It’s official—WrestleMania 42 is ghosting New Orleans like a tourist who got too friendly with a voodoo doll. Despite The Rock’s passionate February announcement in SmackDown’s smoky glow, WWE is now pivoting harder than a heel turn in a steel cage—Vegas is back, baby.
PWInsider Elite is whispering sweet nothings into the wrestling world’s ear, reporting that WWE is “this close” to sealing a deal that would bring The Granddaddy of ‘Em All back to Allegiant Stadium, just one year after WrestleMania 41 painted the desert red (and merch sales green). While nothing’s signed yet, the ink cartridge is reportedly humming and Vince’s ghostwriter is standing by with a Sharpie.
Originally booked for April 11–12, 2026, in New Orleans, the mega-show is now expected to slide a week later, potentially April 18–19, because Las Vegas needs time to restock its fog machines and make sure the blackjack tables are oiled for a headlock.
WWE officials, channeling their inner Bond villains, are keeping the move hush-hush—tight lips, tighter contracts. But insiders say the Allegiant deal is essentially a done deal unless some cataclysmic event happens—like Florida discovering indoor plumbing.
Let’s take a moment for the real loser in all this: New Orleans, which had already hosted WrestleMania 30 (the one with YES! YES! YES!) and WrestleMania 34 (the one with… other stuff). Now, instead of headlining WrestleMania, the Crescent City will host Money in the Bank—the ladder match version of “we swear this matters.”
The reshuffle also steamrolls indie promotions and wrestling-themed flea markets, which had already locked in venues around the Big Easy. Suddenly, their “WrestleMania Weekend Bash” is looking more like a “Sadness & Po’ Boys Expo.” Sorry, WrestleCon, hope those contracts are refundable!
Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, the local sports commission is out here playing chess while everyone else is suplexing—inking a deal to host WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam. Apparently, if you build it (and offer generous tax breaks), Vince—or his legal proxy—will come.
So what do we call this now? A Vegas residency? WrestleMania: Cirque du Slam? Either way, if the Allegiant deal closes, the neon lights will once again shine over a city that already saw Cena win his 17th world title. Good luck topping that, Blackjack City.