Last week WWE announced a multifaceted partnership with Fanatics. This is just the latest in a string of initiatives that have surfaced in the past year or so involving wrestling-related IP. Properties and brands at the forefront include:
- WWE. Its long-term, global deal with Fanatics encompasses e-commerce (including a reintroduction of the WWE Shop); licensed merchandise such as apparel, accessories, title belts, headwear, and hot-markets items; and digital and physical collectibles including trading cards and NFTs. Separately, WWE has announced a number of other programs since June 2021: It launched a name, image, and likeness (NIL) program with collegiate athletes; signed IGT for lottery games; teamed with Swag Golf for golf club and putter covers; extended its global deal with Mattel, in place since 2009, for action figures, accessories, and toy title belts; launched an NFT marketplace with Fox Entertainment and Blockchain Creative Labs; added the Panini Group as its exclusive trading card partner; paired with Major League Baseball for its first line of title belts to be cobranded with a pro sports league; and partnered with Credit One Bank for a WWE-branded credit card. WWE says its licensing program drives nearly $1 billion in retail sales globally per year.
- All Elite Wrestling (AEW). This up-and-coming program—pro wrestlers Cody Rhodes, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson launched the initiative in 2019 and its popularity has spiked quickly—recently signed Upper Deck as its licensee for new, limited-edition memorabilia autographed by AEW stars. It also announced it has paired with video game developer Yuke to create the first console game based on the property; it has not identified a publisher or specified a release date yet. AEW merchandise first entered the physical retail space in fall of 2019 through a deal with Hot Topic for apparel and accessories, and its action figure, role-play, plush, and collectibles licensee, Jazwares, introduced its first AEW Unrivaled product at Toy Fair 2020. Last month Jazwares announced a collaboration between AEW and the video game-based Street Fighter IP.
- Masked Republic. Masked Republic and its Legends of Lucha Libre brand expanded into a number of new categories in 2021. It announced a middle-grade book series with Future Publishing, with a related animated TV series in development at Future Studios; teamed with edtech company Encantos for a global educational program; introduced a Legends of Lucha Libre cookbook, Eat Like A Luchador, with Running Press; launched NFT projects with 8Bit Slammers and Blockparty; paired with Michael Miller for fabrics; and began developing its first video game with BC Media Labs, Gamacon, and Hyperkinetic Studios. Licensee Boss Fight Studio also dropped several collections of action figures, collectibles, and accessories. In addition, a children’s TV series is in the works with Demente Animation Studio. Masked Republic represents past, present, and future luchadores for licensing outside of Mexico. It is also developing new transmedia entertainment franchises that integrate the stars of lucha libre into fantasy storylines. Beyond the sports aspect, the tradition of lucha libre is integral to Mexican culture and identity.
- PowerTown Wrestling. Unlike the other programs listed here, the PowerTown brand is tied to a licensed product line, not a licensed property. Launched by Relativity Worldwide, PowerTown is the name of a new line of collectibles, developed in-house, with Series 1 expected to debut this spring. The figures depict wrestlers from the past 60 years, including Stan Hansen, Magnum TA, Lou Thesz, and Verne Gagne. The company was founded by Steven Rosenthal, who was with Remco Toys in the 1980s when he partnered with famed wrestling star, trainer, and promoter Verne Gagne for an AWA All-Star Wrestling collection of figures, and Greg Gagne, a pro wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. Relativity has said that it has signed licensing agreements with more than 150 wrestling personalities to date as part of the PowerTown brand, the tagline of which is “Where Wrestling Lives On.”
A number of other independent wrestling properties have limited merchandise programs, mostly available through their own online shops. They include New Japan Pro Wrestling, IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Combat Zone Wrestling, and Ring of Honor, which is on hiatus in 2022.
Comments are closed.