Viva Las Vegas: A Brief History of WWE’s Journey to Sin City for WrestleMania 41
Viva Las Vegas: A Brief History of WWE’s Journey to Sin City for WrestleMania 41 0 of 5
WWE WrestleMania and Las Vegas are very much a match made in heaven.Credit: WWE.com
WWE WrestleMania’s return to Las Vegas has been many years in the making and couldn’t be happening at a better time.
The West Coast’s city that never sleeps is famous for its hijinks, eccentric nightlife, high risks, and high rewardsâall of the elements that make pro wrestling the smorgasbord of sports and entertainment that it is.
The newly constructed Allegiant Stadium is set to host WrestleMania 41 on April 19 and 20. With what’s been teased and the vast number of megastars available to appear, the event is shaping up to be among the biggest yet.
That includes the usual week of fan festivities leading up to the two-day extravaganza and hospitality packages from On Location, which combine premium tickets with world-class service and exclusive experiences such as WWE World and pop-up exhibits.
SmackDown, Raw, the Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver, and both nights of WrestleMania, all happening in the same city over four days, add to the excitement of The Show of Shows and give attendees more to delve into.
WrestleMania IX, the last installment to emanate from Vegas in 1993, actually marked the beginning of one of the company’s least prosperous periods ever.
The booming business WWE has done in the decades sinceâspecifically during the TKO regimeâmakes Sin City the perfect place to host such a spectacle.
WWE has long considered bringing WrestleMania back to the entertainment capital of the world, and with WrestleMania 41 tickets officially on sale on Oct. 25, let’s look at why it’s appropriate now more than ever.
Remembering WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace1 of 5
The success of the first few installments of WrestleMania and how wrestling as a whole then transcended into pop culture is well documented, but before WWE’s popularity surged again in the Attitude Era, there was a stretch of several years where wrestling wasn’t remotely as hot.
WrestleMania XI, emanating from the world-famous Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, fell within that window.
The company’s attempt to incorporate the theme of the venue into the event itselfâcomplete with the announcers wearing Roman togasâwas perhaps the most memorable and unique aspect of the night. None of the matches did much to leave a lasting impression on the audience aside from it being widely regarded as one of the weakest WrestleMania cards ever assembled.
The night peaked early with Shawn Michaels defending his Intercontinental Championship against Tatanka. The rest of the lineup had the quality of an average episode of Raw at best, and Hulk Hogan swiftly beating Yokozuna for his newly-won WWF Championship in an impromptu bout to close the show was an all-time terrible booking decision.
Attendance was down over 45,000 people from WrestleMania VIII at the Hoosier Dome the year prior, resulting in one of the lowest-attended installments ever. Moreover, a total gate of just over $1 million and a mediocre 2.3 buyrate (h/t Pro Wrestling History) indicated the event was a flop in almost every conceivable way.
Sin City being synonymous with such a poor pay-per-view was among the many factors why it wasn’t in the running for a future WrestleMania for over three decades.
How Sin City Nearly Became AEW’s Biggest Market2 of 5
In the years following WrestleMania IX, WWE’s visits to Vegas were sparse. WCW had a home at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for its annual Halloween Havoc event from 1996 through 1999 and the occasional television taping, but otherwise, WWE hardly had representation in the city.
That created a significant void in Vegas that no other wrestling company managed to fill until the inception of All Elite Wrestling in 2019.
The company’s premier pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, ushered in a new era for the industry. Its residence in Vegas was fitting with it being a gamble for the upstart promotion that paid off: A new viable alternative was born.
The corresponding Starrcast convention invaded the surrounding area and allowed fans share their excitement ahead of what was a history-making, monumental occasion. From the Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes masterpiece to Jon Moxley’s shocking debut, the execution of the event was far from the disaster that was WrestleMania IX.
Wrestling changed forever that night, but it didn’t translate to consistent success for AEW in Sin City.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Double or Nothing from taking place in Vegas for the 2020 and 2021 installments, and although they returned in 2022, attendance at both the T-Mobile Arena and the MGM Grand have been down year over year.
AEW’s loss of momentum coincided almost too perfectly with WWE’s own resurgence.
Failing to Follow Up on a Historic Debut at Allegiant Stadium3 of 5
Upon returning to the road for shows post-pandemic, WWE set Allegiant Stadium as one of its first stops for SummerSlam in August 2021, just over a year removed from its official opening. It was the first stadium WWE had run for the event in nearly 30 years since London’s Wembley Stadium in 1993.
With an announced attendance of nearly 50,000, it was considered a significant success. The returns of Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar made the evening all the more epic.
Despite that, the televised product remained in the creative doldrums, so running that same venue for another event was always going to be a gamble unless the tide turned. Sure enough, WWE was forced to move Money in the Bank 2022 from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand, seemingly due to disappointing advanced ticket sales.
The downsizing was painfully apparent and a true sign that WWE’s buzz and popularity still wasn’t quite where they needed it to be. They’ve delivered a string of strong shows anytime they’ve ventured into Vegas and made the most of the electric atmosphere, but if the product isn’t hot, numbers will suffer.
Amazingly, Money in the Bank 2022 marked the final event with Vince McMahon at the helm. His abrupt departure weeks later set in motion a seismic shift in the industry that made the decision to run Vegas for a future event an easy one.
WWE’s Growth Being Conducive to Vegas’ Exciting Environment4 of 5
Even before the WWE-UFC merger was announced in the spring of 2023 and TKO was subsequently formed, Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Nick Khan made for a powerful pairing of executives who slowly but surely made strides toward drastically improving WWE’s overall state and causing its stock to skyrocket.
Creatively, Triple H appeared to prioritize creating goodwill with the audience by making the weekly programming much more enjoyable and less of a chore to tune into, mostly by doing the exact opposite of what the previous regime was doing.
Financially, Khan was responsible for WWE’s global expansion with their premium live events and instituting certain practices that have resulted in record attendance numbers, hot crowds and exciting new markets.
WWE touted WrestleMania 40 in April 2024 as its most successful event ever. 145,298 fans were in attendance across the two nights, breaking the previous gate record by 78 percent. Viewership was also up 41 percent compared to the year prior.
This is in addition to the many TV sellouts, improved ratings, massive media rights increases, and attendance records that include some of the highest-grossing arena events in WWE history.
All of that meant it was more of a matter of when than if WWE would be back in Vegas, a city that essentially embodies everything pro wrestling.
Running another SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium or possibly bringing the Royal Rumble there wouldn’t have sufficed. Landing a location as unpredictable, adventurous and vibrant as Vegas for WrestleMania made all the sense in the world.
Although early rumors suggested Minneapolis was the top bidder for WrestleMania 41, WWE pulled a classic poker trick by swerving fans and settling on Vegas instead. Setting that in stone this past May has given the company the chance to build it up as the all-timer it has the potential to be.
The Perfect Fit for Another Potentially All-Time WrestleMania5 of 5
WrestleMania 39 had the advantage of being billed as the home of Hollywood and going grand. WrestleMania 40 was an enormous anniversary event with many championships changing hands, and it felt like Triple H was finally in full effect.
Needing to be bigger and better than either installment, WrestleMania 41, hailing from Las Vegas, will be the ultimate difference-maker.
The hospitality packages being offered from On Location for WrestleMania weekend are Vegas-esque in every way: an in-venue pre-show priority pass starring John Cena, a ‘Mania kickoff party, fast past access to the immersive experiences available at WWE World, Superstar walkout on the biggest stage in sports and entertainment, and much more.
Few cities provide VIP treatment quite like Vegas.
The shows themselves are always eventful, but it’s oftentimes the aforementioned fan festivities populating the host city that end up being the most worthwhile. WWE will undoubtedly go all out in Sin City by maximizing everything being within close proximity of each other and not affording attendees a single moment to do anything that isn’t WrestleMania-related.
The loaded lineup that WWE has the opportunity to put together can’t be understated, either. The Rock has heavily teased being involved, and John Cena has already confirmed he’ll be in action as part of his retirement tour.
Barring any injuries, CM Punk will be able to compete on the card this coming year along with Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, LA Knight, Gunther, Bianca Belair and the rest of WWE’s star-studded roster.
If the stars align, WWE could be looking at another unforgettable WrestleMania weekend that will ensure the company’s permanent residence in Vegas for years to come.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
