Latest news with #ToppsWWEChrome
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE, Topps unveil WrestleMania Patch and Main Roster Debut Patch programs
John Cena and Cody Rhodes in ring ahead of WrestleMania 41. (Eric Johnson/WWE via Getty Images) (WWE via Getty Images) The next step in the WWE and Topps licensing agreement was announced on Tuesday, with the sports entertainment and trading card brands partnering on two separate match-used patch programs. Beginning with WrestleMania 41 later this week at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, every wrestler performing on the two-night show will wear a commemorative WrestleMania Patch that will be inserted into trading cards later this year. In addition, beginning with the April 21 episode of "WWE Raw," any debuting superstar will sport the Main Roster Debut Patch, which will similarly be featured in a future set of Topps WWE trading cards. Advertisement 'When we came up with the concept for the debut patch and then the WWE license came to us, it's the first thing you start thinking about,' Fanatics senior vice president of product, Clay Luraschi, told Uncrowned. 'At the end of the day, the patches are an incredible mechanism for storytelling. Obviously, a 'Raw' and 'SmackDown' debut patch is a no-brainer, but you wonder how you can take it to another level — let's do patches for WrestleMania. WrestleMania is the pinnacle for most wrestlers. It should be celebrated, commemorated, archived in time. If we can be a part of that storytelling, it just feeds the passion of the fan and the consumer.' Similar to the MLB and MLS Debut Patch program Topps already utilizes with its baseball and soccer products, each WWE patch card will be a unique one-of-one and will feature an autograph as well as a custom authentication from Fanatics. While debuting MLB and MLS stars' patches can be found on their jerseys, for WrestleMania and Main Roster Debut Patches, most wrestlers will wear the commemorative patches on their boots. WWE stars will wear one of three patches for the newly announced Topps program. Every star on the WrestleMania 41 card will wear that commemorative patch, likely on their boots, while debuting stars will have their respective brand patch attached to their gear. (Photo courtesy of Topps) Although the actual product in which these cards will appear has yet to be announced, the elevation of the WWE and Topps partnership adds to what has already been a red-hot 2025 for the two companies. After a three-year hiatus, Topps resumed producing licensed WWE trading cards in January. Initially beginning with its Topps NOW program, Fanatics experienced immediate and impactful returns from the WWE agreement. Topps then launched its first full set — Topps WWE Chrome — on Jan. 31, with the product selling out within five minutes of going live. A little more than a month later, the Rock, John Cena and Travis Scott Topps NOW card from Cena's shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber had a print run of more than 55,000 cards, making it one of the most successful in that program's history. Advertisement The release of Topps WWE Chrome, in particular, is something Luraschi described as an 'a-ha' moment for many involved. 'I always felt good before it came out because I knew what was in it and I knew the work that was going into it,' Luraschi said. 'Any time a product sells out that fast, it raises eyebrows. It's a great thing and WWE has been a great partner. They're all-in on this trading card thing, which is great to see. Last time we spoke, I said this was one of those untapped trading card segments in the hobby. The fans are passionate, rabid, and the storytelling is at the top. It makes a perfect combination for the way we want to present trading cards as storytelling mechanisms and true commemorative pieces that lock a fan to a moment.' WrestleMania signage on display at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images) (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters) Part of the 'all-in' nature of the licensing agreement has been WWE's overwhelming commitment to promotion of the Topps line. The release of Topps WWE Chrome coincided with the Royal Rumble event in Indianapolis, where throughout the weekend and on Peacock, WWE personalities were opening packs and sharing their 'hits' live with fans. Images of the Topps trading cards have since been used to promote matches on "Raw" and "SmackDown," and in February WWE mobilized, sending stars to card shops across the country to promote Topps' Rip Night event. Advertisement 'Everyone, all the way up to the top, is super involved in wanting to support,' Luraschi said. 'The entire business, executive staff are in on trading cards and it's not like us presenting something and they say yes, we sit there and have full-on discussions. They're all-in. It's a case study in how a licensing partnership should work. Knowing that you have that support makes you feel great about making products. Knowing that no ask is too large.' Expansion of the patch program represents an ascension of sorts for the WWE product. The 2024 MLB Rookie Debut Patch Auto (RDPA) of Paul Skenes is obviously the headline stealer when it comes to this particular offering. The Skenes RDPA sold earlier this year at auction for a whopping $1.1 million, with Dick's Sporting Goods purchasing the coveted card. Per cllct, the Skenes RDPA is the highest-selling card since the debut patch program began and is the most-expensive modern baseball card to sell in the past three years. Including Skenes, three of the MLB RDPA cards from the 2024 MLB Topps Chrome Update Series have sold for more than $100,000. Cllct also reported that the top 50 RDPA sales have all fetched at least $3,000 and more than 90% are public records for the players featured. With Topps and WWE partnering on two separate programs, it's somewhat unclear which will provide more of a 'chase' for fans. Currently, there are nearly three dozen wrestlers slated to appear at WrestleMania 41, including major names such as Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, John Cena and Charlotte Flair. For the Main Roster Debut Patches, it's a bit harder to speculate because of the nature of professional wrestling. In sports like MLB, fans sometimes have years of familiarity with prospects and players can often have immediate impacts — a la Skenes — when they eventually make their debut. WWE tends to lean into the element of surprise, particularly when it comes to its famous 'Raw after 'Mania' debuts, and it is rare for newly signed or elevated talent to have an immense and immediate impact. Advertisement 'There will probably be more WrestleMania patches than debut patches, but we'll see where that shakes out,' Luraschi said. 'Most of the WrestleMania subjects are your top stars, so there's that added level of collectability there. At the same time, with the debut patch, if that superstar turns out to be the next Rock or Cena, then that card can be one of the most high-profile in all of WWE trading cards. They both tell different stories, but it will be interesting to see where the energy goes.' While the patch programs are certainly a major move for wrestling trading cards, there are constant conversations being had as to how to continue on this momentum for the rest of 2025 and beyond. As WWE prepares to induct a match into its Hall of Fame this weekend, there are seemingly endless opportunities for expansion and really homing in on capturing the storytelling aspect of both professional wrestling and collectibles. 'There are a lot of different concepts, but the patches are our focus right now as our first foot into true WrestleMania memorabilia. We'll read it from there and react. I think whatever we plan to do with WWE as a team, we're going to do it right, with intention and it will be all-in from both sides.'
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The rise of WWE trading cards? What to expect from Topps Chrome and beyond
The new year has brought a new era for the WWE — not just with the company's landmark Netflix deal, but in the trading card world too, with a 'long-term partnership' that reunites it with Topps. All of this coincides with a growing number of indicators that suggest wrestling cards could be the next trading card segment to see substantial market growth. Content creators around the hobby have suggested as much in recent months, and recent numbers seem to back up that belief. CardLadder's wrestling index, which tracks sales of a curated list of key cards in the category, is up about 25 percent over the last three months — far more than any other sports category and about double the second best performing sector in that span, Pokemon. And in December, a new record sale for a wrestling card was achieved when a 1982 Wrestling All-Stars Hulk Hogan card graded a PSA 9 (one of 17, with none higher) sold for $132,000, surpassing the $126,000 that The Rock's one-of-a-kind 2022 Panini Black Prizm card sold for a year earlier. Advertisement According to eBay, users searched its marketplace for WWE items at a rate of 2,700 times per hour over the course of 2024, up nearly five percent from 2023. On January 6 of this year, when the WWE debuted on Netflix, searches went up nearly five percent compared to the average the week prior. But individual wrestlers featured in that debut episode saw much more significant jumps in search interest on the platform that suggests growing collector interest as programming reaches new audiences. 'I think WWE is primed for an incredible run in trading cards,' said Topps senior vice president of product Clay Luraschi this month. 'I've seen it bubble up over the last five, six years and now it's just perfect timing. And with all the stuff that we're going to be doing this year, and some of the things that haven't been done, it's gonna add to that excitement.' Topps returns to making WWE cards after the license spent the last several years with Panini. Luraschi noted that Topps, which is now owned by Fanatics, is 'a different trading card company than we were the last time we were doing WWE products.' 'The last couple of years Topps has had a real focus on highlighting key moments,' Luraschi said. 'The more we can tell a story behind each and every card, the more powerful that product's going to be. So you'll see a lot of great storytelling in our WWE products that you haven't seen before, and you'll see lots of cool, unique relics that are tied to events, which we haven't done in the past, you'll see lots of cool autographs that really bring out the superstar's personality.' The first evidence of that is present in the newly released Topps WWE Chrome set, which includes a long list of past, present and future WWE superstar autograph subjects (set checklist pdf here). Hobby boxes include 12 packs of eight cards each and two autographed cards and are priced at $169.99. Some of those autographs bear unique, wrestler-specific inscriptions that are sure to be chased by collectors and command a premium on the secondary market, ranging from WWE champion Cody Rhodes with 'Story Finished!' to Jey Uso's 'YEET!' and Roman Reigns' 'Acknowledge me,' plus new Women's champion Tiffany Stratton with 'It's Tiffy Time' and WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac with 'I got two words for ya.' Advertisement But the biggest signer in this set is The Rock, who has autographed cards in an official WWE product for the first time since 1998 — the element of this Chrome set that Luraschi is most proud of. The Rock has three featured inscriptions: 'Aloha,' 'Smell It?' and 'Rock Final Boss.' 'The Rock is always on anyone's list,' Luraschi said. 'He's got a lot of things going on, but doing a comeback in trading cards, you can't do it without his presence.' Finding ways to better convey the larger-than-life personalities of professional wrestlers is a key element of what Topps aims to do with the WWE license this time around, according to Luraschi. 'I think the personality part is actually what helps – it's actually what separates (WWE), in a lot of ways, from other properties is that the personalities are so strong and it just really works with trading cards,' he said. 'Maybe it hasn't been captured in the past but we're really gonna capture that now.' That push was inspired by last summer's Fanatics Fest, where the company brought together their many sports league partners for a variety of interactive fan experiences. There was one that stood out from the rest, though. 'I was at the Fanatics Fest in New York and they had this – everyone had their own little area – and the WWE one was just non-stop, all day, everyone's just fired up,' Luraschi said. 'And all I kept thinking to myself as I was watching how the fan interaction was, 'How do we capture that on the trading cards?' How do we capture that fandom, that just intense fandom onto trading cards, and I think what you'll see this year is just kind of the beginning, and then as we release products, and in the coming years you'll see us continue to evolve it to where I think WWE cards can be some of the most sought-after trading cards around. I really do honestly feel that way.' The question of how to capture the excitement that WWE inspires and conveying it through trading cards carries through to the launch video Topps produced to coincide with the release of Chrome. Since this year marks the 40th anniversary of the first ever WWE cards, Chrome also features inserts bearing the retro design of that 1985 set. 'I'm geeking out because I collected that set. I still remember the packs, the front of the pack,' Luraschi said. And since John Cena is embarking on his year-long farewell tour in 2025, WWE sets will feature tributes to his legendary career, starting with an insert set in the Chrome release. 'You'll see some tributes to Cena throughout the year, including some stuff that's going to go across all of our products,' Luraschi said. 'Nothing to unveil yet, but someone as big as he is and who's so impactful in WWE — he's definitely worthy of doing something special throughout the year.' (Side note: To get a sense of the impact Cena has had over his career, give this story in the Indianapolis Star about how his action figure helped get a young boy through an unimaginable tragedy.) And what about debut patches? They've become arguably the biggest chase in modern sports cards, with a presence in MLB and MLS to start, but could they come to WWE next now that Topps has the license? 'You've gotta guess that we're having the discussion,' Luraschi said. 'Yeah, it's something that we're toying around with.' So which wrestlers are most collectors chasing? If you watched that debut episode of WWE Raw on Netflix, the top name might surprise you… Top 5 most searched wrestlers on eBay during 2024: Yes, he was booed out of the building in LA (among other places in recent years), but Hogan still tops the list. Meanwhile, Jey Uso's popularity has exploded as he continues his chase for a top title in WWE. In 2024, eBay searches for his name increased 110 percent over the previous year. Several other wrestlers saw big gains last year, as well, with one from rival promotion AEW leading the way (AEW cards are currently manufactured by Upper Deck): Who will emerge as a hobby favorite in 2025? Well, it just might be Tiffy Time. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission. (Top photo of Damien Priest: Dylan Azari/Special to the Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK)
