All Elite Wrestling has made a huge impact since its formation in 2019. With many pay-per-views held in Las Vegas, it has had plenty of casino themes in its matches and events.
Since its inception, AEW has worked hard to establish itself as everything WWE is not. Operating somewhere between the fringes of a professional organisation and an independent outfit, this has allowed its matches to be grittier and with more adult themes. A selection of these have been casino-flavoured matches. Be it ‘Double or Nothing ‘events or poker chip ladder matches, no sports entertainment company loves the casino more than AEW.
AEW’s Major Casino Events
The timeline of AEW’s expansion into casino-themed events and pay-per-views that bear related names has been astute. The company began these in 2019 when it was formed. It was around this time that online mobile casinos really began to take off. For a long time, digital gambling had been restricted at the federal level in the US. Yet when this was handed down to states, slowly more and more began to legalise gambling. This started with a boom in sportsbooks and soon led to casinos.
In other countries outside the US, where both wrestling and gambling were popular, this boom started sometime before. In the United Kingdom, casinos like Kinghills Casino UK continue to serve a regulated and competitive market. Many of them, such as this, provide a huge range of games, from innovative mechanics like the Megaways slot systems. By enticing new players with attractive bonuses, they helped grow the online gambling industry in the UK before its massive expansion in the US.
AEW also does a lot of events in Vegas, and as such, its first pay-per-view was Double or Nothing, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. They even had two matches on what was termed the ‘Buy In’ pre-show. It was this that contained the Casino Battle Royale, with the winner going on to a title match at the next event.
The Casino Battle Royale
The Casino Battle Royale has similar rules to other battle royal matches. This involves a host of wrestlers being in the ring at once, who get eliminated when they are thrown over the top rope. The last person standing is the winner. However, with a casino version, the way combatants enter is slightly different.
The match has a total of 21 wrestlers. Before it begins, they each draw a card from a smaller deck. There is one Joker, and whoever draws it gets to enter last and on their own. The others are grouped by the suits with whom they enter, every three minutes. This makes it extremely akin to many poker variants, with the Joker acting as a classic wild.
This means wrestlers enter in groups of five, as opposed to alone, as they do in a Royal Rumble-style event. There have been matches for both men’s and women’s divisions, along with tag team bouts. In the latter, they dispense with the card system and have teams enter every 90 seconds.
Ladder and Gauntlet Matches
One of the most obvious casino themes in AEW is the ladder match. Here, a giant poker chip hangs above the ring instead of a title. Anyone who manages to climb up and claim it before the other eight participants can literally ‘Cash in’ their chips for a title slot. This is very similar to how poker players will cash in their chips for real cash when they want to get the prize they have won in the game.
A gauntlet match is a bout in which two competitors face off, one winning by pinfall or submission. When they do, a new competitor enters the ring, and this continues until one person is left standing. Usually, they get some sort of reward, like a title shot.
In AEW, the casino gauntlet works slightly differently. Once again, it features 21 wrestlers, but is timed. Other wrestlers enter at random intervals, much like a Royal Rumble. However, the first person to score a pinfall or submission is the winner. This means that in many cases, the scheduled 21 wrestlers may not even make it to the ring.
All Elite Wrestling is no longer a contender to WWE. It is a legitimate organisation forging its own path. Available to watch in 220 territories and in 50 different languages, it is a global brand that holds on to its indie credentials. In future, we may see even more collaborations with gambling. With more sports stars signing up to advertise gambling companies, and firms like the NHL and the NBA making their own slot games, this may be something AEW branches into more often. It already has its own casino game, but further developments, perhaps into live casino, would be an extra revenue stream for the company.
