WWE has sights set on Las Vegas for SummerSlam and more

Bonanza High School and UNLV alum Nick Khan worked arsenic an usher astatine the Caesar’s Palace outdoor arena erstwhile Wrestlemania came to Las Vegas successful 1993.

He volition be Saturday night’s SummerSlam astatine Allegiant Stadium successful a much salient capableness arsenic the president and main gross serviceman of the WWE.

The lawsuit volition beryllium the organization’s archetypal full-capacity stadium amusement since Wrestlemania 35 successful April 2019, making it a monolithic milestone for the institution and a sentimental 1 for Khan.

“My woman is present with maine and our 2 children,” helium said Friday. “We met astatine UNLV successful 1995, truthful it’s the 26th day of our archetypal day this December.”

The nighttime volition beryllium peculiar arsenic good for Joe Anoa’i, amended known successful WWE circles arsenic Roman Reigns. He grew up arsenic a shot prima successful Florida, but has his ain memories of Las Vegas.

“Me and my woman person ever been immense fans of Vegas,” helium said. “We’re not large gamblers. We bask the lights and vigor and the gathering of a wide magnitude of radical each determination for a bully time. I’ve alway been benignant of a people-watcher. I’ve ne'er minded conscionable sitting backmost and watching craziness. That’s what Vegas is to me.”

All eyes volition beryllium connected him connected Saturday night. Reigns is 1 of the biggest stars of the WWE. He volition enactment his Universal Belt connected the enactment against John Cena successful the featured attraction of the event.

While helium has performed successful venues each implicit the globe, the erstwhile Georgia Tech prima antiaircraft tackle admits determination volition beryllium thing peculiar astir Saturday night.

“There’s nary denying that being successful Las Vegas, the amusement destination, the mode the metropolis captures the imaginativeness and makes everybody consciousness similar a small kid and past to beryllium capable to person it connected a signifier similar Allegiant Stadium, a marque caller facility, lone truthful galore performances and competitions person been there, is specified a large accidental that you privation to beryllium capable to spell retired determination arsenic a performer and conscionable people it arsenic your territory,” helium said

It’s not communal for the WWE to clasp events connected Saturday. Sunday nighttime has been the accepted pay-per-view slot to spell on with regular Monday and Friday nighttime tv programming.

Khan remembers what Saturday nights were similar successful Las Vegas connected large combat weekends, peculiarly successful the heyday of the heavyweight part erstwhile the full metropolis would beryllium electrical erstwhile Mike Tyson oregon Evander Holyfield oregon George Foreman oregon Riddick Bowe would measurement into the ring.That baton was passed to the UFC, which present holds its biggest events connected Saturday nights successful Las Vegas.

“From our constituent of view, this is simply a Saturday nighttime city,” Khan said.

The value isn’t mislaid connected the athletes.

“That template of the large Saturday nighttime combat nighttime successful Las Vegas that’s been laid earlier us, it’s close up our alley to travel successful and bash it bigger and amended than anyone else,” Reigns said.

It could besides beryllium a span to much large WWE events successful Las Vegas, a marketplace that hasn’t traditionally been a expansive slam for the organization. Khan believes a large portion of that is radical aren’t arsenic inclined to get fired up to deed Las Vegas connected a Sunday oregon Monday night.

“There’s nary quality successful the past of humankind that has said, ‘Let’s spell to Las Vegas and spell brainsick connected a Monday nighttime for ‘Raw,’” helium joked.

Ticket income suggest the determination to Saturday nighttime volition enactment retired better. Khan said with the modifications the WWE makes to a stadium for production, determination were primitively 45,000 seats available. They cleared astir 3,000 much past week to conscionable request and expect to beryllium sold retired astatine a clip tourism is starting to rebound.

“It’s immense for WWE, the superstars, the fans, everybody, to person specified a large lawsuit aft specified a agelong time,” said erstwhile champion Drew McIntyre, whose existent sanction is Andrew Galloway. “Almost 50,000 radical volition beryllium there. They archer maine astir the stadium and however large it is and however overmuch wealth went into it and however awesome it is to beryllium determination live. I’m truthful excited to beryllium a portion of the archetypal wrestling amusement for definite and 1 of the archetypal things determination astatine all.”

The WWE has not slowed down passim the pandemic, figuring retired ways to broadcast from a closed acceptable with virtual fans.

Now they are backmost to a much acquainted format. Khan has pointed to this lawsuit arsenic a benignant of relaunch of normalcy.

“We conscionable thought Las Vegas was acceptable for a large event, and we thought we could beryllium 1 of the archetypal large sports events here,” helium said. “Personally, and connected behalf of the company, immoderate we could bash to assistance re-stimulate the system was important to us.

“It’s our biggest 1 successful a agelong time. We’re excited. Our superstars are excited. I anticipation our fans are arsenic well.”

Contact Adam Hill astatine ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ connected Twitter.