Hold onto your championship belts, because the world of WWE trading cards is about to take a spectacular leap into the spotlight! Picture this: after a few years in the proverbial wrestling shadows with Panini, Topps has thrown its hat back into the trading card ring. With their recent partnership, they’re not only expected to revive the nostalgia of yesteryears, but they’re gearing up to present fresh and innovate ideas that collectors are simply itching to get their hands on. And that’s not even the thrilling part—WWE’s partnership with Netflix is proving to be a real gamechanger that could send the demand for wrestling cards soaring like a high-flying superstar from the top rope.
Recent findings paint an exciting picture for collectors across the globe. Brace yourself for this staggering statistic: the wrestling index on CardLadder, a service that keeps tabs on key sales, has jumped an impressive 25% in the last three months! This meteoric rise isn’t just a small bump; it has crowned wrestling cards as the fastest-growing segment in the sports card universe, overshadowing even those beloved Pokémon cards, which only encountered half that growth rate.
And let’s not skip over the fact that the most talked-about wrestling card sale happened in December 2023. You won’t believe the numbers when I tell you that a 1982 Wrestling All-Stars Hulk Hogan card, graded PSA 9, changed hands for a staggering $132,000! That’s right! It knocked the previous record out of the park, held by none other than The Rock’s limited-edition 2022 Panini Black Prizm 1/1 performing miracles with a sale of $126,000. Talk about a slam dunk in card value!
Now, you might be wondering: what has caused this upswing? Enter WWE’s staggering deal with Netflix, which is already rolling out the red carpet for the franchise. According to eBay metrics, the interest in WWE items has surged to an astonishing 2,700 searches per hour in 2024, translating to an exhilarating 5% increase from 2023. However, the moment that truly flared up excitement was January 6, when fans witnessed WWE’s debut on Netflix. On that electrifying day, searches for WWE cards and memorabilia spiked even further by another 5%. Specific wrestlers enjoyed their own meteoric boost in popularity as well—think Rhea Ripley reeling in over a 100% increase in search traffic. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and others followed closely behind, proving that WWE’s expanded digital reach is bringing new fans into the trading card hobby like never before.
As if that weren’t enough to get your heart racing, Topps’ renewed focus on WWE products means excitement and innovation are here to stay. As Topps’ senior vice president of product Clay Luraschi puts it, they see this as the perfect moment for wrestling cards to commandeer the limelight. “The storytelling element is what makes WWE different,” he explains, pinpointing why they’re crafting cards like never before to highlight the vibrant personalities of wrestling’s finest.
Kicking off the first official release under the newly signed Topps WWE deal is the highly anticipated 2024 Topps WWE Chrome set. Picture this: 12 packs per hobby box, complete with eight cards per pack and a retail price of $169.99 per box. But wait—there’s more! Each box comes with two tantalizing autographs, many of which feature unique inscriptions that will make any collector salivate. Imagine cards with catchphrases such as “It’s Tiffy Time!” by Tiffany Stratton or Cody Rhodes declaring, “Story Finished!” Do I hear the sound of collectors swooning?
The star attracting the most glitzy attention in 2024’s WWE Chrome set is undoubtedly The Rock. His return to WWE trading cards after nearly 26 years has fans buzzing. This season’s releases include his autographs flaunting killer inscriptions like “Aloha” and “Rock Final Boss.” And let’s not forget a groundbreaking addition: a dual autograph featuring both The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin—an instant collector’s item that will undoubtedly set the hobby ablaze.
Would 2024 truly be a year of nostalgia? Certainly! It marks WWE’s 40th Anniversary of trading cards, and Topps is ensuring this special trip down memory lane isn’t missed. They are including special inserts to pay homage to the iconic 1985 set, much to the delight of collectors like Luraschi himself, who fondly recalls his days as a young card collector.
But nostalgia is just the tip of the iceberg. As John Cena embarks on his farewell tour in 2025, fans can anticipate a flurry of tribute cards to appear throughout the coming year. Topps is making it clear that Cena, a titan in the WWE universe, will not go uncelebrated.
Will WWE dare to introduce Debut Patch cards, immortalizing each wrestler’s first matches with game-worn patches? Oh, the excitement! If discussions around such innovations are indeed on the table, there’s no doubt that the market will continue to expand with robust and thrilling possibilities.
As anticipated, certain wrestlers are already confirming their hot status in the collecting arena based on eBay data for 2024. Hulk Hogan, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, and Cody Rhodes are drawing relentless attention from collectors, with Hogan still reigning supreme. The surge in popularity is not just retrospective; newcomers like Swerve Strickland and Lola Vice are quietly stomping on the scene, establishing themselves as rising stars in the card-collecting tapestry.
The year ahead promises to be something special for WWE trading card collectors. With Topps’ triumphant return, innovative and nostalgic products in-store, and WWE’s newfound fandom thanks to Netflix, all the variables are aligned for a thrilling journey into the world of wrestling memorabilia. It’s time to lace up those boots and step into the ring—collectors have a lot to look forward to!
