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WWE’s SummerSlam 2018 lasted for 4 hours 1 minute and 33 seconds (4h 01m 33s). 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 SummerSlam 2018
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Description | Duration |
| 0m 00s | 0m 20s | Then, Now, Forever | 0m 20s |
| 0m 20s | 3m 09s | Video hyping SummerSlam | 2m 49s |
| 3m 09s | 3m 48s | Welcome to SummerSlam | 0m 39s |
| 3m 48s | 8m 16s | Pre-match for Ziggler vs. Rollins | 4m 28s |
| 8m 16s | 30m 17s | Ziggler vs. Rollins | 22m 01s |
| 30m 17s | 32m 13s | Post-match for Ziggler vs. Rollins | 1m 56s |
| 32m 13s | 32m 45s | Ad for WWE 2K19 | 0m 32s |
| 32m 45s | 33m 16s | Ad for MLB Tap Sports Baseball '18 | 0m 31s |
| 33m 16s | 35m 04s | Backstage interview with Bella Twins | 1m 48s |
| 35m 04s | 35m 23s | Filler commentary | 0m 19s |
| 35m 23s | 38m 55s | Pre-match for Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day | 3m 32s |
| 38m 55s | 48m 22s | Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day | 9m 27s |
| 48m 22s | 49m 59s | Post-match for Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day | 1m 37s |
| 49m 59s | 50m 54s | Ad for Total Divas | 0m 55s |
| 50m 54s | 51m 35s | Jon Stewart in audience | 0m 41s |
| 51m 35s | 59m 01s | Pre-match for Strowman vs. Owens | 7m 26s |
| 59m 01s | 1h 00m 56s | Strowman vs. Owens | 1m 55s |
| 1h 00m 56s | 1h 02m 14s | Post-match for Strowman vs. Owens | 1m 18s |
| 1h 02m 14s | 1h 03m 08s | Ad for Cricket Wireless | 0m 54s |
| 1h 03m 08s | 1h 03m 35s | Plug for PPV theme song | 0m 27s |
| 1h 03m 35s | 1h 11m 31s | Pre-match for Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte | 7m 56s |
| 1h 11m 31s | 1h 26m 12s | Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte | 14m 41s |
| 1h 26m 12s | 1h 31m 17s | Post-match for Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte | 5m 05s |
| 1h 31m 17s | 1h 39m 47s | Pre-match for Styles vs. Joe | 8m 30s |
| 1h 39m 47s | 2h 02m 31s | Styles vs. Joe | 22m 44s |
| 2h 02m 31s | 2h 05m 20s | Post-match for Styles vs. Joe | 2m 49s |
| 2h 05m 20s | 2h 07m 12s | Ad for WWE Network | 1m 52s |
| 2h 07m 12s | 2h 07m 29s | Filler commentary | 0m 17s |
| 2h 07m 29s | 2h 11m 46s | Elias Concert | 4m 17s |
| 2h 11m 46s | 2h 13m 47s | Backstage with Miz & B-Team | 2m 01s |
| 2h 13m 47s | 2h 14m 08s | Plug for PPV theme song | 0m 21s |
| 2h 14m 08s | 2h 21m 46s | Pre-match for Bryan vs. Miz | 7m 38s |
| 2h 21m 46s | 2h 45m 12s | Bryan vs. Miz | 23m 26s |
| 2h 45m 12s | 2h 47m 09s | Post-match for Bryan vs. Miz | 1m 57s |
| 2h 47m 09s | 2h 48m 11s | Ad for Mayans | 1m 02s |
| 2h 48m 11s | 2h 49m 02s | Hype for Mae Young Classic | 0m 51s |
| 2h 49m 02s | 2h 51m 43s | Hype for Undertaker vs. Triple H | 2m 41s |
| 2h 51m 43s | 2h 58m 09s | Pre-match for Balor vs. Corbin | 6m 26s |
| 2h 58m 09s | 2h 59m 40s | Balor vs. Corbin | 1m 31s |
| 2h 59m 40s | 3h 01m 20s | Post-match for Balor vs. Corbin | 1m 40s |
| 3h 01m 20s | 3h 02m 09s | Ad for WWE Shop | 0m 49s |
| 3h 02m 09s | 3h 03m 37s | Backstage with Bryan & Brie | 1m 28s |
| 3h 03m 37s | 3h 07m 57s | Pre-match for Nakamura vs. Hardy | 4m 20s |
| 3h 07m 57s | 3h 18m 55s | Nakamura vs. Hardy | 10m 58s |
| 3h 18m 55s | 3h 21m 27s | Post-match for Nakamura vs. Hardy | 2m 32s |
| 3h 21m 27s | 3h 22m 23s | Hype for WWE Story Time | 0m 56s |
| 3h 22m 23s | 3h 30m 35s | Pre-match for Bliss vs. Rousey | 8m 12s |
| 3h 30m 35s | 3h 35m 14s | Bliss vs. Rousey | 4m 39s |
| 3h 35m 14s | 3h 38m 57s | Post-match for Bliss vs. Rousey | 3m 43s |
| 3h 38m 57s | 3h 40m 08s | Hype for Hell in a Cell 2018 | 1m 11s |
| 3h 40m 08s | 3h 53m 19s | Pre-match for Lesnar vs. Reigns | 13m 11s |
| 3h 53m 19s | 3h 59m 28s | Lesnar vs. Reigns | 6m 09s |
| 3h 59m 28s | 4h 01m 33s | Post-match for Lesnar vs. Reigns | 2m 05s |
Match Times
The 10 matches combined for a total time of 1h 57m 31s. This means that 48.7% of the show was devoted to bell-to-bell action. This is the 67th highest percentage in this category out of the 77 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 SummerSlam 2018. This also includes where each match time ranks out of all 562 matches in my data set.
- 23m 26s: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (58th longest out of 562 matches)
- 22m 44s: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (69th)
- 22m 01s: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler (82nd)
- 14m 41s: Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte (210th)
- 10m 58s: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy (326th)
- 9m 27s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day (383rd)
- 6m 09s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (500th)
- 4m 39s: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey (529th)
- 1m 55s: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens (547th)
- 1m 31s: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin (548th)
The main card of SummerSlam included 5 matches from Raw and 5 matches from SmackDown. 5 of the 6 longest matches of the night came from the blue brand, whereas the 4 shortest matches of the night came from the red brand.
The total match time for SmackDown’s 5 matches was 1h 21m 16s, and for Raw’s 5 matches the total match time was 36m 15s. This means that roughly 69.2% of the total match time at SummerSlam came from SmackDown. SmackDown more than doubled Raw’s total match time.
Sticking to just the Raw side of the equation, the match time for Rollins vs. Ziggler (22m 01s) was longer than all the other 4 Raw matches combined (14m 14s)!
Pre-match Segments
The pre-match segments combined for a total time of 1h 11m 39s, which is 29.7% of the show. This is the 6th highest percentage in this category out of the 77 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 50s and the average time is 6m 24s.
- 13m 11s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
- 8m 30s: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
- 8m 12s: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
- 7m 56s: Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte
- 7m 38s: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
- 7m 26s: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
- 6m 26s: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
- 4m 28s: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
- 4m 20s: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy
- 3m 32s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day
Six matches received the special treatment of a dedicated video package right before superstar entrances. The videos hyping Strowman’s match (3m 48s), Carmella’s match (3m 11s), Joe’s match (3m 43s), Bryan’s match (4m 12s), Rousey’s match (3m 39s), and Lesnar’s match (4m 50s) combined to take up 23m 23s of the pre-match segment time.
Post-match Segments
The post-match segments combined for a total time of 24m 42s, which is 10.2% of the show. This is the 29th highest percentage in this category out of the 77 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.
- 5m 05s: Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte
- 3m 43s: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
- 2m 49s: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
- 2m 32s: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy
- 2m 05s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
- 1m 57s: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
- 1m 56s: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
- 1m 40s: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
- 1m 37s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day
- 1m 18s: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
Miscellaneous Segments
That leaves about 11.5% (27m 41s) of the show for everything else. This is the 42nd highest percentage in this category out of the 77 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. SummerSlam 2018 included 9 different blocks of miscellaneous segments. Here is how long each block lasted, in chronological order:
- Block 1: 3m 48s (Then Now Forever; Opening hype video)
- Block 2: 3m 10s (Ads for WWE 2K19 & MLB Tap Sports; Backstage w/Bella Twins)
- Block 3: 1m 36s (Ad for Total Divas; Jon Stewart in audience)
- Block 4: 1m 21s (Ad for Cricket Wireless; Plug for PPV theme song)
- Block 5: 8m 48s (Ad for WWE Network; Elias; Backstage w/Miz & B-Team)
- Block 6: 4m 34s (Ad for Mayans; Hype for MYC; Hype for HHH vs. Taker)
- Block 7: 2m 17s (Ad for WWE Shop; Backstage w/Bryan & Brie)
- Block 8: 0m 56s (Hype for WWE Story Time)
- Block 9: 1m 11s (Hype for Hell in a Cell 2018)
Summary
The overall run time for SummerSlam 2018 was 4h 01m 33s, and this ranks 8th highest out of all 77 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 562 entries in my data set.
- 34m 03s: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (90th longest out of 562 entries)
- 33m 01s: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (102nd)
- 28m 25s: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler (145th)
- 27m 42s: Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte (153rd)
- 21m 25s: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (260th)
- 17m 50s: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy (341st)
- 16m 34s: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey (379th)
- 14m 36s: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day (426th)
- 10m 39s: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens (507th)
- 9m 37s: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin (529th)
The 5 SmackDown matches account for 59.5% of time included in the above table.
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 62.1%.
(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.)
- 77.5%: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
- 71.0%: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
- 66.8%: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
- 64.7%: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day
- 61.5%: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy
- 53.0%: Carmella vs. Becky vs. Charlotte
- 28.7%: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
- 28.1%: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
- 18.0%: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
- 15.8%: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
_________________________________________
Final Results for SummerSlam 2018
Match - 48.7% - 1h 57m 31s
Pre-match - 29.7% - 1h 11m 39s
Post-match - 10.2% - 24m 42s
Miscellaneous - 11.5% - 27m 41s