When WrestleMania Was Held at a Las Vegas Casino
WrestleMania is WWE’s flagship event. A uniquely American yet global spectacle with millions of fans worldwide, it draws large crowds of tens of thousands every year and millions more on pay per view and online channels. Yet only twice - recently in 2025 and in 1993 - has it been held in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. This is why.
WrestleMania IX is widely regarded as one of the most memorable but also the worst editions of the prestigious WWE event. Taking place in the parking lot of Caesars Palace Las Vegas casino resort in 1993, WWE risked a lot of changes to accommodate the gambling hub of Las Vegas as a destination venue for the event.
It’s widely accepted now that it didn’t work out. WrestleMania, and indeed WWE at large, did not return to Las Vegas for 31 years afterwards. This is what you need to know about the unfortunate collision between Sin City and WrestleMania.
The Backdrop
Although at first look Las Vegas seems like an ideal location for the over-the-top glitz and spectacle of the premier World Wrestling Entertainment event, things are not that simple.
Back in the 1990s, where this story begins, Las Vegas was much more focused on gambling and was only now beginning the journey towards the casino resort focused Las Vegas Strip of today.
It should also be noted that, even today, you can’t bet on pro wrestling at regulated Nevada sportsbooks. And you certainly couldn’t in 1993, when WrestleMania IX rolled into Sin City.
Of course, in today’s market, you can bet online from anywhere, on your mobile device, using international online casinos and sportsbooks like Betwayapp. Simple to download and get started, with top bonuses and games available 24/7, gone are the days when Las Vegas casinos had a monopoly on the gambling experience.
The US national attitude towards gambling at that time was also notably different. Only Nevada, of all the states, had legal sports betting, and casino gambling was only available in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and on half a dozen or so tribal lands.
WrestleMania IX was supposed to be a way of bringing something new to Las Vegas in terms of sporting events and spectacle - a feat the city can largely say it has achieved today. However, in 1993 it was a risk the wrestling audience simply wasn’t ready for.
Pre Event Ticket Sales Were Low
For starters, things did not look too good on the ticket sales from the front. Despite packing out arenas with 90,000 fans for several years prior, WrestleMania IX only drew in a crowd of around 17,000.
Fans were seemingly put off by the Las Vegas location, as well as a card that hyped the return of Hulk Hogan despite not much actual community interest.
It later emerged that a significant number of the 17,000 attendees were there through comped tickets given out to VIPs and local dignitaries by Caesars Palace themselves.
The matchups for the event were considered promising, but many underwhelmed on the day (for various reasons). The list of matchups included:
- Tatanka vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF Intercontinental Championship)
- Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund
- Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster) vs. The Mega-Maniacs (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake)
- Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect
- The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
- Yokozuna vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart (WWF Championship)
Desert Heat and Roman Theme Confused Fans
On the day, fans arriving outside Caesars Palace were greeted with high desert heat and blaring sun, which disrupted the viewing experience from the off.
It also affected the cameras and home-viewing experience, as the WWE setup was tailored for indoor arena events.
Fans were also bemused by the fact that the whole event had taken on a Caesars Palace theme.
Wrestlers wore togas for their walk ons, and were paraded around the ring in chariots. One event that lingered long in fans memory was Bobby “The Brain” Heenan being brought to the ring sitting backwards on a camel.
The event was purportedly not much of a success for Caesars either. The operator didn’t get much positive coverage after the disrupted TV broadcast, and fans mostly found the Caesars theme puzzling rather than engaging.
It also worked out that fans who couldn’t bet on the wrestling at the Caesars Sportsbook weren’t really interested in betting on anything else, and the casino didn’t make a whole lot more money either.
In fact, it entire event was legendarily bad an entire two hour retrospective documentary was released on it this year.
The Wrestling Was Underwhelming, Fans Not Feeling Hulkmania
After all the retrospectively ill-conceived theatrics and location choice, fans were still excited for the actual wrestling. Only it turned out to be one of the most frustrating cards of any WrestleMania ever.
Fan favorite Brett Hart was defeated by Yokuzuna after a ring interruption from Hulk Hogan. Yokuzuna then challenged Hogan, who defeated him in just 22 seconds.
Fans almost unanimously felt this cheapened the title, and that Hartt hadn’t been given a fair shot at the belt. It is considered one of the most controversial scripting decisions in WWE history.
30 years later and WWE triumphantly returned to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41, which was by all accounts a smashing success. Showing that the case of WrestleMania XI, it was surely a prime case of right place wrong time.