WWE’s unexpected change of venue for the already-announced WrestleMania 42 presents an unprecedented situation that has not occurred since the inception of WrestleMania in 1985.

Until now, WWE had stuck to the city it announced approximately one year prior to the event. While there was a single instance of venue change for WrestleMania 7, the show of shows remained in Los Angeles, relocating from the 90,000-seater Rose Bowl outdoor stadium to the 16,000-capacity indoor Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, primarily due to very poor ticket sales.

However, this is the first time in 41 years that WWE has announced a location for a WrestleMania and then withdrawn from the commitment.

The original location for next year’s WrestleMania was announced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during an episode of Smackdown, which was held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The press releases were distributed, the logo was published, and the contract was signed.

WrestleMania 42 was scheduled to take place at the Caesars Superdome, with Smackdown, NXT Stand & Deliver, and Raw events held at the Smoothie King Center, and the multi-day WWE World convention at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

However, this week, WWE made an unprecedented decision to cancel its agreement with the city of New Orleans, leaving a significant void in the city’s sports and entertainment calendar.

Fans frequently book flights early for WrestleMania, particularly those residing overseas, to take advantage of reduced fares. Some hotels offer non-refundable bookings at a lower cost. Because, why not take advantage of some discounts? 41 years of sticking to your word on a location is a pretty good track record. Plus, WrestleMania is a very expensive holiday nowadays so every cent saved counts.

WWE’s actions this week have introduced uncertainty for years to come. Announcements regarding WrestleMania locations, or any other event for that matter, should no longer be taken at face value because if they pulled out of a city which hosted the Showcase of the Immortals twice already, God knows what they can do to other cities.

WWE’s decision to withdraw from a city so easily also raises questions about how one-sided their WrestleMania site contracts must be.

The rumored, and make that bold, rumored location for next year is Las Vegas once again. Las Vegas is renowned for its vibrant nightlife, comparable to New Orleans’ party city reputation.

Is it soon to go back? Oh hell yeah. Part of the magic of WrestleMania is being in a different stadium, a different city, a different vibe every year. While returning to a past hosting city is inevitable, it would be nice to wait a few years before returning.

Only one city has hosted WrestleMania consecutively, and that is Atlantic City, New Jersey, when WWE held WrestleMania 4 and 5 at the Trump Plaza. No other city has achieved this feat since then.

Back-to-back wrestling events in the same city or arena/stadium are not uncommon in professional wrestling though.

SummerSlam was held for six consecutive years at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and for four years thereafter at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. AEW’s Double or Nothing and All Out have been held in Las Vegas and Chicago, respectively, since their inception, except for this year. On a larger scale, All In was held back-to-back at Wembley Stadium for two consecutive years and is returning there next year. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has held Wrestle Kingdom, its flagship pay-per-view, in the same location for two decades.

However, fans voiced their disappointment when rumors of WrestleMania returning to Las Vegas came out. Las Vegas is known for its high cost of living, with even a small bottle of water costing you as high as $8. Every single fan is likely to come out of the city and Las Vegas is probably one of the very few, if not the only, major city where there’s not a big wrestling following where you can count on 10,000-15,000 locals attending.

Las Vegas boasts an abundance of hotels, pleasant weather, and a plethora of attractions and activities, so there’s that to look forward to. But when you have a tax on a tax on a tax plus a Las Vegas tax on all of those taxes, well, it adds up. Try talking to a mother or a father who took their family of four to WrestleMania this year, they’ll tell you.

And let’s face it, WrestleMania 41 was not the greatest. Night one shat the bed and the crowd was dead for most of it. That wasn’t necessarily a Las Vegas problem, but you know…guilty by association.

Regaining public trust will require substantial efforts, and cities bidding on future WWE events may demand iron-clad contracts that prevent WWE from relocating the event to a more favorable location if a higher bid is received.

And as for fans? Forget booking 11 months out for a WrestleMania from now on. Get ready to either pay a few hundred dollars more for your tickets, or risk losing everything when they decide to move the event somewhere else.