WWE’s WrestleMania is undergoing a major strategic shift, with Las Vegas now poised to become a recurring host city for the company’s flagship event. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer, the decision to move WrestleMania 42 from New Orleans to Las Vegas is not a one-off — but part of a broader business-driven initiative by TKO Group Holdings.
“The decision was made partially because this year’s WrestleMania made so much money overall in Las Vegas from all sources that they could not make that level of money in New Orleans,” Meltzer reported.
In addition to the financial windfall, Las Vegas was favored due to logistical convenience and executive ties. TKO President Nick Khan grew up in Las Vegas, and multiple TKO executives are based in the city — making it a natural choice for long-term hosting plans.
“The company loved having it in Las Vegas… The plan is now to run WrestleMania on a regular basis in the city, not necessarily every year, but frequently,” Meltzer added.
Las Vegas has been aggressively positioning itself as a year-round destination for major sports events, including the Super Bowl, Final Four, and College Football Playoff National Championship. Meltzer noted that the city is eyeing WrestleMania to fill any year it doesn’t host one of those three events.
The decision to pull WrestleMania 42 from New Orleans — originally announced for 2026 — understandably caused a stir. However, Nola.com reports that WWE officials are still committed to the city in the long term.
“WWE had talked about bringing a future WrestleMania to the city,” said Walt Leger, president of New Orleans & Company. “We’ve worked with them for the last several days to try and identify some future dates and future events to bring to the city.”
As a consolation and continuation of the partnership, WWE has agreed to bring the 2026 Money in the Bank Premium Live Event to New Orleans, and UFC 318 will also take place there on July 19, 2025, at the Smoothie King Center.
Leger noted that internal changes within TKO’s corporate structure were a key factor in the relocation decision. The newly created TKO Live Event Strategy team, headed by longtime UFC executive Peter Dropick, now leads WrestleMania site planning — replacing those previously responsible when the New Orleans deal was made.
“There had been a lot of corporate shakeups since the deal was originally put together,” Leger told Nola.com.
Looking ahead, The Observer adds that New Orleans is now working with TKO on a multi-event, multi-year agreement, which will include a future WrestleMania, solidifying the city’s importance in WWE’s premium event landscape.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for breaking updates on WrestleMania 42’s final location, WWE’s evolving live event strategy, and exclusive insights into the business of pro wrestling.
