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WWE’s Backlash 2018 lasted for 3 hours 27 minutes and 32 seconds (3h 27m 32s). 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 Backlash 2018
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
| 0m 00s | 0m 21s | Then, Now, Forever | 0m 21s |
| 0m 21s | 2m 47s | Video hyping Backlash 2018 | 2m 26s |
| 2m 47s | 3m 27s | Welcome to Backlash 2018 | 0m 40s |
| 3m 27s | 6m 46s | Pre-match: Rollins vs. The Miz | 3m 19s |
| 6m 46s | 27m 16s | Rollins vs. The Miz | 20m 30s |
| 27m 16s | 29m 33s | Post-match: Rollins vs. The Miz | 2m 17s |
| 29m 33s | 30m 12s | Ad for WWE Shop | 0m 39s |
| 30m 12s | 30m 33s | Filler commentary | 0m 21s |
| 30m 33s | 37m 13s | Pre-match: Jax vs. Bliss | 6m 40s |
| 37m 13s | 47m 31s | Jax vs. Bliss | 10m 18s |
| 47m 31s | 51m 11s | Post-match: Jax vs. Bliss | 3m 40s |
| 51m 11s | 51m 49s | Ad for Bruce Prichard podcast | 0m 38s |
| 51m 49s | 52m 13s | Filler commentary | 0m 24s |
| 52m 13s | 53m 22s | Recap of Steel Cage finish from GRR | 1m 09s |
| 53m 22s | 54m 43s | Backstage Samoa Joe promo | 1m 21s |
| 54m 43s | 59m 07s | Pre-match: Hardy vs. Orton | 4m 24s |
| 59m 07s | 1h 10m 56s | Hardy vs. Orton | 11m 49s |
| 1h 10m 56s | 1h 12m 28s | Post-match: Hardy vs. Orton | 1m 32s |
| 1h 12m 28s | 1h 12m 45s | Ad for WWE toys from Mattel | 0m 17s |
| 1h 12m 45s | 1h 13m 01s | Ad for WWE Tough Talkers | 0m 16s |
| 1h 13m 01s | 1h 13m 33s | Ad for Total Bellas | 0m 32s |
| 1h 13m 33s | 1h 27m 17s | In-ring segment: Interrupting Elias | 13m 44s |
| 1h 27m 17s | 1h 33m 45s | Pre-match: Bryan vs. Big Cass | 6m 28s |
| 1h 33m 45s | 1h 41m 28s | Bryan vs. Big Cass | 7m 43s |
| 1h 41m 28s | 1h 44m 57s | Post-match: Bryan vs. Big Cass | 3m 29s |
| 1h 44m 57s | 1h 45m 28s | Ad for Hulu | 0m 31s |
| 1h 45m 28s | 1h 46m 13s | Ad for Camp WWE | 0m 45s |
| 1h 46m 13s | 1h 47m 03s | Hype for Backlash Post-Show | 0m 50s |
| 1h 47m 03s | 1h 53m 52s | Pre-match: Carmella vs. Charlotte | 6m 49s |
| 1h 53m 52s | 2h 03m 53s | Carmella vs. Charlotte | 10m 01s |
| 2h 03m 53s | 2h 05m 23s | Post-match: Carmella vs. Charlotte | 1m 30s |
| 2h 05m 23s | 2h 05m 47s | Plug for PPV theme song | 0m 24s |
| 2h 05m 47s | 2h 14m 19s | Pre-match: Styles vs. Nakamura | 8m 32s |
| 2h 14m 19s | 2h 35m 26s | Styles vs. Nakamura | 21m 07s |
| 2h 35m 26s | 2h 38m 23s | Post-match: Styles vs. Nakamura | 2m 57s |
| 2h 38m 23s | 2h 40m 19s | Two Brands One Night (music video) | 1m 56s |
| 2h 40m 19s | 2h 45m 15s | Pre-match: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn | 4m 56s |
| 2h 45m 15s | 2h 53m 55s | Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn | 8m 40s |
| 2h 53m 55s | 2h 57m 10s | Post-match: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn | 3m 15s |
| 2h 57m 10s | 2h 58m 07s | Hype for Money in the Bank 2018 | 0m 57s |
| 2h 58m 07s | 2h 58m 31s | Hype for Backlash Post-Show | 0m 24s |
| 2h 58m 31s | 3h 07m 56s | Pre-match: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe | 9m 25s |
| 3h 07m 56s | 3h 26m 00s | Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe | 18m 04s |
| 3h 26m 00s | 3h 27m 32s | Post-match: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe | 1m 32s |
Match Times
The eight matches combined for a total time of 1h 48m 12s. This means that 52.1% of the show was devoted to bell-to-bell action. This is the 48th highest percentage in this category out of the 74 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 Backlash 2018. This also includes where each match time ranks out of all 532 matches in my data set.
- 21m 07s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (91st longest out of 532 matches)
- 20m 30s: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz (103rd)
- 18m 04s: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe (134th)
- 11m 49s: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton (277th)
- 10m 18s: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss (335th)
- 10m 01s: Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair (344th)
- 8m 40s: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn (398th)
- 7m 43s: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass (431st)
The match time for Reigns versus Joe does not include Joe’s pre-match ambush where he eventually tossed Roman Reigns onto a bunch of tables. That attack occurred prior to the opening bell of the match, so I classified it as part of their pre-match segment. About 2m 40 lapsed between Joe’s initial pre-match strike and when the bell actually rang to start the match.
Pre-match Segments
The pre-match segments combined for a total time of 50m 33s, which is 24.4% of the show. This is the 33rd highest percentage in this category out of the 74 events in my data set.
Here is the sorted list of pre-match segment time for all eight matches. For some context, keep in mind that the median pre-match segment time in my data set is 5m 48s and the average time is 6m 22s.
- 9m 25s: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
- 8m 32s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 6m 49s: Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
- 6m 40s: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
- 6m 28s: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
- 4m 56s: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn
- 4m 24s: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
- 3m 19s: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
Five matches received the special treatment of a dedicated video package right before superstar entrances. The videos hyping Nia’s match (3m 25s), Bryan’s match (3m 23s), Carmella’s match (3m 12s), Nakamura’s match (3m 22s), and Joe’s match (2m 56s) combined to take up 16m 18s of the pre-match segment time.
Post-match Segments
The post-match segments combined for a total time of 20m 12s, which is 9.7% of the show. This is the 32nd highest percentage in this category out of the 74 events in my data set.
Here is the sorted list of the post-match segment time for all eight 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 28s.
- 3m 40s: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
- 3m 29s: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
- 3m 15s: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn
- 2m 57s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 2m 17s: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
- 1m 32s: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
- 1m 32s: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
- 1m 30s: Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
Miscellaneous Segments
That leaves about 13.8% (28m 35s) of the show for everything else. This is the 21st highest percentage in this category out of the 74 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. Backlash 2018 included eight different blocks of miscellaneous segments. Here is how long each block lasted, in chronological order:
- Block 1: 3m 27s (Then Now Forever; Video hyping Backlash 2018)
- Block 2: 1m 00s (Ad for WWE Shop)
- Block 3: 3m 32s (Ad for Prichard podcast; Recap of GRR; Backstage Joe promo)
- Block 4: 14m 49s (Ads for WWE toys & Total Bellas; In-ring segment: Elias)
- Block 5: 2m 06s (Ads for Hulu & Camp WWE; Hype for Backlash Post-Show)
- Block 6: 0m 24s (Plug for PPV theme song)
- Block 7: 1m 56s (Two Brands One Night music video)
- Block 8: 1m 21s (Hype for Money in the Bank 2018 & Backlash Post-Show)
Summary
The overall run time for Backlash 2018 was 3h 27m 32s, and this ranks 15th longest out of all 74 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 532 entries in my data set.
- 32m 36s: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (100th longest out of 532 entries)
- 29m 01s: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe (134th)
- 26m 06s: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz (166th)
- 20m 38s: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss (266th)
- 18m 20s: Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair (310th)
- 17m 45s: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton (324th)
- 17m 40s: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass (327th)
- 16m 51s: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn (350th)
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 62.4%.
(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.)
- 78.5%: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
- 66.6%: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
- 64.8%: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- 62.3%: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
- 54.6%: Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
- 51.4%: Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn
- 49.9%: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
- 43.7%: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
_________________________________________
Final Results for Backlash 2018
Match - 52.1% - 1h 48m 12s
Pre-match - 24.4% - 50m 33s
Post-match - 9.7% - 20m 12s
Miscellaneous - 13.8% - 28m 35s