WWE pay-per-views to start earlier, run longer

Some big changes are coming to WWE pay-per-view events.

WWE confirmed to CBS Sports' Adam Silverstein that all PPVs will now begin an hour earlier at 7 p.m. ET, with the one-hour kickoff shows moving to a 6 p.m. start time.

A source told CBS Sports that most PPVs will last around 3.5 hours, while the "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) will run longer. WrestleMania will continue to have a five-hour main card from 7 p.m. to midnight, with Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam featuring a standard four-hour run time.

The changes come a few weeks after the company hosted its first co-branded minor PPV - WWE Backlash 2018 - since the brand split between Raw and SmackDown Live in 2016.