In many ways it’s a surprise that WWE hasn’t spent more time in Las Vegas, the wrestling organization’s flamboyant stars and outlandish storylines seemingly tailormade for life in Sin City’s fast lane. However, when the WWE roadshow makes a visit to the Strip it does so in style. Here are some of the most famous moments, when lycra-clad heroes set both roulette wheels and heads spinning in the heat of the Nevada Desert.
Hulk Hogan’s Last WWE Hurrah
In 1993 WrestleMania IX headed to Las Vegas and did so by visiting non-other than Caesars Palace casino resort to perform in front of America’s buffet fueled emperors and empresses. The event was special for two reasons: first because Bret Hart lost his WWE Championship belt to Japanese sumo wrestler turned WWE superstar, Yokozuna, and second because, immediately afterwards, Hulk Hogan challenged the Japanese fighter and defeated him in under thirty seconds. The Hulkamaniacs in the crowd promptly lost their minds. However, it was a bittersweet victory as soon thereafter the Hulk would leave WWE to join WCW for a more than ten-year hiatus.
RAW Roulette Breathes New Life into the Classic Game
Las Vegas had never seen anything quite like WWE RAW’s take on the classic table game, with matches being decided on the night thanks to a spinning wheel. The format stuck, with the wheel of chance being used in later RAW shows to decide who would battle who. The gaming connection aside, the main event of the evening saw Kane forced to defend the Tag Team Championship belts alone after his partner was attacked backstage. Not only that but he had to do it against three other tag teams in a tables, ladders and chairs match. Unbelievably the Undertaker’s half-brother would prevail against all the odds, which no doubt had Vegas gamblers return to their casino resorts thinking it would be their lucky night too.
Ladies Put the Smackdown on the Strip
In 2017 Vegas was the venue for the best all female event in WWE history, as the final of the Mae Young Classic took place at the Thomas and Mack Center. Despite giving away a huge amount of height and weight against all of her opponents, the diminutive but nimble Kairi Sane defeated the much-favored Shayna Baszler in the final, to be crowned the new queen of the WWE. She still wrestles to this day.
Muhammed Ali Meets Gorgeous George
So, this may not have been an event as such, but in the grand scheme of sporting history it was every bit as epic as any wrestling or boxing match. After performing in their own respective sports on the Las Vegas strip in 1961, the man known as The Greatest met wrestler George Wagner, aka Gorgeous George. It’s thought that Ali borrowed aspects of Wagner’s ring persona to shape his own fast-talking guise which, along with his mind-blowing boxing ability, would propel him to become both a sporting and social icon.
No Way Out of Vegas for Stone Cold and The Rock
Events that occurred at the Vegas staged 2001 No Way Out event paved the way for Stone Cold Steve Austin to challenge The Rock later that year at Wrestlemania. However, first they had to get past their respective challenges on this Las Vegas pay-per-view card, which saw The Rock tear the WWE Championship from Kurt Angle and saw Austin crack open his signature cans of beer, having bested Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell bout.
