7 times WWE treated Las Vegas to big moments
Las Vegas saw its first WWE pay-per-view when WrestleMania IX took place at Caesars Palace in the first 'Mania held outdoors. Since 1993, the promotion has held many more shows in Sin City and is seemingly becoming a yearly destination for premium live events.
Apart from RAW and SmackDown, the city has hosted multiple pay-per-views, including No Way Out, Elimination Chamber, two Money in the Banks, and a SummerSlam.
With Las Vegas becoming a hotbed for professional wrestling promotions, let's look at seven of the biggest moments to happen there.
7) CM Punk's Pipe Bomb - 2011
One of the best and most memorable promos in professional wrestling history happened in Las Vegas, Nevada. After costing John Cena a tables match against R-Truth, CM Punk sat down on the ramp and delivered a truly iconic moment.
CM Punk pulled no punches with this promo as he went at Cena, the McMahons, and the fans. Punk broke the "fourth wall" by speaking to "Dwayne" (The Rock) and mentioning Ring of Honor, New Japan, and Colt Cabana. This pipe bomb actually led to a career resurgence of Punk.
The Pipe Bomb will stand the test of time for many years to come, and Las Vegas saw it live.
6) All three SHIELD members hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the same night - 2016
Money in the Bank 2016 saw Dean Ambrose win the coveted briefcase. Two matches later in the main event, Roman Reigns defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against former SHIELD stablemate Seth Rollins.
After Rollins defeated Reigns, Mr. Money in the Bank, Dean Ambrose ran down, cashed in, and beat the former for the title.
With The SHIELD at the height of its popularity, all three members holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the same night is a massive moment in pro wrestling history.
5) Bayley defeats Charlotte Flair to win her first title in WWE - 2017
SHE'S DONE IT! @itsBayleyWWE is the NEWWWWW #RAW #WomensChampion after hitting @MsCharlotteWWE with the #BayleyToBelly! #WomensTitle https://t.co/21ZYRQWhzl
After multiple unsuccessful championship matches against then-RAW Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley earned one more shot. This opportunity came after the team of Bayley, Cesaro, and Sheamus defeated Charlotte, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson.
At RAW in Las Vegas, Bayley defeated Charlotte for the women's championship after Sasha Banks ran down and hit The Queen with a crutch.
With this being Bayley's long-awaited first title win in WWE, the crowd blew the roof off of the T-Mobile Arena and were still chanting on their way home.
4) The Festival of Friendship comes to an end - 2017
.@FightOwensFight and @IAmJericho's partnership was blown to smithereens at the #FestivalOfFriendship. #RAW https://t.co/fKa1XS90fx
A more somber event occurred on the night Bayley became the women's champion. The duo of Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho was one of the most entertaining parts of WWE back in 2016-2017. The latter threw a Las Vegas-style "Festival of Friendship" equipped with showgirls and gifts to honor his best friend.
Owens then turned on Jericho to a chorus of boos throughout the arena. Everything was perfect, from the over-the-top presentation to Jericho saying, "Why is my name on this?" when Owens gave Jericho a new list.
The Festival of Friendship was a big hit with the Vegas crowd, and many didn't want the duo to break up.
3) Kevin Owens beats down Vince McMahon - 2017
In September of 2017, WWE returned to Las Vegas with what was titled "Sin City SmackDown."
At this time, Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon were in a feud at the time, with Owens threatening to sue the company as Shane had attacked him.
Vince McMahon came into the ring and gave Owens his word that he wouldn't be fired if he could "beat a McMahon senseless."
Owens hit Vince with a headbutt and eventually a frog splash. Until this point, it had been long since someone had attacked Mr. McMahon, and the crowd reacted with loud boos directed at KO.
2) Brock Lesnar returns at SummerSlam 2021
WWE wanted SummerSlam 2021 to be bigger than WrestleMania 37. When all was said and done, The Biggest Party of the Summer marked the second-largest crowd and became the highest-grossing SummerSlam of all time.
At the end of the show, after Roman Reigns defeated John Cena to retain the Universal Championship, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE for the first time since WrestleMania 36.
An already hot crowd became even hotter with the return of "The Beast Incarnate," capping off a very successful SummerSlam in Las Vegas. Afterward, Lesnar took Cena back to Suplex City, a call back to their SummerSlam 2014 match.
1) Liv Morgan wins and cashes in Money in the Bank 2022 contract
The journey led to this for @YaOnlyLivvOnce. 💙
#WWERaw https://t.co/uOALrHw1oE
The most recent big moment in Las Vegas was at Money in the Bank 2022. The first match on the card was the women's ladder match, and the crowd was behind the eventual winner, Liv Morgan.
Later in the night, Ronda Rousey successfully defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Natalya. However, Liv ran down, cashed in, and defeated Rousey to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion.
The crowd loved everything Liv did on the show, chanting "You Deserve It" after she won the ladder match and the championship.