Las Vegas, Nevada is a city that caters for so many tastes. Life can turn at the spin of the wheel when you play roulette, and—if you’re superstitious about luck in the casinos—fortune favours the brave.
Another walk of life where that old adage proves true is professional wrestling, and the WWE have had some hugely memorable events in Vegas down the years. Take a stroll down memory lane, as we pick out five pay-per-views that came to you from Sin City.
Credit: GMB Sports
WrestleMania IX
Caesars Palace hosting wrestling? It happened as The Showcase of the Immortals hit Vegas on April 4, 1993. Lex Luger beat Mr Perfect, The Undertaker won his third WrestleMania match in his incredible Streak (albeit by disqualification) and then there was the main event.
It was a classic case of little vs. large at WrestleMania IX as ring technician Bret Hart battled the mighty Yokozuna for the WWE Championship. The Hitman lost to his giant opponent only for Hulk Hogan to come out and challenge the winner.
The Hulkster squashed Yokozuna in 22 seconds to capture the belt for a fifth time, but would lose the rematch at King of the Ring 1993 the following summer before leaving for WCW. Hogan wasn’t seen in a WWE ring again until 2002!
Credit: WWE.com
No Way Out 2001
It was almost eight years after WrestleMania IX before WWE had another pay-per-view in Vegas, and No Way Out 2001 was all about the culmination of an intense rivalry between legendary wrestling duo Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The Game was revealed as the mastermind behind the running over of Austin at Survivor Series 1999. Stone Cold first got revenge on Rikishi, the driver of the car, at No Mercy 2000 and then set his sights on Triple H.
They interfered in each other’s matches, each costing the other the WWE Championship. The feud ended in a Three Stages of Hell match that stole the show in Vegas. Austin won the first fall, a straight wrestling match, using his patented Stunner. The second fall, a Street Fight, went to Triple H, and he also won the deciding third fall inside a Steel Cage.
Credit: WWE.com
Vengeance 2005
Besides an instant classic involving Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle, there was another WrestleMania 21 rematch that headlined Vengeance in 2005, as former Evolution members Batista and Triple H battled for the World Heavyweight Championship.
While The Game dropped the big gold belt to his former enforcer at Mania, and failed in his subsequent attempts to regain it, there was only one way to settle the score. Hell In A Cell.
Chains, the steel steps and even a chair wrapped in barbed wire were used by these former friends turned bitter enemies. Batista once again emerged the victor, though, thanks to his trademark spinebuster and Batista Bomb. It was game over for Triple H’s championship chances.
Credit: WWE.com
No Way Out 2008
Another No Way Out event emanated from the Thomas & Mack Center in the Paradise part of Vegas in 2008. A stellar card contained two Elimination Chamber matches with WWE and World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for WrestleMania XXIV in the offing.
Royal Rumble winner John Cena couldn’t wait for The Grandaddy of Them All for his latest shot at the WWE title though, and battled champ Randy Orton in Vegas instead, winning by disqualification. Orton kept the title.
Former tag team champions Edge and Rey Mysterio battled for the World Heavyweight Championship. The Rated R Superstar used his trusted Spear to down his former friend.
The Undertaker earned the right to face Edge at WrestleMania, outlasting Big Daddy V, The Great Khali, MVP, Finlay and Batista in the first of the Elimination Chamber matches. The Phenom went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship and enhance his Streak to 16-0.
Triple H, who has had some of greatest matches in Vegas, landed the other, surviving past JBL, Umaga, Chris Jericho, D-Generation X buddy Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy. His patented Pedigree eliminated those latter two opponents.
Credit: WWE.com
Money in the Bank 2016
Few groups in recent WWE history received as strong a push as The Shield. It was done in the hope that three top singles stars would come out of the stable when it disbanded.
The last time a WWE pay-per-view event came to us from Vegas, all of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the same night!
Ambrose, nicknamed The Lunatic Fringe, won the Money in the Bank ladder match, guaranteeing him a title shot whenever he wanted it. He wasted little time and decided to play roulette with his contract, cashing in the same night just moments after Rollins had beaten Reigns.
Money in the Bank 2016 also featured the first-ever singles encounter between AJ Styles and John Cena, with The Phenomenal One benefiting from outside interfere to win.
