WWE NXT Stars Were Dreading Brutal Early Call Time for Stand & Deliver at WrestleMania 41 Weekend

03/30/2025 06:54 PM

If you thought waking up early for NXT Stand & Deliver was rough, imagine being the one in the ring.

According to Fightful Select, NXT talent were "dreading the call time" for this year's Stand & Deliver event—set for Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The show's start time was officially moved up to 9:30 AM local time, and for those backstage, that means arriving even earlier. We're talking well before sunrise for warm-ups, rehearsals, and production checks.

The original plan had the Vegas show kicking off at 11:30 AM PT, which was already pushing it. Now, with a full two-hour shift, this could be the earliest start time for any major NXT event in history. Fans on the East Coast will catch the action starting at 1 PM ET instead of the originally scheduled 2:30 PM.

WrestleVotes first dropped the news, and Fightful backed it up, saying the locker room vibe is anything but thrilled about the change. While WWE hasn't publicly addressed the reasoning, it's clear the early bell time was made to clear the runway for WrestleMania Saturday night.

The Stand & Deliver show has become a staple during WrestleMania weekend since 2021, with past cards elevating stars like Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, and Bron Breakker. Shawn Michaels is still running point behind the scenes, which usually means a strong card—but that early start could affect the energy both in the building and backstage.

So now the question becomes—will the Las Vegas crowd be wide awake and ready to go that early? And can the Superstars shake off the grogginess to deliver those breakout performances?

With all eyes on WrestleMania weekend, the pressure's on to deliver—even if it's before breakfast.