Tag: las vegas

Mark Shapiro concedes WrestleMania in Las Vegas may have been a ‘mistake’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

WWE ran WrestleMania in Las Vegas in both 2025 and 2026, and it didn’t work. The poor ticket sales this year even became part of the on-screen storylines. And TKO President Mark Shapiro has conceded that running the same city in back-to-back years was a bad idea.

Shapiro sat down with Brian Sozzi of Yahoo! Finance for an interview that was recorded before Mania but was released on Monday. At the time, he took responsibility for moving WrestleMania 42 from its originally scheduled site of New Orleans to Vegas.

“Maybe it’s a mistake I made,” Shapiro said, “because Vegas was so huge last year and such a winner for our fans and the product that I said to Nick Khan, ‘We’ve gotta go back to Vegas next year. We have to move New Orleans down the road and we got to come back to Vegas.’”

Still, Shapiro was not apologizing for the move.

“Absolutely no regrets on going back [to Vegas],” he said, “but the only reason you’re hearing some of the, ‘Hey it’s not what it was last year,’ it’s because we’re not benefiting from the first mover experience.”

WOR: Darby’s title win, Dynamite, CMLL Vegas, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the AEW Dynamite show with Darby winning the title, the first day in Vegas with CMLL and an incredible Ultimo Guerrero vs. Blue Panther match, Smackdown, Ronda Rousey cuts a great promo, ratings and more. We will discuss THE WORST SHOW OVER WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND with Vinny later this week, we talked about it here but due to tehcnical difficulties we basically had no audio and it had to be cut. But we will review it soon. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE to receive sizable tax credit from Nevada for WrestleMania 42, total production cost revealed

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE will once again get a sizable tax credit for holding WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas to help offset sizable production costs.

Revealed in new public records obtained by Post Wrestling’s Brandon Thurston, WWE has received approval for as much as $4,314,821 for putting on two nights of WrestleMania from Allegiant Stadium in addition to other related events like Raw and SmackDown from the T-Mobile Arena.

The money comes from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development who focus on bringing in film and entertainment business to the state, and is figured out based on total production costs which WWE put at $35 million.

The credit is slightly less than WWE got for WrestleMania 41 ($4,240,456) even though last year’s budget was lower ($33,693,464). The actual amount WWE will get will be determined by an independent audit after the weekend.

This is all on top of any site fees WWE gets. Last year’s WrestleMania 41 brought them $5 million for that alone while this year’s is unknown of which Thurston is in a lawsuit attempting to get.

Both the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and Tony Hinchcliffe’s WWE roast were not mentioned in the application — the same application where they claim WrestleMania host cities get more than $200 million in annual economic impact.

Report: Establishments in Las Vegas may not be able to show WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Establishments in Las Vegas might not be able to air WrestleMania at their location.

Fightful reported on Sunday that the distributor of the WrestleMania broadcasts has informed a number of venues in Vegas that they will be unable to broadcast the pay-per-view even if they pay the licensing fee. It was explained that this was a new protocol for areas within 50 miles of the event, the idea being that it would increase ticket sales. WWE did not respond when reached for comment.

A source told Fightful that while some smaller scale operations may try to bypass the rule, it could have an effect on their UFC business, which is major in Vegas.

This year’s WrestleMania was originally announced for New Orleans. However, several months after the announcement WWE changed course and announced they would instead be running the two-night event in Vegas for the second year in a row, promising that a future edition of the show would take place in Louisiana. Next year’s WrestleMania will take place in Saudi Arabia.

WWE WrestleMania 42 site fee revealed

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE is set to receive up to $6 million from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for both this April’s two-night WrestleMania 42 and additional shows following a vote this upcoming week.

The news was first reported by LV SportsBiz on Thursday.

The group, which is the city’s public tourism agency, will have their monthly meeting this Wednesday where’s it’s expected they will approve the expense in addition to $1.25 million in F1 race tickets for contacts and customers for an upcoming race. As noted by LV SportsBiz, “board members typically do not ask questions on the LVCVA spending money.”

Revenue for the LVCVA comes from hotel room fees and is spent to promote the city’s hospitality industry on events like WrestleMania.

After New Orleans was set to host the event this April, TKO changed course and decided to keep WWE’s biggest show of the year at Allegiant Stadium for a second straight year. The LVCVA estimated 140,000 “incremental” hotel room stays were attributed to last year’s WrestleMania.

The $6 million will go toward WrestleMania, Raw, SmackDown, NXT Stand & Deliver, the Hall of Fame Ceremony, and WWE World. Last year’s week brought in both $5 million in site fees & $4.2 million in tax credits.

Tickets went on sale in September for the Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 two-night event.

WrestleCon and The Collective partnering for WrestleMania week 2026

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WrestleMania week’s two primary independent promoters are partnering for the biggest events on the indie scene in 2026.

WrestleCon and The Collective have announced that they will house their WrestleMania week events under the same roof for the first time in 2026 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas on The Strip from Wednesday, April 15 through Sunday, April 19.

A schedule of events has yet to be announced. Hotel rooms at a special rate went on sale Thursday at the Horseshoe:

The Collective traditionally hosts numerous independent events — from GCW shows, to Joey Janela’s Spring Break, to TJPW shows — as part of the WrestleMania week festivities. WrestleCon hosts a convention with appearances from wrestling stars each day of WrestleMania week, plus the annual Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow, traditionally the highest-profile independent wrestling event of the year.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host WWE WrestleMania for the second consecutive year on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Formerly Bally’s Casino, the Horseshoe is across Las Vegas Boulevard from The Mirage, Caesar’s Palace, and The Bellagio.

WWE officially announces WrestleMania 42 location & dates

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE is officially heading back to Las Vegas for WWE WrestleMania 42.

The promotion made it official during Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank with a quick video package before the night’s main event. No ticket information was announced.

It’s the first time since WrestleMania IV and V (Atlantic City, New Jersey) that the company’s biggest show of the year will be held in the same city in back-to-back years.

The two-night event will emanate from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th as our Dave Meltzer had initially reported. At the time, he said “some logistics with load in/load from a yet-to-be-announced concert need to be ironed out.”

Earlier this week, our Bryan Alvarez reported that WWE was close to finalizing the deal, saying “there were a few hurdles to be cleared” that were cleared this week and that “Vegas is making a lot of concessions to clear the way for them.”

New Orleans, Louisiana, was set to host the week’s activities but in late-May, news broke that wouldn’t be happening for reasons that are still unconfirmed.

However a report from NOLA.com’s Anthony Mcauley stated that “the new leadership running WWE decided that they would rather hold next year’s event in Las Vegas and see what response they get from fans, according to an industry official who wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name.“

TKO has yet to publicly discuss why the move was made. It appears New Orleans will get a future WrestleMania, but no date was announced. The city will host Money in the Bank next year.

WWE planning to have Las Vegas host WrestleMania ‘frequently’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provides some details on WWE’s decision to move the location of WrestleMania 42.

It was confirmed this week that WrestleMania 42 will no longer be taking place in New Orleans. A new location has not been announced yet, but the expectation is that the show is being moved to Las Vegas, marking the second straight year that Allegiant Stadium has hosted WrestleMania.

Meltzer reports that TKO Sports Group now plans to run WrestleMania in Las Vegas on a regular basis. It won’t be every year, but the idea is that the show will be held in Vegas frequently.

“The decision was made partially because this year’s WrestleMania made so much money overall in Las Vegas from all sources that they could not make that level of money in New Orleans. The other is that the company loved having it in Las Vegas, because key TKO executives live there and are there and Nick Khan grew up there,” Meltzer wrote. “The plan is now to run WrestleMania on a regular basis in the city, not necessarily every year, but frequently. The idea is that the city wants to have a major destination sports event every year, and by definition they are looking at the Super Bowl, The Final Four, the College Football national championship final and WrestleMania so would be looking for Mania any year that they don’t have one of the other three events.”

Meltzer confirmed that WWE has reserved Allegiant Stadium for Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2026. The show was originally going to be held one weekend before that — April 11 and April 12 — when it was set for New Orleans.

There are still a couple of issues that are being worked out regarding the Vegas move, Meltzer reports.

“There is a concert booked at the stadium that has not been announced that makes the moving in and setting up the stadium too tight,” he wrote. “Those in charge of the stadium have attempted to move the concert date but the promoters have said that they have a contract for that date and thus far have been unwilling to move.

“The other is that the Las Vegas Convention Center, which hosted fan gatherings, is open for that weekend but does not have the same amount of open space as it had for WWE last month. The other event that has part of the Convention Center booked is also unwilling to move. But they could use less space in the building or move to a different convention center, with the Mandalay Bay being the most likely.”

New Orleans will now host Money in the Bank in 2026 instead of WrestleMania, and the city is expected to receive a future WrestleMania as well.

Las Vegas front runner to host WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Josh Nason

The city of Las Vegas appears to be the front runner to once again host WWE WrestleMania.

In the wake of Thursday’s news that next year’s WrestleMania 42 will not be held in New Orleans, a note in a news article about the move stated that according to an official, WWE’s biggest event of the year is returning to Sin City.

From NOLA.com’s Anthony Mcauley:

“After the success of this year’s event, the new leadership running WWE decided that they would rather hold next year’s event in Las Vegas and see what response they get from fans, according to an industry official who wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name.“

Our Dave Meltzer is reporting that WrestleMania weekend is looking to be scheduled for Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th, but some logistics with load in/load from a yet-to-be-announced concert need to be ironed out.

The shows were originally slated for Saturday, April 11th and Sunday, April 12th.

Walt Leger of New Orleans & Co. said in the aforementioned article that it was WWE’s decision to pull out for next year and that they have been working with WWE for the last few days on identifying future dates for future events. He noted WWE “might” bring WrestleMania back in a future year.

Through a joint statement, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and New Orleans & Company did confirm Money in the Bank for 2026 and that they are looking to expand their relationship with TKO that includes a UFC pay-per-view this summer. WWE has yet to make a statement about the change.

WWE held WrestleMania 41 in Allegiant Stadium this past April, announcing afterward that it was their most financially successful shows in company history. The two-night event drew an announced 124,693, but they did not disclose their gate figure. If it was the most successful, it would have had to surpass the nearly $40 million total WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia did for both nights.

WWE approved for $4.2 million in tax credits for WrestleMania 41 week

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

The financial success of WWE WrestleMania 41 continues to increase with the reveal that WWE has been approved for $4.2 million in tax credits for holding the week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The story was first reported by the Nevada Current on Thursday.

The transferable film tax credits were approved by the Nevada Film Office and the Governor’s Office for Economic Development for last weekend’s WrestleMania in addition to related events like Raw, SmackDown, and NXT shows.

The credits are on top of the $5 million WWE received from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for bringing their annual mega-event to their city.

From the Currant report who noted the tax credit:

“The $4.2 million in transferable film tax credits represents roughly 12% of the $33.7 million total production budget WWE estimated for two nights of WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and three nights of wrestling events at nearby T-Mobile Arena. But $4.2 million is more than half of what the company estimated it would spend on local labor and at local businesses.

“WWE estimated it would pay $2.6 million in wages to Nevada residents and $17 million to out-of-state talent. Both amounts, as well as $5.3 million in in-state spending on things like hotels and catering, were considered qualified expenses for determining the amount of film tax credits the company is eligible to receive.”

The breakdown of the $33.7 million production budget from the public record:

  • $2.4 million for Nevada stagehands
  • $2.7 million for non-resident “below-the-line” labor
  • $17 million for non-resident “above the line” talent (wrestlers, executives, etc.)
  • $5.3 million in Nevada expenditures
  • $8.6 million in non-Nevada expenditures
  • $260,000 for Nevada security workers

While not disclosing how much revenue they brought in, WWE stated this week that it was the most financially successful in company history.

WOL: WWE WrestleMania and Las Vegas are not a good match

Posted on by Jim Valley

Today’s WOL focus is on the fact WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas hasn’t sold out, and likely won’t be. It’s more of an indictment of Las Vegas than WWE. Las Vegas is a terrible city for WrestleMania: it’s expensive, it’s difficult to navigate between venues around the area, and high rollers don’t want to watch WWE at the current ticket prices.

Also: SmackDown in Seattle, Fenix being competitive with Berto isn’t a good sign, NJPW Windy City Riot, AEW Collision, and Gig the News is back.

Check it out. Linda McMahon rates this show A1!

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WOL: Because of the fans

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s a Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

If John Cena’s heel turn is supposedly the greatest in history, why was it done for the most cliche reason in wrestling history?

Because of the fans.

Why ‘because of the fans’ when the actual theme of the feud started as a promise of Hollywood wishes and caviar dreams?

Plus, Ethan Page returns to TNA, AEW Collision preview, a SmackDown review and wrestling doesn’t exist in a bubble. Are outside forces starting to affect WWE business? Check it out.

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Las Vegas tourism group approves $5 million to host WWE WrestleMania 41

Posted on by Josh Nason

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have approved $5 million in sponsorship dollars to bring in next April’s WrestleMania 41 and all that surrounds it, announced by the tourism group on Tuesday.

The annual spectacular will be held for the first time at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th during Easter weekend: a typically slow time for the city which is why bringing the event in was attractive for them.

Friday’s SmackDown and the following Monday’s Raw will take place at “at an MGM Resorts venue” in addition to WWE World making their home at the Las Vegas Convention Center for five days.

Lisa Motley, vice president of sports and special events for the group, said the city expects more than 180,000 fans to occupy 144,000 “incremental room nights” during the week and weekend.

Of the $5 million, it’s unknown how much WWE will bring home in terms of a site fee vs. how much will be represented by subsidies (venue rentals, advertising and signage, etc).

During last week’s earnings call, TKO vice president Mark Shapiro said they set a WWE site fee record for this past February’s Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, without revealing the actual number. He previously said last December they had signed a deal worth $16 million for a combination of events in the country.

WWE’s largest site fees still come from Saudi Arabia which pays WWE $50 million per PLE.

Other reported and published site fees include $1.8 million in cash and subsidies from Puerto Rico for last year’s Backlash and SmackDown, $500,000 from St. Petersburg/Tampa for this year’s Royal Rumble, and almost $3 million from the Welsh government for September 2022’s Clash at the Castle.

Nick Khan reportedly interested in WWE working with other wrestling promotions

Posted on by Josh Nason

During his post-WrestleMania 40 press session Sunday, WWE chief creative officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque mentioned wanting to take the company to new heights and do things no one had ever seen before, putting over the leadership of company CEO Nick Khan along the way — both for what WWE has been able to accomplish now and in the future.

A new report out Monday gave some indications as to what fans might be able to expect in the coming year(s) ahead.

In an interview with former ESPN president & Meadlowlark Media co-founder John Skipper about working with Khan, SI’s Justin Barrasso provided two threads of sourced intel about some of Khan’s intended projects.

One, according to “numerous contacts surrounding” Khan, is to potentially “engineer a collaboration with other professional wrestling promotions. That is an area WWE rarely explored during (Vince) McMahon’s four-plus decades of leadership, so it represents a new realm for Khan to make a lasting impact.”

Barrasso reported that Khan gave Levesque the green light to work with TNA on bringing in Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace for this past January’s women’s Royal Rumble match. Also, exiled Stardom founder Rossy Ogawa was visible throughout WrestleMania weekend as he prepares to launch a new women’s promotion in Japan.

Also, Khan was spotted in attendance at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport on Thursday, even taking a picture with GCW founder Brett Lauderdale.

No specific targeted promotions were called out in Barrasso’s report.

The other project relates directly to a Khan talking point for several years and as recently as this past week: leveraging WWE’s intellectual property.

Barrasso noted that Khan, according to multiple contacts close to him, would like to use WWE IP on slot machines in both Las Vegas airports and across the strip. Barrasso noted that happening is more likely than a possible Las Vegas residency instead.

Of note, NXT is reportedly holding May’s Battleground PLE at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and WWE has previously held events in the city like 1993’s WrestleMania, 2021’s SummerSlam, and Money in the Bank in both 2016 and 2022.

Shotzi gets married in Las Vegas before WWE house show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Shotzi spontaneously got married in Las Vegas prior to WWE’s house show on Friday night.

With WWE’s Holiday Tour coming to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Shotzi (real name Ashley Urbanski) and her significant other Jesus Alfaro decided to elope before the show. Shotzi then arrived at the WWE event while still wearing her wedding dress. She wrestled with the dress on, teaming with Bianca Belair in a victory over Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY & Bayley.

Shotzi wrote on Instagram:

JUST MARRIED! When I realized I would be performing in Vegas, we decided to elope before the show. It was very spontaneous and so perfectly us. I loved every second of it. I’ll post something a little mushier later but its now time for an action packed reception! @wwe @mgmgrand

Dave Bautista was among those who responded to Shotzi’s post: “F**k yes!! Live like there’s no tomorrow! Love it. Congrats!!”

Shotzi has long been feuding with Bayley and Damage CTRL. The December 22 episode of SmackDown featured an eight-woman Holiday Havoc tag match where Shotzi, Belair, Michin & Zelina Vega defeated Bayley, SKY, Kairi Sane & Asuka.