The commercialization of WWE is nothing new. Since the 1980s, the company has been quick to capitalize on new market opportunities. It began famously with the likes of VHS tapes, action figures, video games, and apparel, and it has expanded into everything from cooking appliances to ice cream bars.
Now, WWE is stepping into the ring with online casino games.
The Starting Point: WWE Legends: Link & Win
WWE grappling with the casino world is nothing new. In fact, there were solid plans in the late 90s for the organization to open a hotel and casino in Las Vegas. While that didn’t materialize, the company did, in 2021, make its first foray into the world of online casinos with the release of WWE Legends: Link & Win.
Admittedly, it’s not quite on the level of opening a WWE-branded casino.
However, WWE Legends: Link & Win has proven to be a popular slots addition. It features iconic superstars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Eddie Guerrero, and Booker T. Add in exciting bonus features like the Link & Win mechanic, free spins, and expanding wilds, and players get the chance to win big.
Adding to the Slots Stable
WWE hasn’t stopped with just a single online slot. It was announced in August 2024 that WWE have entered a partnership with Games Global and Fortune Factory Studios to create a further three licensed titles. Being released over a three-year period, the first game has already launched: WWE Bonus Rumble: Gold Blitz.
This new slot isn’t too dissimilar to the WWE Legends slot in terms of initial design. You again have four popular superstars. Stone Cold and Booker T are back, but this time, they’re joined by John Cena and The Undertaker. The visuals, music, and sound also attempt to capture the excitement of being at a wrestling event. The big difference is in the name: the Gold Blitz Cash Collect feature.
It will be interesting to see if the future two WWE-themed releases go with a more innovative approach, which could even see a move away from slots.
The Future of WWE and Casino Games
In wrestling terms, WWE has only gone in for a couple of tentative grapples with online casino gaming. What will the future hold? It’ll be interesting to see what over avenues, if any, are explored by the company. Take blackjack, for example. You can play blackjack online with Lucky Days offering multiple variants. These variants range from Lightning Blackjack to, get this, mid-card actor Vinnie Jones Blackjack. With that in mind, would it be unfathomable to see a WWE-themed blackjack game? Of course not. Slap a few superstars on the face cards, throw in some
familiar sounds or commentary soundbites, and boom: you have a distinctive WWE blackjack game. The same can be applied to other casino classics. There already exists Terminator 2 Roulette for instance, which comes from the same company that released the aforementioned WWE Bonus Rumble slot. We could see WWE-themed baccarat, craps, poker – you name it. After all, commercialization and WWE go hand-in-hand.
