%: Undertaker vs. Rusev
- 37.3%: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
_________________________________________
Final Results for Greatest Royal Rumble
Match - 57.1% - 2h 51m 19s
Pre-match - 21.5% - 1h 04m 31s
Post-match - 7.7% - 23m 06s
Miscellaneous - 13.8% - 41m 20s