Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (July 26 - Aug 1)

#5 WWE makes it official for two matches in the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view

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WWE SummerSlam in Las Vegas is getting closer by the day. Finally, WWE is starting to announce official matches for the pay-per-view. It all started last Monday night when it was announced that current RAW Women's Champion, Nikki A.S.H, would be taking on former champions Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match.

Fast forward to the Friday Night SmackDown, and Roman Reigns and Finn Balor were supposed to sign the contract for their Universal Title match at SummerSlam. Unfortunately for Balor, he was attacked by Baron Corbin and couldn't sign anything. Instead, John Cena used the distraction to sign his name on the dotted line, giving him the opportunity to face Roman Reigns for the Universal title at SummerSlam.

This was disappointing because they stole a title shot away from Finn Balor, and it was a little cartoonish. This is the kind of booking that made fans hate WWE back in the early 2010s. What was the point? Why did WWE tease Balor versus Reigns just to give it to Cena in the end? It doesn't make sense!

#4 Derek Carr discusses his future with the Las Vegas Raiders

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It's no secret that Derek Carr doesn't get the respect he deserves from some of the Raiders' fanbase, but his shortcomings are just sometimes too much to ignore. A perfect example of this was his 43-6 implosion against the Atlanta Falcons last season that resulted in multiple interceptions, some fumbles, and probably the worst offense you saw all season.  Still, he seems very determined to stick with Las Vegas all the way to a Super Bowl.

Not at all,"  Carr said when asked by the Athletic if he thinks about his upcoming contract expiration. I want to win the Super Bowl. That s why I signed to stay here. That s why, if I sign again, it s to stay here. Because I want to win here."

#3 The Golden Knights trade Ryan Reaves to New York Rangers.

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What are the Golden Knights thinking? That's the theme throughout much of this edition of Last week in Las Vegas sports, and it starts with them trading away fan-favorite Ryan Reaves to the New York Rangers. In exchange for Reaves, the Golden Knights received a 2022 third-round pick in the NHL draft. While the move makes sense from a cap space perspective, it's still difficult to see the Golden Knights parting with teammates that helped them reach new heights.

"The Golden Knights thank Ryan Reaves for his dedication to our team and community during his time in our organization," the team announced on Twitter after the trade. "Ryan s personality and character will be missed, and we wish him and his family the best of luck in New York. "

This honestly seems like the Golden Knights' way of freeing up some cap space to go after someone in free agency.

#2 Jon Gruden announces promising vaccination rate during training camp

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Jon Gruden spoke at a press conference for the first time since January and had some very promising news to tell Raider Nation. He started by stating he was proud of his team for reporting to training camp and claimed that every player has managed to make their weight this season and closed things off by stating that most of the team had taken the step to get vaccinated for the upcoming season.

"So, we're proud of that," Gruden stated. "We're excited about that. We're also respectful of everybody's personal opinion, so we have to weigh that as well. But when it comes to vaccinations, we think most of our people have been just that -- vaccinated."

#1 The Golden Knights trade Marc Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks

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The Las Vegas Golden Knights traded their star goalie, Marc Andre Fleury, to the Chicago Blackhawks this week, and fans are not happy about the move.  Maybe that had to do with the fact that he was unstoppable in the playoffs, or just how beloved he was by the fanbase, but a lot of people are really going to miss Fleury. Furthermore, with Robin Lehner proving to be a subpar replacement for Fleury throughout the early portions of the playoffs, it raises a lot of questions about what the future holds for the team.

At that time, I told Marc that I couldn t say for sure what we would do with our goaltending during the upcoming year. I said I wanted to treat him professionally; I wanted to treat him with respect," Las Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McKinnon said in an interview about the trade.

In the end, McKinnon did what he had to do and cleared out a lot of cap space in the process. Whether it proves to be the right move or not remains to be seen, but fans are worried.