#5 Hulk Hogan wins his last WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan is a very controversial figure in the world of pro wrestling, and a lot of that had to do with his insane level of influence. Case in point, 1993’s WrestleMania 9 at Caesars Palace. Hulk Hogan literally stole the show from Yokozuna and Brett “the Hitman” Hart. No, that’s not hyperbole meant to evoke a reaction- that’s what happened. Hart lost, and after it looked like the match was over, Hulk Hogan suddenly appeared. He then went on to defeat Yokozuna in under a minute. The experience was insane and totally Vegas.
#2 Las Vegas Golden Knights compete for the Stanley Cup
Imagine making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in your very first year of existence as a league in the NHL. Believe it or not, that is exactly what happened to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and it was quite the bizarre season to watch. Between going 51-24 during the regular season and finishing first in their division, they were quite the talk of the town. It wasn’t only that, though- the crowd was starting to rally behind this team, giving them an underdog-like glow heading into the playoffs.
Fortunately for the Knights, this luck continued in the playoffs, where they went 12-3 in the first 15 playoff games in their team’s history. Keep in mind that these weren’t chump teams and included the Los Angeles Kings, the San Jose Sharks, and the Winnipeg jets. Ultimately, they lost to the Capitals in five games but showed a lot of resilience. They also showed fans that they would be title contenders for years to come.
#3 Las Vegas Aces make it to the 2020 WNBA Finals
How about them Las Vegas Aces? No, seriously, how about that effort and hustle those women showed throughout the 2020 WNBA season? Not only did this team manage to win eight straight games without several of their top stars, but they also rolled over their opponents all the way to the WNBA Finals. These women were incredible.
In the end, the Las Vegas Aces got swept in the WNBA Finals by the Seattle Storm and lost out on their first championship, but they showed so much promise in the process. Think about it! If Liz Cambage and Kelsey Plum were able to compete that postseason, things could have gone in a very different direction. Fortunately for the Las Vegas Aces, they loaded up on weapons during the offseason and now have superstars like Riquna Williams, Chelsea Gray, and Liz Camabge in their rotation. That’s going to be a tough team to take on any day of the week!
#2 Kyle Busch wins first championship after suffering severe injuries
The year was 2015. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch was a 12-year veteran at this point but still hadn’t managed to grab that elusive first Cup Series championship. It looked like things would stay that way, too, after Kyle Busch essentially broke both his legs in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, forcing him to take time off to recover. However, after multiple surgeries, some intense rehabilitation, and just good old-fashioned grit, he returned to his #18 Toyota Camry to run the rest of the season.
While Kyle Busch missed a total of 11 races that season, he was granted a championship waiver upon his return and announced his intentions to still run for a title. He would go on to win his first race of the season at the Sonoma Road Course two races later, locking him into the 2015 postseason. This eventually led to him making it to the final four at Homestead Miami and winning his first Cup championship.
#1 The Raiders hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season
The newly minted Las Vegas Raiders needed a statement win during the 2020 season, and boy, did they get it. They managed to knock off defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs.
It all came down to the fourth quarter, with the Raiders leading 30-24. Maintaining dominance, the silver and black proceeded to score ten points and fend off the Kansas City offense to win their third victory of the season. Not only was this the huge win that the Raiders were looking for after coming to Vegas, but it also showed just how exciting Raiders football could be.
