The card crowding issue

We are just 17 days out from the biggest weekend in professional wrestling, and the creative direction for the upcoming event is beginning to feel bloated. With the company reportedly looking to shoehorn at least two additional bouts into an already packed schedule, we are looking at a potential runtime nightmare.

History shows that when you push past 14 matches across two nights, meaningful storytelling suffers. The undercard stars get cut to under five minutes, turning high-stakes confrontations into glorified house show matches. Last year, the lack of breathing room meant that technical clinics were traded for frantic, high-spot sequences that lacked proper setup.

The danger of overbooking

Adding matches isn't inherently bad, but doing so right before the event signals a lack of long-term planning. If the writers feel the need to scramble now, it implies the original narrative threads weren't landing with the audience. When the pacing drags, the crowd energy hits a wall, usually right before the main event tag team or title clashes.

We need fewer filler bouts and more focus on the marquee feuds that actually move the needle. A cluttered card dilutes the prestige of the championship defenses. If there are 12 matches already locked, adding two more just ensures that the openers and mid-card talent will get the short end of the stick. This feels less like a celebration of the roster and more like a desperation play to get everyone on the payroll a paycheck.

Why less is more

Compare this to the golden eras where every match on the card had a dedicated 15-minute window to tell a coherent story. Now, we are often treated to rushed finishes where a referee bump leads to a chaotic roll-up in under eight minutes. This isn't wrestling; it is content attrition.

Management needs to look at the 2026 scheduling. We have major European football ties approaching in May, and the product needs to stay white-hot to retain its momentum. Instead of adding filler, they should tighten the existing 12-match structure to ensure pacing remains consistent through the final bell. My prediction is that these extra additions will ultimately be relegated to pre-show segments, effectively serving as nothing more than glorified audience warm-ups.

The creative team is falling into the trap of quantity over quality. Scaling up the number of matches does not scale up the engagement. If they insist on expanding, they risk burning out the fans before the main event ever hits the ring on Sunday night. Keep the card lean, prioritize the blow-off matches, and keep the runtimes at a level the audience can actually digest without feeling exhausted.