In a move that could only be described as the Superdome’s equivalent of getting ghosted via text, WWE has unceremoniously yanked WrestleMania 42 out of New Orleans’ gumbo-stained hands and plopped it back down in Las Vegas, a city that apparently just can’t quit the squared circle.
New Orleans had already fluffed its beignets and shined up the Superdome for what would’ve been its third ‘Mania in 12 years. The beads were ordered. The jazz bands were tuning. Dwayne “The Presidential People’s Elbow” Johnson even announced the whole thing back in February, practically crowning the Crescent City as wrestling royalty.
Then came today’s bombshell, straight from the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation: WrestleMania is officially headed back to Las Vegas, the city that just wrapped WrestleMania 41 with all the subtlety of a Goldberg entrance. The Big Easy will now host Money in the Bank 2026 instead—a fine event, sure, but telling a city it’s getting Money in the Bank instead of WrestleMania is like promising a birthday cake and delivering a rice cracker with sprinkles.
Industry insiders suggest this abrupt reroute comes down to cold, hard cash—Vegas reportedly shattered every WWE record during WrestleMania 41. That’s not just viewership and merch sales; we’re talking social media, sponsorship, and the type of gate receipts that make Vince McMahon’s mustache curl tighter than usual. With 124,693 fans turning Sin City into Suplex City, WWE decided: “Let’s do it again, but bigger.”
And the Superdome? It’s being left with about as much closure as a Ric Flair retirement.
Talents inside WWE reportedly reacted with a mix of “shocked” and “meh,” which is about the emotional range you get when catering runs out of protein bars. The company books the hotels and flights anyway, so as long as someone’s holding the selfie stick when they get off the plane, it’s business as usual.
But the real victims? Independent wrestling promotions. WrestleCon already inked a deal with a New Orleans venue for 2026. Now, they’re scrambling harder than a heel caught in a surprise roll-up. Picture it: dozens of promoters, event planners, and podcasters now Googling “last-minute venue change refund policies.”
So what’s next? Will WWE build a permanent Mania Strip on the Vegas skyline? Will Bourbon Street declare independence from the Union? Will The Rock retroactively declare, “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE WRESTLEMANIA IS!”
Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure—Las Vegas just hit the jackpot, and New Orleans just busted out.