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WWE and Panini America Announce Multi-Year Partnership

By Nathan-Jay Collantes

Apr 10, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Chief Executive Officer of WWE Vince McMahon addresses fans during WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Chief Executive Officer of WWE Vince McMahon addresses fans during WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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WWE and Panini America are officially in business.

On Tuesday, they announced a multi-year agreement that gives Panini the exclusive license to produce WWE trading cards and collectible stickers globablly. The partnership will begin in the first quarter of 2022, revealing that WWE Prizm as their first product. With no official release date, you can expect it to drop around Wrestlemania time, which was just announced that it will be a two-night event happening on April 3 & 4 in Dallas, Texas.

This is a huge win for both parties – it’s the biggest company in pro wrestling teaming up with the biggest company in trading card collectibles. What makes the deal sweeter is that Panini is not only in the U.S. but worldwide – having a strong presence in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. So it’s a deal that will help both companies grow globally.

They are the latest addition to Panini’s impressive portfolio – which owns the official licenses for the NFL, NBA, FIFA, UFC, and more. With this deal, they now enter the wrestling space along with their competitor, Upper Deck, who scored the AEW license in July.

In a press release, Panini America CEO Mark Warsop spoke on the new partnership. “We have always been intrigued by WWE as a license partner and their fans’ incredible passion…We have big plans for our WWE portfolio and the new heights we can help WWE trading cards and stickers reach in the collectibles arena.”

This deal also marks the end of WWE’s 17-year partnership with Topps, who owned the trading card license since 2005. They still have a couple of 2021 product lines scheduled for release in the remaining months of the year so be on the lookout for those.

Collectors can expect to see multiple products in the first year. The trading cards will be available online and in retail stores such as Target, Walmart, and hobby card stores nationwide.

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