Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (Feb 17 - 23)
It's that time of the week again! Let's look at everything that happened last week in Las Vegas sports!
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The full WrestleMania 41 weekend schedule is finally here[/caption]
Key point: WrestleMania 41 single-event tickets are now available
The days are ticking down until WrestleMania 41, and excitement is at an all-time high. Jey Uso is slated to take on Gunther for the Heavyweight title, while Tiffany Stratton will do battle with Charlotte Flair for the Women’s title. The company also announced last week that single-event tickets are now on sale for the entire WrestleMania weekend.
These events include the final Friday night Smackdown before WrestleMania, NXT’s Stand & Deliver, and RAW. All of these events will take place at T-Mobile Arena, while WrestleMania nights one and two will take place at Allegiant Stadium. The tickets for each show went on sale on February 18, and you can get yours here.
Key point: Wilson gets honest about why she didn’t participate in UnRivaled
A’ja Wilson is one of those athletes with fans watching her every move. It goes with the territory of being one of the greatest players in the WNBA but also forces her to explain herself too often. One example is last week when she finally explained why she didn’t want to participate in the UnRivaled basketball league.
"I like to enjoy my offseason. That's my time to just decompress," Wilson said. "Unrivaled seems great—my teammates are loving it. The money in it is amazing... I just want to protect my peace. Because once the season gets in, no one's gonna think, Oh, you just got done playing Unrivaled, let's take it easy."
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Kyle Busch makes a very costly mistake during the Daytona 500[/caption]
Key point: Kyle Busch starts the season on a very sour note
The Daytona 500 is supposed to be where drivers can start a NASCAR season fresh. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch is starting his season in the exact opposite way, however, after a huge crash in the final laps.
Buch had to be towed back to pit road as a result, and that's where everything gets interesting.
NASCAR responded by retiring the #8 from the race due to a violation of the damaged vehicle policy. Kyle Busch responded in typical Rowdy fashion by blaming NASCAR for the ruling.
“Got beat by NASCAR procedures again, just not being able to get back out on the racetrack,” Busch said.
NASCAR has a damaged vehicle policy that forces drives to maintain minimum track speed or go to the garage after a crash. NASCAR official Elton Sawyer explained the ruling during a recent episode of the Morning Drive on Sirius XM.
“I think it was a misunderstanding on Kyle’s, perspective,” Sawyer said. “… What we do on pit road as far as the damaged vehicle policy hasn’t changed from 2024 other than we’re giving an additional minute — it’s now seven minutes versus six."
Key Point: Golden Knights lose Shea Theodore to injury at the worst time
Shea Theodore is week to week with an upper-body injury due to a nasty shot in the opening seconds of the Four Nations faceoff. Reporters initially listed Theodore as suffering from an upper-body injury but didn't specify anything else. A later report from ESPN analyst Emily Kaplan on the Unsportsmanlike podcast reveals he is dealing with a broken wrist.
A quick Google search shows this kind of injury can last 6 to 12 weeks, which is bad news for Las Vegas. They already lost the Pacific division lead before the Nations faceoff break and went through a four-game losing streak. The loss of Theodore could be enough to drop them out of playoff contention.
Key point: Shedeur Sanders out, Sam Darnold in?
All eyes remain on the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback room as the upcoming NFL draft inches closer. The media is going wild with speculation, leading to a lot of interesting options. Some thought the Raiders would go for Aaron Rodgers, and others insisted it would be Russell Wilson. These names fizzled out, and we're on to new ones, including Sheduer Sanders. However, NFL Draft expert Todd McShay claims that new owner Tom Brady won't want to waste a pick on an unproven talent.
"This ain't show family, this is show business. ... Tom is a cutthroat man," said McShay when asked about Brady's mentoring of Sanders. "He's not drafting someone because he worked with them or mentored them ... This is Tom's first major influence on a high draft pick in that organization. ... He does not want to miss on this."
McShay also claims that Sam Darnold is more linked to the Raiders than Sanders. This falls in line with Brady wanting a solid veteran at the position, and it's not like Darnold has the worst numbers in the league. The only downfall is that the deal is estimated to go for as much as $120 million, which is a lot given the Raiders' history. Remember, they paid Derek Carr $121.5 million and Jimmy Garoppolo $72.5 million in just three years.
Highlights
- Tickets go on sale for WrestleMania weekend events in Las Vegas
- A'Ja Wilson comments on not joining the UnRivaled league
- Buch and NASCAR have a verbal spat over the rules
- Shea Theodore is week to week with a wrist injury
- Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback plans getting more clear?
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The full WrestleMania 41 weekend schedule is finally here[/caption]#5 NewWrestleMania 41 tickets released
Key point: WrestleMania 41 single-event tickets are now available
The days are ticking down until WrestleMania 41, and excitement is at an all-time high. Jey Uso is slated to take on Gunther for the Heavyweight title, while Tiffany Stratton will do battle with Charlotte Flair for the Women’s title. The company also announced last week that single-event tickets are now on sale for the entire WrestleMania weekend.
These events include the final Friday night Smackdown before WrestleMania, NXT’s Stand & Deliver, and RAW. All of these events will take place at T-Mobile Arena, while WrestleMania nights one and two will take place at Allegiant Stadium. The tickets for each show went on sale on February 18, and you can get yours here.
#4 A’ja Wilson opens up
Key point: Wilson gets honest about why she didn’t participate in UnRivaled
A’ja Wilson is one of those athletes with fans watching her every move. It goes with the territory of being one of the greatest players in the WNBA but also forces her to explain herself too often. One example is last week when she finally explained why she didn’t want to participate in the UnRivaled basketball league.
"I like to enjoy my offseason. That's my time to just decompress," Wilson said. "Unrivaled seems great—my teammates are loving it. The money in it is amazing... I just want to protect my peace. Because once the season gets in, no one's gonna think, Oh, you just got done playing Unrivaled, let's take it easy."
[caption id="attachment_74780" align="alignnone" width="601"]
Kyle Busch makes a very costly mistake during the Daytona 500[/caption]#3 Kyle Busch gets the rules explained to him by NASCAR
Key point: Kyle Busch starts the season on a very sour note
The Daytona 500 is supposed to be where drivers can start a NASCAR season fresh. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch is starting his season in the exact opposite way, however, after a huge crash in the final laps.
Buch had to be towed back to pit road as a result, and that's where everything gets interesting.
NASCAR responded by retiring the #8 from the race due to a violation of the damaged vehicle policy. Kyle Busch responded in typical Rowdy fashion by blaming NASCAR for the ruling.
“Got beat by NASCAR procedures again, just not being able to get back out on the racetrack,” Busch said.
NASCAR has a damaged vehicle policy that forces drives to maintain minimum track speed or go to the garage after a crash. NASCAR official Elton Sawyer explained the ruling during a recent episode of the Morning Drive on Sirius XM.
“I think it was a misunderstanding on Kyle’s, perspective,” Sawyer said. “… What we do on pit road as far as the damaged vehicle policy hasn’t changed from 2024 other than we’re giving an additional minute — it’s now seven minutes versus six."
#2 Shea Theodore revealed to have wrist injury after Four Nations opener.
Key Point: Golden Knights lose Shea Theodore to injury at the worst time
Shea Theodore is week to week with an upper-body injury due to a nasty shot in the opening seconds of the Four Nations faceoff. Reporters initially listed Theodore as suffering from an upper-body injury but didn't specify anything else. A later report from ESPN analyst Emily Kaplan on the Unsportsmanlike podcast reveals he is dealing with a broken wrist.
A quick Google search shows this kind of injury can last 6 to 12 weeks, which is bad news for Las Vegas. They already lost the Pacific division lead before the Nations faceoff break and went through a four-game losing streak. The loss of Theodore could be enough to drop them out of playoff contention.
#1 The Las Vegas Raiders lean toward more experienced quarterback
Key point: Shedeur Sanders out, Sam Darnold in?
All eyes remain on the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback room as the upcoming NFL draft inches closer. The media is going wild with speculation, leading to a lot of interesting options. Some thought the Raiders would go for Aaron Rodgers, and others insisted it would be Russell Wilson. These names fizzled out, and we're on to new ones, including Sheduer Sanders. However, NFL Draft expert Todd McShay claims that new owner Tom Brady won't want to waste a pick on an unproven talent.
"This ain't show family, this is show business. ... Tom is a cutthroat man," said McShay when asked about Brady's mentoring of Sanders. "He's not drafting someone because he worked with them or mentored them ... This is Tom's first major influence on a high draft pick in that organization. ... He does not want to miss on this."
McShay also claims that Sam Darnold is more linked to the Raiders than Sanders. This falls in line with Brady wanting a solid veteran at the position, and it's not like Darnold has the worst numbers in the league. The only downfall is that the deal is estimated to go for as much as $120 million, which is a lot given the Raiders' history. Remember, they paid Derek Carr $121.5 million and Jimmy Garoppolo $72.5 million in just three years.