Topps Will Now Be WWE's Home For Trading Cards
We are less than a week away from one of the biggest moves in professional sports as WWE is set to debut on Netflix. In 2024, Netflix ventured into live sports by broadcasting its first football games and hosting the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight.
WWE has been making significant moves over the past few years, and their next venture appears to be sports card related.
For now, it looks like WWE cards will have a new home at Topps. It was announced that WWE has signed a long-term agreement with the sports card company, making Topps the exclusive producer of WWE trading cards.
𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Topps and WWE have reunited for a long-term trading card partnership. pic.twitter.com/qZtbqer96R
— Topps (@Topps) January 1, 2025
Wrestling cards have had a somewhat confusing history. Going back to the early '90s, wrestling cards were produced by several different companies, including Topps, Panini, and, for a brief period in the 2000s, Fleer. When it comes to "modern" wrestling sets, the 2002 Fleer WWE Royal Rumble set is often considered to have the best checklist. This set includes rookie cards for stars such as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Batista (referred to as "Deacon Batista" in the set), Rob Van Dam, Torrie Wilson, and Stacy Keibler.
If you go even farther back, the 1982-83 Wrestling All-Stars set features rookie cards for legends like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and André the Giant. Recently, a new record was set for wrestling cards when a Hulk Hogan card sold for an astounding $132,000.
🚨RECORD PRICE🚨
— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) December 8, 2024
Last night this Hulk Hogan 1982 Wrestling All Stars in a Mint 9 sold for $132,000, a record price for a wrestling card 💪 pic.twitter.com/juSxlXViGX
Hulk Hogan Wrestles Back the Throne: Iconic 1982 Card Sells for $132K!
From 2005 to 2021, Topps was the go-to company for WWE cards. Over the years, the number of products they released steadily increased, culminating in 13 different sets in their final year with WWE. In 2022, Panini took over the license and was expected to be the exclusive producer of WWE cards until the end of 2025.
However, in the summer of 2023, WWE announced they would be ending their partnership with Panini early and transferring the license to Fanatics. Panini was not pleased with this decision and filed a lawsuit against WWE. The legal battle eventually resulted in a settlement, officially ending WWE's run with Panini. Starting in 2025, wrestling fans can look forward to Topps producing WWE cards once again.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.