UFC's Las Vegas Expansion Revives Memories of the Proposed WWF Hotel

_{Before changing its name from WWF to WWE, the pro wrestling company had major plans for a Las Vegas hotel and casino, as seen in the rendering above. (Image: courtesy of Steelman Partners)}

About three decades ago, the company behind professional wrestling decided to try building a wrestling-themed casino resort in Las Vegas, but it never opened. The idea simply grew out of control, and the required funds were just too much, causing the whole project to collapse before a guest could ever check in.

But UFC's recent expansion in Las Vegas might give the concept a second shot. The company  is currently exploring plans for a hotel as part of an expansion for its headquarters in Las Vegas, and WWE could be part of that build-out too. History may be repeating itself, whether anyone at UFC realizes it or not. 

Here's more about what UFC is planning and the wild story of the forgotten wrestling casino that almost was.

UFC Eyes a Hotel as Part of Apex Complex Development

UFC is located in the southwest Vegas Valley, about 15 minutes from Mandalay Bay off I-215. The MMA company is now owned by TKO, which also owns WWE and holds a 40% stake in Zuffa Boxing, a newer boxing venture launched in 2025 with Saudi Arabia's Sela.

UFC’s headquarters sit on about 70 acres and are currently home to the Meta Apex, a small venue that holds smaller fight cards. Since being purchased by TKO, the venue has also hosted some smaller WWE events. 

The Apex recently expanded and can now hold 1,300 guests. UFC would like it to join Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena as sports destinations, even though it's smaller than most theaters on the Vegas Strip like House of Blues at Mandalay Bay and Dolby Live at Park MGM.

The company plans to increase the number of events at the venue and to use the other 35 undeveloped acres it owns. UFC senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein told the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

“We’re currently in the process of developing a master plan for this facility, which will include hopefully a lot of things, including … a hotel, expansion with our TKO partner WWE, maybe additional collaborations with other sports and entertainment organizations here in Las Vegas.”

Epstein says this will be a multi-year project, while UFC president and CEO Dana White says they're still developing a master plan. In other words, don't look for anything soon.

UFC is a while away from announcing whether it will add a hotel to its complex and if it will be part of a larger casino resort project. Regardless of what is built, it would sit between Durango Casino and Mandalay Bay and could be of interest to locals and tourists. 

Both WWE and UFC events often sell out, and WrestleMania this year drew almost 100,000 people over two days, with 96% of attendees visiting Las Vegas specifically for the show.

What The WWF Hotel & Casino Could Have Been

WWE is a relatively new name, having rebranded from WWF (World Wrestling Federation) in 2002. Years before changing its name, the wrestling organization planned (and eventually failed) to open the WWF Hotel & Casino.

WWF purchased the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino on 305 Convention Center Drive at an auction in 1998 for $10.6 million, with plans to update the property to become a WWF-themed venue. The company had big plans for the property and even hired Steelman Partners to create renderings. For reference, this is the same company that helped create the plans for Circa, Resorts World and a host of other Las Vegas casinos.

Then-owner Vince McMahon saw the small property as a "logical expansion of the WWF brand." He planned to renovate and expand the 12-story, 193-room property near the Las Vegas Convention Center with a WWF attitude. After all, this was known as the "Attitude Era" of the wrestling organization.

By the time Steelman finished the plans, the hotel had grown into a much larger 35-story tower, and the ideas grew out of control. While the property cost only $10 million to buy, WWF planned to invest $100 million in building a "Wrestling Disneyland."

According to Steelman and various reports over the years, the resort would have hosted daily wrestling events. Former wrestlers would even be at the entrances, greeting guests as they entered the casino.

In a blog post looking back at the WWF Hotel, Steelman described the video that pitched the idea.

“The concept video revealed a soaring grand entry hall lined with video walls playing wrestling montages," read the post. "Giant screens hung above the gaming tables, so you could bet on blackjack under the glow of a WrestleMania replay.” 

Once inside, guests would check into hotel rooms themed for wrestlers like The Rock and play with casino chips featuring stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin. There would have also been wrestling-themed bars and restaurants, such as Vince's Steakhouse, and even a tattoo parlor with an Undertaker theme.

This wasn’t just a pie-in-the-sky idea. WWF and Steelman created renderings and a brochure to sell the idea to people.

Unfortunately, WWF never even broke ground on the idea and gave up on the project a few years later, selling the property for $11.2 million in 2000. That probably covered the expense of developing the concept of the WWF Hotel & Casino.

This kind of makes me pine for the good old days of themed casinos like Luxor and Excalibur. 

Dana White is a Vegas local who loves the history of this town. Maybe he'll come correct with a combat sports-themed casino resort that connects to the venue that could host the fights. We can still dream, right?