Professional wrestling is famed for its themed storylines, most of which have their roots in entertainment genres popularised in the mainstream. These themes are designed to bring legitimacy to the story the wrestling organisation is aiming to tell, although some are undoubtedly more far-fetched than others.
The popularity of online casino games has inevitably spiked the wrestling industry’s interest, largely due to how they have successfully utilised elements of popular culture. For example, some of the best modern slot games have put a lot of effort into the themes used in order to attract players.
Wrestling-themed slots are hugely popular, with many of the world’s most recognisable superstars immortalised by online casinos. The WWE’s decision to team up with Bluberi in 2019 allowed the likes of Hulk Hogan and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to become familiar sights on slots games. The only surprise in this move was the length of time it took the WWE to officially dip their toes into the waters of one of the most lucrative industries in the world.
WWE’s Casino Themes
During its days as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the company was the first wrestling promotion to run a casino-themed show. ‘Fully Loaded 2000: The Crap Shoot’ was initially intended to be part of the ‘In Your House’ series, but subsequently became a pay-per-view event.
The main event saw The Rock defend the WWF Championship against Chris Benoit, with the rules stating he would lose the title if he was disqualified. He was controversially disqualified, but WWF Commissioner Mick Foley restarted the match and The Rock eventually emerged victorious.
While the event lacked much in the way of casino storylines, many of the supporting graphics and videos were themed using elements from the genre. The company replaced the event with different themes in the following years, leaving casinos as a largely underutilised element in professional wrestling.
The Launch of AEW
With interest in the WWE waning after its golden era, the launch of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019 gave the wrestling business a much needed shot in the arm. They harnessed the popularity of casinos with their ‘AEW All Out: Casino Battle Royale’ at the inaugural ‘Double or Nothing’ in May 2019.
The first Casino Battle Royale was staged in the MGM Grand Garden Arena and earned positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Unlike Fully Loaded 2000, the AEW incorporated more casino-themed elements into their event to ensure the overall theme made sense to fans.
These included wrestlers being divided into groups based on the suit drawn from a deck of cards and a random draw to determine the order of entry for each group.
The last wrestler to enter the ring is the one who draws the Joker and the winner earns a match for the AEW World Championship or AEW Women’s World Championship. The winners of the Casino Tag
Team Battle Royale are awarded an AEW World Tag Team Championship match, while the Casino Trios Battle Royale winners split a $300,000 pot.
The Casino Tag Team Battle Royale in 2021 is widely viewed as the pick of the events staged to date, providing fans with a plethora of high spots during the event. The drama culminated with Fenix eliminating Jungle Boy to earn himself and his Death Triangle partner PAC a shot at the tag team title.
A Women’s Casino Battle Royale in 2021 also proved to be a hugely watchable match, with the crowd buying in to what the competitors delivered during the event. Ruby Soho emerged victorious on her AEW debut, and received a huge pop from the crowd who recognised how criminally underused she had been by the WWE.
Continuing the Theme in AEW
The AEW has continued to run with the theme this year, with their Casino Tag Team Battle Royale in March delivering a result that left wrestling fans stunned.
Orange Cassidy and Danhausen were last minute entrants into the event after Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor were not medically cleared to compete. They won the match after Danhausen eliminated both The Butcher and The Blade in the final seconds to earn a shot at the AEW tag team title.
While they ultimately came up short in that match, their appearance demonstrated how the casino theme can give unlikely wrestling combos their shot at glory. While AEW boss Tony Khan has been careful not to overplay his hand with the casino theme, it is clear that he has stuck on a winning formula.
Having successfully utilised a gimmick discarded by the WWE, it will be intriguing to see what the AEW can achieve with the casino theme in the future.