My second ROH interview is with Bully Ray, who needs no introduction, but got one anyway: There, the Dudley Boyz (as he and D-Von were known) helped to redefine tag-team wrestling. In 2005, the pair jumped ship to rival Total Nonstop Action, where they were known as Team 3D. Renaming himself Bully Ray after splitting […]
Bully Ray Reflects on His Wrestling Legacy – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenMy latest for Vegas Seven is a pair of interview with ROH wrestlers. The first I’m sharing today is with Kenny King: Kenny King has shown the world many faces: aspiring sports entertainer, reality show contestant, multiple-time wrestling champion. A participant on the WWE-produced Tough Enough and cast member of the most recent season of
Hometown Hero Kenny King Preps for the Fight of His Career – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThe sale of the Fontainebleau finally happening got me thinking about the history of that property, which made for a decent Green Felt Journal: The Fontainebleau’s construction began in 2007 and stopped amid the recession in 2009. As with the Marc Antony and Countryland USA projects, lack of financing was the culprit. But the scale
Second Chances on the North Strip – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenFor my 200th Green Felt Journal, I took a look back at the first 199 columns: My first GFJ came in the first issue of Vegas Seven, released February 4, 2010. The column itself (and its name) was the brainchild of then-editor Phil Hagen; it’s a take on Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris’ anti-Vegas potboiler,
Green Felt Journal Deals 200 – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIt’s always fun to profile interesting people. That’s definitely the case in my second look at Jon Gray: “I called George [Maloof, founder of Palms] right away. He said, ‘You’re the right guy for the job. If anyone can bring Palms back, it’s you and the Fertittas [brothers Frank and Lorenzo are the chairman and
Jon Gray Is Ready for Round Two – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenAs part of that Vegas Seven future issue, I looked at a Vancouver development that reflects the future of casino design in Las Vegas and elsewhere: Traditionally, Las Vegas has set the bar for casino innovations. In the past decade, however, that has changed because of the proliferation of gaming. There have been tremendous strides
Parq to the Future – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI have a big feature in this week’s Vegas Seven: The Las Vegas Strip of the Future. Fittingly, I approached the future by taking in the past: Looking at how the Las Vegas Strip has evolved over the past 60 years can give us an idea of where it is headed. We’ll survey what’s popular
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I reflect back on EVO 2017, which I attended a while back: Which brings us to EVO 2017, which took place at the Mandalay Bay last month. EVO is short for the Evolution Championship Series, an annual tournament that seeks to crown the best players in several fighting video
Esports Draw an Audience – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI’ve had a weird relationship with casino carpet for a long time. In my latest Green Felt Journal, I get the low-down from a real expert: Carpets that adorn casinos look very different, but they are somehow easy to classify—a certain mixture of garish and gaudy that balances mirth with disorientation. This, perhaps, makes the
The Enduring Fascination of Casino Carpet – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenWho doesn’t like a circus? Besides the people who stopped going to circuses because they don’t like circuses? In my latest Green Felt Journal, I explore the links between the circus and Las Vegas entertainment: The latest incarnation of the circus to hit Las Vegas is Circus 1903, which will be performing at Paris Las
The Circus Is Coming Back to Town – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I talk about two of Derek Stevens’ latest moves in Downtown Las Vegas. How are they tied to the past? The past few weeks have offered a good perspective on the dance between old Vegas, new Vegas and new old Vegas that characterizes our times. In particular, two incidents
Derek Stevens Looks Toward Downtown’s Past to See Its Future – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn my latest Green Felt Journal, I talk about a recent survey that detailed hotel miseries: Vacation is supposed to be a fun time, a chance to get away from your everyday problems. And hotels are the cocoons that travelers return to, their homes away from home. A good hotel experience can make a vacation,
Survey Shows Bad Hotels Make Guests Cry – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThe key to Las Vegas’s post-recession rebound (I don’t like to call it a recovery because the casino industry didn’t take back lost ground; it pivoted into slightly new areas to make up for its losses), some argue, is doing everything bigger and flashier. It’s hard to argue with that approach since many of the
Vegas for Everyman (and Woman) – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThis week, my job for Vegas Seven is to explain why wrestling fans should be excited about what Future Stars of Wrestling is doing this weekend: Future Stars of Wrestling, the Las Vegas-based grappling promotion that features both local and national talent kicks off its Inaugural Wrestling Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday May 19.
A Big Weekend Ahead for Future Stars of Wrestling – Vegas Seven Read More »
pro wrestling, Vegas SevenMy latest Green Felt Journal: International Game Technology recently announced that it is selling its social gaming division, Double Down Interactive, for $825 million. The sale could offer a glimpse into how casinos will be working with social games in the future. Read more: At the Intersection of Social Games and Casino Games – Vegas
At the Intersection of Social Games and Casino Games – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn memory of the 60th anniversary of perhaps the most famous failed mob hit in history, I wrote a blog piece for the Mob Museum: On May 2, 1957, Frank Costello thought he had problems, but he had no idea. He was appealing a five-year prison sentence for federal income tax evasion (for which he
The hit that could have sunk Las Vegas | The Mob Museum Read More »
authorThis was a fascinating story to write. With the growth of fantasy camps for just about everything, it was probably only a matter of time before one sprung up for professional wrestling. It has, and it’s in Las Vegas: And that’s why you’re all in a small but professional studio in a generic industrial space
Live Out Your Dreams in the Ring at Fantasy Slam Wrestling – Vegas Seven Read More »
pro wrestling, Vegas SevenI went out to Planet Hollywood to play some skill games in the wild. The results, which I report completely candidly here, certainly taught me much about the future of gaming: The three Gamblit games are easy to find, just off the main table games area and adjacent to a bubble craps game that had
Is Skill-Based Gaming Really the Future of Slot Play? – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThe last of my trilogy of Tropicana birthday/anniversary pieces is this blog post from UNLV Special Collections that looks at a different era of the Strip mainstay that is celebrating its 60th: For research into the Tropicana, one of the best resources is the Tropicana Promotional and Publicity Material Collection, nine boxes of press clippings,
Visiting the Island at UNLV Special Collections Read More »
gambling & cultureTo commemorate the April 4, 1957 opening of the Tropicana, I wrote a guest blog post for the Mob Museum: It just so happened that Conquistador’s owner, “Dandy” Phil Kastel, had a long and fruitful partnership with Frank Costello, perhaps the nation’s most infamous gangster in the spring of 1957. For years, Kastel had run
Sixty years ago, the Tropicana opened under Mob’s hidden control | The Mob Museum Read More »
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