WWE and Fanatics have announced a long-term sports and entertainment partnership that will see Fanatics utilize its expanded digital sports platform to create a new, enhanced experience for WWE fans globally across several businesses, including e-commerce and licensed merchandise, as well as physical, digital and NFT trading cards.  

Through the deal, WWE will benefit from many capabilities across the Fanatics platform to create more opportunities for its global fanbase to showcase their pride and passion for WWE, its marquee events and roster. 

The businesses that will work together to create an elevated fan experience including Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles and Candy Digital. 

“Fanatics is the industry leader and Michael Rubin [chief executive officer, Fanatics] is a visionary,” says Vince McMahon, chairman, chief executive officer, WWE. “We believe this multi-platform partnership will set a new standard for WWE e-commerce, apparel and merchandise, while providing our fans globally with more ways than ever to engage with WWE and our Superstars.” 

This summer Fanatics will exclusively re-introduce a new, rapid e-commerce and mobile destination, WWE Shop, giving fans around the world access to a leading assortment of WWE merchandise across all categories, including apparel and hard goods such as title belts, headwear, accessories and more. Fanatics will collaborate with the teams at WWE who have grown the business in-house for decades, and the company will also add rights to design, manufacture and distribute real-time, on-demand merchandise collections to celebrate WWE moments and new and emerging superstars. 

“WWE is one of the most widely admired sports and entertainment properties worldwide, and it made perfect sense to activate many parts of our Fanatics global platform to create a first-of-its-kind, all-in fan experience,” says Rubin. “From e-commerce and licensed merchandise to trading cards and more, we’re going to offer up an incredible set of capabilities to help WWE’s passionate fans worldwide celebrate their favorite superstars, marquee events and the WWE brand overall.” 

Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles division, will also become the exclusive provider of licensed WWE physical and digital trading cards, which will again bear the nostalgic Topps logo. Fanatics acquired the 70-year-old Topps brand earlier this year, which previously held a long-term relationship with WWE. That deal will commence when WWE’s existing trading cards rights expire over the next few years. 

Later this year Fanatics’ next-generation digital collectibles company, Candy Digital, will become one of WWE’s primary NFT partners. Candy’s team of digital artists, designers and technologists will curate and build a range of high-quality trading card NFTs featuring WWE’s biggest moments and stars.