Early History, the NWA, Mildred Burke (1920s-1950s)
During the late 1920s, Las Vegas was still a small railroad town- years away from the casinos and the Strip of today. Professional wrestling matches were hosted in small halls, fraternal lodges, or outdoor arenas in the city. Local promoters frequently advertised regional main events under titles like "World Championship Wrestling Match" to drive ticket sales.
In 1948, the NWA was formed, acting in the role of a governing body for regional wrestling promotions. The NWA's model was that territories controlled specific geographic areas, with each state having key markets. In 1953, Las Vegas became a key market of NWA Los Angeles, with the NWA affiliate becoming the first promotion to have a long-term presence in the city.
Via the NWA, a women's championship was defended in Las Vegas that is considered legendary internationally today. Mildred Burke won the original Women's World Championship in 1937, and remained champion for two decades. The championship became the WWWA World Championship in the 1950s when she founded the Los Angeles-based World Women's Wrestling Association. She defended the championship at a May 1954 NWA Los Angeles event in Vegas. In 1970, the very successful Japan-based AJW acquired the rights to the championship, positioning it as the company's top singles championship. This makes Mildred Burke not only a significant part of the history of pro-wrestling in Las Vegas, but in Japan as well.
More Territories (1960s-1970s)
The next promotion to have a notable presence in Las Vegas was the California-based North American Wrestling Association in April 1961, which then became the World Wrestling Alliance the next month. Throughout the 1960s, the WWA brought American wrestling headliners Freddie Blassie and Edouard Carpentier to the city, as well as Japanese wrestling star Giant Baba.
In the 1970s, NWA Big Time Wrestling became a valuable representative of the NWA in Las Vegas. With the city being visited by stars such as Billy Graham, Pat Patterson, and Rocky Johnson, the promotion drew as many as 4,683 fans to a convention center in the city. This was considered a big crowd for a wrestling show in the 1970s, when large Las Vegas convention centers generally had a seating capacity of around 6,300 seats.
The AWA on ESPN & GLOW (1980s)
Wrestling reached its peak of popularity in the United States in the 1980s. Television was becoming more popular as well, which caused a significant change in American wrestling. In the early days of wrestling, matches were typically held in front of live audiences. However, with television, wrestling matches could be seen by millions of people around the world. This helped to popularize wrestling and make it a household name, as matches were regularly televised on national television with levels of viewership never seen before. The AWA was considered one of the "Big Three" of the industry, and began regularly broadcasting programs on ESPN from the Showboat Sports Pavilion inside the Showboat Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The 1980s were also when a Las Vegas-based promotion was created that focused fully on women. Created by David McLane, GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) made its debut in 1985, and the hugely popular, character-driven syndicated show demonstrated the marketability and entertainment value of an all-female promotion. Each episode was taped at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, featuring wrestlers who were likable regardless of whether they were face or heel. There was someone for everyone, with each character having their own unique personality.
WCW & WWE (Late 1990s)
In the early 1990s, wrestling's popularity began to decline, but it experienced another boom in the late 1990s, with WCW being one of the leaders of it. The company held its annual WCW Halloween Havoc event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for five consecutive years, spanning 1996 through 2000. WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 drew a sellout crowd of 12,457 fans, and it was the second most purchased WCW pay-per-view that year. In addition, WWE, which was also leading the late 1990s boom, taped episodes of "SmackDown" and "Sunday Night Heat" at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas.
Raw Roulette, No Way Out 2001, TNA Impact! (2000s)
In the 2000s, WWE continued having shows at the Thomas & Mack Center, and on the October 7, 2002 episode of "WWE RAW", the company debuted its Las Vegas-inspired and casino-themed Raw Roulette concept. A giant, custom-built roulette wheel featured different wild match stipulations, and just like how the spin of a wheel in a Vegas casino decides the immediate financial payout, a spin of the Raw Roulette decided what style of match a WWE Superstar was going to participate in. The episode had strong viewer retention heading into the second hour, peaking at an estimated 4.5 million viewers during the main event and marking it as the program's most-watched night in over a month.
WWE No Way Out 2001 drew a sellout crowd of 15,223 fans to the Thomas & Mack Center, making it the highest-performing No Way Out event in history, and it drew a larger buyrate than several of that decade's “Big Four” WWE pay-per-view events, including SummerSlam 2001, Survivor Series 2001, and WrestleMania XIX in 2003. No Way Out featured a double main event: a "Three Stages of Hell" match between Steve Austin and Triple H, and Kurt Angle defending the WWE Championship against The Rock.
In October 2008, TNA made history by broadcasting the first-ever live episode of "TNA Impact!" outside of Orlando's Impact Zone from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event was a sellout and pulled in a viewership of 1.6 million.
ROH, Mae Young Classic, "Double or Nothing" (2010s)
In the 2010s, Las Vegas was utilized for a variety of special pro-wrestling shows. ROH turned the city into a primary location for its milestone events, hosting its 13th (2015) through 17th (2019) Anniversary Show pay-per-views and multiple Death Before Dishonor events in the city at Sam's Town Live and the Orleans Arena. In September 2017, the first WWE Mae Young Classic concluded at the Thomas & Mack Center, as Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler faced each other in the final match of the historic 32-woman tournament. And in May 2019, AEW hosted its inaugural "Double or Nothing" pay-per-view event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It was the company's first pay-per-view, and the event's title is a direct nod to the city's casino culture.
AEW, WrestleMania, WOW (2020s-Present)
In recent years, Las Vegas has become a main city for pro-wrestling. AEW has been returning to the city annually since 2022 to have events, including AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2024 and AEW Dynamite - 3 Year Anniversary.
In 2025, WWE held WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. As a result of the event being the most successful and highest-grossing event in the company's history, WWE returned to the sports and entertainment capital of the world for WrestleMania 42 in 2026.
At a special WOW panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2025 focused on female representation in sports and discovering new talent, WOW - Women Of Wrestling co-owner and co-founder David McLane announced that the company's weekly product was renewed for its fourth season. In a monumental step forward for WOW and a strategic move that solidified the company's position & opened up exciting new avenues for growth- WOW's new residency in its fourth season is the iconic Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. "WOW Fights on Fremont" marks the first-ever professional wrestling events to be held there, with WOW bringing their signature purple ring to the famous downtown Vegas destination, and the heart of the city's entertainment district. The Fremont Street Experience has a unique combination of historic charm, dazzling light shows, and energetic atmosphere. It's known as the birthplace of Las Vegas, offering a nostalgic glimpse into the city's past with its vintage casinos and neon signs, while also providing modern entertainment. The initial episodes of the "Fights At Fremont Street Experience" debuted in October 2025 and have continued to air throughout 2026, featuring the WOW Superheroes offering high-energy spectacles to thousands of tourists and locals alike, with amazing backgrounds during matches.
Sports entertainment organizations' utilization of Las Vegas demonstrates how they are constantly innovating to maximize their reach and profitability in a dynamic media landscape. It's an exciting time for the industry as a whole, and with pro-wrestling and Las Vegas both thriving on action and drama, they are a natural match.
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