Panini WWE NFTs: Im Back Into Digital Cards and Its Still Fun

Before we dive into this subject let me walk through a few things. First – I understand that NFTs and Digital Cards are a controversial topic among physical card collectors for obvious reasons. I also understand there have been challenges with solvency and rug pulls on NFTs over the last few years, and the risk is understood. If you dont care about digital cards, this article wont pertain to your interests. If you are curious about this subject, or a fan of the platform, I welcome your input as a complete and utter noob.

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If you were following this site or my other blog Digital Card Central back in 2015-2018, you know how much I used to do with the Topps Digital apps for MLB, NFL, Star Wars, and of course WWE. Now that NFTs have replaced the original style of digital cards, the Topps apps seem dated and hard to engage with. It seems that only a few of them are still up and running anyways, especially with all the license moving that has taken place and will take place over the next few years.

Yesterday, Panini released the first batch of NFTs for WWE that has ever been released in digital card format. After some deliberation, I decided it was worth a shot to dip my toes into this pool, even though I hadnt really done anything with digital cards in years. The platform was completely foreign to me, the marketplace is much more real time and transparent, and I was a newbie all over again. Lucky for me, the new landscape was easy to navigate, and there are a lot of people who are more than willing to help.

Here is a video I made to commemorate the launch:

Differences Between Topps Digital and Panini NFTs

For people who are expecting the Panini NFTs to be similar to the original apps they loved on the Topps side, things are different in about every single way. First, there is a desktop site to match the mobile app, and that is a gamechanger. You can access all your stuff from your computer, instead of burning the battery on your phone wheeling and dealing.

Secondly, most of the market is completely different because the way the cards are made available to collectors is entirely different. Topps basically had everything housed inside the application, and the only options for acquiring new cards were trading or buying packs. On this site, there is no trading available, but buying and selling with real money (not in game currency), makes things really easy to gauge how much you are spending.

More importantly, because everything is synced to the Panini Blockchain, all sales are public, all sales history is available, and you have a clear market trend to base your transactions off of without much of an effort. In the Topps apps, this was always a mystery, and many new collectors found themselves taken advantage of by experienced collectors who knew what they were doing.

Lack of trading and in app messaging is a huge drawback for this platform though, as its clear that a fraction of the transactions that are done could be exploded by the trading abilities that made the Topps apps a fun game. Honestly, the lack of in app community is really lonely, something that made apps like Slam and Bunt so much fun. There are discords available for the Panini NFTs, but its just not the same.

This NFT experience really is market based, but still has the feeling of a game, which is something I think most collectors of physical cards really dont get. Digital cards have always been about the gaming aspect of the cards, and less about physical ownership, something that has created a ton of people with visceral negative reactions to NFTs.

Lastly, Topps kept people engaged with daily releases of content and lots of fun set collecting challenges, where this is more akin to sister products being released along side physical hobby boxes. I think Panini has a huge gap there, and I doubt there are plans to shift given licensing concerns.

Understanding what an NFT is can be a challenge in its own right, as most collectors lived through the NFT explosion in 2020-2021, but never really found it interesting enough to learn more. Basically, you buy packs on the platform, open them to reveal contents of serially numbered digital cards, and then collect, buy and sell them on the platform. You can also keep the packs sealed and buy/sell those as well.

Each NFT card is displayed in your digital wallet, and can be viewed by the public as part of your collection. The sales of the NFTs are tracked real time, and ownership history of a single card is displayed in app. You can find out how much each individual serial number was bought and sold for, as well as who the buyers and sellers were.

Payment can be tied to your crypto wallet, credit card, PayPal account or any number of other options. This means you dont necessarily have to incrementally add cash to your account if you have cryptocurrency available to spend.

Collectors also have a spotlight, where they can show off their goods, something I really like. If you have an offer on a card, you can go into the person’s account and see what they are all about. It gives a level of personality to every deal.

Understanding the Marketplace

To put this simply, its easy to buy and easy to sell. Once you open a pack, you can list the card for sale within minutes. Its not a long process to list cards, just a few clicks, and that is a really big advantage of this platform. If you buy a card, you pay instantly. If you sell a card, you get paid instantly. There is nothing else to it.

You can list a card for sale in one of two ways, third if you include the crypto market, which requires crypto wallets to participate. The first is listing a card in the public gallery, which is basically a display that shows any number of cards for sale at a given time. You can add a price if you want, or just leave it open for offers.

The second way is an auction, which is pretty self explanatory. Post a card, include a starting bid, and let it run for a day or multiple days. If someone bids, and they win, they pay instantly, and money is delivered instantly.

Ive come to understand a few things over the last couple of days, and I am still VERY new to the whole value spectrum that exists across different aspects of the gallery and auction block. Basically, buying and selling on this platform has been gamified to a degree – as all offers, sales, and transactions are publicly visible, including the historical ones. Most cards display on their page what the sales history looks like, and that is awesome.

Right now, there are a number of people still trying to feel out the different aspects of WWE value, as its a brand new expansion of the Panini NFT app. For that reasons, values can be all over the place, especially for the most rare cards available. Similarly, base cards and cards of lower tier subects tend to sell very inexpensively, with most base selling for the minimum $1 cost.

Selling on the platform does come with fees from both Panini’s back end programming and any fees from Paypal, so its important to keep that in mind as you go. Luckily buyers dont really have to worry about it, and if you sell with your digital wallet, the fees can be much lower.

Navigating the Available NFT Cards

As we have seen in Panini’s previous NFT releases, there are a ton of cards available. Somewhere in upwards of 2200 WWE ones for Elite, with varying levels of rarity. They start at base level with uncommon rarity /243 copies and go all the way to Legendary rarity which are all 1/1s.

The FOTL Elite packs which were the first release under the WWE banner had lots of rarer cards available, with one red /20 card per pack featuring an XFractor like pattern. These included the different base, inserts and autographs across the platform.

Similarly there are challenges that will take place, which require people to collect certain types of cards, and in return, get very rare and desirable rewards for their efforts. We already know that Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch will be among the first two subjects.

As for what determines the value other than rarity and subject, there are a lot of nuances to the platform that I have yet to figure out. As the base set and more cards are released, I have a feeling the legacy Panini sets like Prizm, Select, Immaculate, etc are all going to carry significant value upon release. I hope they continue to release stuff regularly.

Understood Risk of Diving In

As with any money driven collectible, there is always risk to the investment you make into acquiring the different pieces of your collection. What is different here, is that because the collectibles are not physical and are vulnerable for that reason. Given the history of NFTs, there is inherent risk of what is known as a rug pull, where a coin, token, or collectible can be closed out without notice.

Because Panini has established their blockchain years ago, and will continue to make improvements, I think the risk of a rug pull at this point is pretty low. I also think their larger user base makes the markets volatile, which is also something that is risky of buying NFTs early on in the release before things settle in a bit.

There is also licensing risk, because post 2026, Panini will no longer have the ability to produce NEW content for NFL, NBA, UFC, WWE, MLB and other licenses that were acquired by Fanatics in the grand takeover scheme that has been playing out. I dont think this will impact the currently available NFTs, but there could be risk as people get bored and leave with no new content.

Panini also uses what is referred to as a private blockchain, which means that the NFTs are held in a walled off way from more publicly available NFTs that have become commonplace over the last 3-4 years. There is still hope of opening these walls up, but nothing has been communicated that I am aware of. We have already seen major issues with Topps Digital pushing apps to their archive and basically giving up on their NFT platform, but I dont think its an apples to apples comparison.

My Experience Ripping Packs and Making Moves on the Marketplace

Here is where things get fun. I ripped a number of packs as soon as they were released, and immediately found myself addicted to the fun animations and sound effects of the experience. After going back for more a few additional times, I ended up with a number of rare cards, including 2 legendary 1/1s – a Roxanne Perez Pen Pals auto black 1/1, and a Santos Escobar Pen Pals auto black 1/1.

If you didnt already guess, I immediately started chasing all the available Becky Lynch cards, and found that they were popping out of the packs pretty quickly. I was able to get most of them for very inexpensive prices comparable to my expectations of seeing what had transpired for other sports, including the awesome acquisition of the 1/1 autograph Pen Pals black.

I also was able to move some of my bigger pulls as well, selling the Roxanne Perez 1/1 auto and a few others to more than make up for what I spent on the packs earlier. As values began to settle, I was able to start to make more progress on my personal collection, picking up some nice Rhea Ripley, LA Knight and Roman Reigns cards.

Funny enough, many of the WWE purchases were among the higher dollar transactions on the platform for the day, which was really cool to see. I have a feeling that as the base packs are released, and the challenges start, we will start to see a lot more movement than we have now. Cryptoslam is already showing a number of active sellers and buyers, which is good news for WWE on the NFT launch, but seeing that Elite is not one of the main sets that drives value on the platform (Prizm AHEM), I hope this isnt the last set either.

Overall, much like my experience learning the Topps Digital apps, this was a journey, and Im not even close to being up to speed. I had to figure out discord to get on the healthy server they have there with close to 10k participants, and that’s just the start of it. Cant wait to see how this goes, its always fun to get some experience in a new market.

Wrestling Cards’ Most Important Year Ever is Here, and the Royal Rumble Has Set it In Motion

Its been a while since I have sat down at a keyboard to write about cards, as things in my life have been exceptionally busy as of late. Four kids, a hectic work/travel life balance, and sports for all the kids have limited my content creation availability. However, now that we are a month into 2024, I think its become absolutely clear that this year will be the most important year for Wrestling cards ever.

As it has been since it’s inception, the Royal Rumble is the way WWE begins the calendar year, and with it, the Road to Wrestlemania. If Wrestlemania is the Super Bowl of Wrestling, Royal Rumble is more akin to the NFL draft, with weeks of smoke screen rumors, free agent signings, and of course – surprises galore.

Last night we got our first look into the way WWE planning their future, with what seems to be definite overtures to go a completely new direction. More importantly, it set a path for a number of things in Wrestling Cards that should have a drastic effect on value and scope over the next few years.

The WWE Without Vince McMahon

I think it comes as a shock to absolutely no one that McMahon has been accused again of being a deviant sex pest. A recent lawsuit (the second in as many years) has surfaced through a WSJ article detailing McMahon’s horrific behavior towards Janel Grant, a WWE employee that he is accused of trafficking around to a few others within the org, and performing some insane sex acts that would make Cartman’s mom proud.

Within hours of the release of the article, McMahon resigned from all his roles at TKO, and for the first time in the history of the WWE, no named member of his immediate family is involved with the company his father built.

Vince has always been a controversial figure, mainly because of the way the internet wrestling marks thought of his booking, lack of connection to modern wrestling, and refusal to adapt with the times. He has been accused of racist treatment for minority wrestlers, among other things, and that was before the first lawsuit that seemingly led to his original “retirement’ back in 2023.

Despite these reputations, Vince McMahon was revered by wrestling fans for popularizing sports entertainment across the globe. His card values due to extremely limited availability of officially licensed signed examples, have skyrocketed over the last few years, regardless of how many people he is accused of hurting. Wrestling collectors historically have trouble separating the art from the artist anyways, as other controversial figures like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and even Chris Benoit continue to have high value on the secondary market. Hogan has become infamous for his lies and inability to accurately portray his career, and was caught on tape using the N word causing his removal from WWE’s programming for a number of years.

This hasnt stopped his value and hero worship within Wrestling Card circles from continuing, and his value remains among the highest in the market. Because of this, I feel like this scandal with Vince will only ensure he will never be in another WWE trading card product for a VERY long time, and his autographs will become that much more desirable. If people dont care that Ric Flair assaulted a flight attendant, they wont care that Vince McMahon has a scat fetish.

AEW Transplants Rule The Royal Rumble

Its become a running meme how many former WWE sendoffs have ended up on AEW programming. So many that WWE is now showing that the grass was likely not as green as they expected it to be, luring some of the more important talent back to their pastures. None of these people have been more successful than Cody Rhodes, who for the last few years has been the beacon of light WWE has used to show their “never say never” approach. With the recent addition of CM Punk as well, back in a ring on RAW for the first time in close to a decade, its been insane to see the meteoric rise of these former AEW top guys.

Since his return in 2022, Cody Rhodes has main evented Wrestlemania, won two Royal Rumbles, a tag title, and thats after missing 9 months with an injury. Punk’s first match back in WWE was the Men’s Rumble, and he finished as the runner up, with a top match at WM40 in his future. He was the odds on favorite to win until Seth Rollins injured his knee. Punk has not yet had cards in a product with WWE branding since his return, but when he does, everyone expects his value to be huge.

Cody Rhodes and his cards have seen major benefit since his return as well, with his older WWE releases going way up in value, and his rarities selling for enormous prices on the secondary market. The main issue is that he has only had one live autograph on any checklist with 2023 Prizm, and the rest have been redemptions. Given that he has been telegraphed as the next face of the company, I would hope that this year shows that Rhodes’ cards are a prime focus for Panini.

In addition Rhodes and Punk being in the final 2 of the men’s match, Jade Cargill debuted in the ring for WWE in epic fashion last night. Not only did she look like a future main eventer, she had multiple moments with current main event stars like Bianca Belair. Now that she is in a company that can use her strengths and hide her weaknesses more effectively, I would think Jade could end up being a huge pickup for the Triple H regime. We saw that when she basically picked up Nia Jax with little effort and dumped her over the top rope. Most women in wrestling are small, and because of that Jade stands out like few have done.

Its unlikely she will have cards for a while, much like Punk she debuted in the space when products are pretty much set. Maybe Panini can pull some magic and get a few base cards into coming sets, but we will likely have to wait for next year’s sets to see her featured prominently. When those cards come, it will be interesting to see how Wrestling Collectors react to her first WWE examples.

The Fallout of Panini vs WWE Will Be On Full Display

Over the last few months, there havent been any WWE releases in the trading card space, as Fanatics and Panini continue their cold war over control of the major licenses in the game. In theory, we already know Panini will be on the outside looking in for EVERYTHING starting in 2026, so this really isnt a winnable long term fight. Panini has already lost.

However, through back channels, Fanatics has been accused in Panini’s filing of orchestrating the early cancellation of their WWE and NFLPA license, effectively testing the waters to see if it was possible. You can check out the recap and aftermath here:

This led to a pause in just about everything, but with a settlement in place, Panini seems to have come away as a winner as far as we can tell. Signings have resumed, with the Royal Rumble being used as a hub to complete a number of signings for the upcoming Elite and Impeccable WWE sets.

Panini has been overwhelmingly successful during their run in WWE cards, setting records in every sense of the word, and captivating collectors with some of the most insane wrestling cards ever created. Their continued presence in the space is important for a number of reasons, especially with the eventual control Fanatics has already secured for every aspect of the hobby going forward. Given that this year could be one of their last in WWE, Panini could use this as a swan song effort, delivering even more bangers before their exit is required.

Despite redemption issues due to WWE’s limited access to their stars, Panini has done well bringing home run products on a regular basis, which has led to quite the drought over these months that have led people to hunger for new sets to deliver fresh content. If they are as successful with these new products as they were with the previous ones, you can bet collectors will continue to hunt for Panini cards long after Fanatics reclaims their license for Topps.

A Worthy Sequel for a Record Setting Year?

For the first time in history, we saw a six figure wrestling card sale in 2023. Not only was it covered extensively within the hobby, but also on a few mainstream news sources as well. Modern wrestling cards became the center of the card universe for a bit, and now it has left people looking for what happens this year.

Even though the Rock is hinting at one more match to finish his career, I dont think there will be another six figure sale for wrestling for the near or distant future. However, that doesnt mean the values for wrestling cards have seen the slump that has cast a dark shadow over the rest of the hobby. Cards from Prizm, Select, Immaculate and other recent WWE releases continue to sell for big numbers, and rarities from Topps products like Superfractors and Transcendent 1/1s have reached new heights across the board.

I think we should absolutely expect these trends to continue holding, as more and more collectors discover how undervalued some of these wrestling cards really are. The hoarding nature of PC focused collectors like myself make it even more difficult to pick up collection centerpieces for new participants joining the fray, so when something rare and desirable hits the market, all bets are off.

Panini still has some big mountains to climb, as well, especially with Leaf finding a way to get the Rock to sign his first cards in almost two decades. Hopefully this opens the door for more opportunities to get autographed collectibles of stars that have a limited presence in the hobby, something that Rock remains the white whale poster boy. Although I dont expect Topps to achieve close to the same values that Panini has been able to cultivate, I do believe they have the best shot to convince him to sign. Its a definite possibility that an autographed superfractor of the Rock could bring a LARGE bounty and another record sale. If Panini can make it happen first, a Prizm black auto might be the biggest chase in wrestling cards, ever.

Young Talent Prospecting Could Be A Valuable Chase

If you were like me, and glued to the TV last night, watching Bron Breakker in the ring should give you a feeling like his cards are extremely inexpensive for what he is capable of doing. Wrestling definitely has more than one royal family, and the Steiners are shaping up to be in the court. Breakker is the son of Rick Steiner, and nephew of Scott Steiner, one of the most revered tag teams in the history of the sport. He seems to have more athleticism and strength than both, which is just insane. He runs the ropes like a wild dog, and performs with an intensity I havent seen in ages.

When 2022 Prizm was released, his cards were obscene in their value, because people saw exactly this. His Prizm Black 1/1 RC sold for $20k before WWE decided to pump the breaks and give him more seasoning in NXT. Since then, his cards have come back down to earth, but the talent has grown. If he is called up and delivers the way he did during the Rumble, expect collectors to respond.

Same can be said for other young talents like Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes, who both were part of the matches last night, along side young stars like Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and others all well under 30 years of age. Even when Roman Reigns moves on, the WWE is in some VERY capable hands for years to come.

For a long time, the main dig on WWE was that their stars were all guys that havent been actively on the roster for a long time. Undertaker, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and other attitude era stars were the only ones who could pop a rating. Now, all of that has changed, with fresh talent getting over simultaneously to older stars like Randy Orton and AJ Styles who have been there for ages.

Funny enough, Tiffany Stratton looking like she does has already given her multiple legs up on the others I mentioned, with RCs already cracking four figures for desirable parallels. In a program worked with Becky Lynch recently on NXT TV, they showed that she has more than enough charisma and talent to live up to the values she is seeing in her cards.

The last person I want to talk about is MJF, who was the AEW champion for over a year before injuries required a hasty handoff of the title to another former WWE star in Samoa Joe. For a long time, MJF has been a darling of indy collectors as the one guy they saw with undeniable talent to be a star. Although he seems to be the biggest fish in a small AEW pond, his run as AEW champion was plagued with spotty booking, and coupled with a massive decline in attendance, TV ratings and negative influence on basically everything a wrestling company uses for benchmarks.

Although AEW seems to be on quite the downturn while WWE is seeing a renaissance, MJF’s market has held up with the prospecting ties to his future star power. He is a young up and coming dominant heel talent, with mic skills to rival WWE’s best. In an odd choice of storyline, his “free agent” status for 2024 was posted everywhere he gave interviews, and drove speculation of a possible exodus to big leagues of WWE, cementing his future legacy. Most rumors are suggesting he has already re-signed with AEW for multiple years, and the free agent talk is all a work. However, he is young enough to survive this current deal and still have a long future outside of AEW. He is definitely the one young prospect in that entire org that has solidified a following in the collecting world. The question of his future is a hot topic for collectors, especially if he is bound for a larger stage.

Creating a Welcoming Community for All Wrestling Collectors

Ill end with this, as our community is something that has really been a focus for most who have seen the way Wrestling Cards have jumped over the last few years. If I look back over 2023, a few bright spots in the community stand out as lighthouses on the vast ocean of shit that this hobby can churn out in epic quantities.

First we had the Main Event in Chicago, which brought hundreds of wrestling collectors together during the week of the NSCC to celebrate the success of the community and show that wrestling cards are here to stay. It was a show of force that is set to return for another year in Cleveland, bigger and better. The Main Event should be the building block of a new direction for the NSCC to showcase niche communities on the hobby’s biggest stage, and drive new people to see the incredible things that collectors who work together can accomplish.

Another is the creation of the Wrestling Card Community Collectors set, which has shown to be a highlight for many people who get the chance to experience their face on a wrestling card for the first time. I was fortunate enough to be included in series 1, and with the release of series 2, which was highlighted by inclusions of indy champion Matt Cardona, the display of influence that wrestling cards has on the collecting world is huge.

That hasnt stopped collector infighting on social media from continuing to be a reputation damaging experience for the way Wrestling Cards are thought of by the mainstream hobby. Gatekeeping and stupid people saying stupid things are everywhere, especially on Twitter – with certain people forgetting that its okay for all wrestling cards to be successful, not just the ones they collect. If this year is truly going to be the biggest and best in history, those vocal minorities will need to be silent and let the natural community growth take shape, rather than force its implosion the way we saw when Prizm was released in 2022.

Other community driven things like posting cards on #wrestlingcardwednesday has opened doors for new people to see what our niche can offer. Grading companies like CGC have gotten into the mix as well, with highlights for wrestling cards on their posts. Social media continues to be a gigantic hub for wrestling collectors to share their passion, and I hope this coming year makes that hub more of a place that more people can feel home inside of.

I never expected 2023 to live up to 2022 as a collector, but for me it met and exceeded it. I fully expect the same to happen this year, no matter who is the company of record producing cards. Wrestling Cards deserve a spotlight and deserve the attention in the mainstream we saw glimmers of in 2023, and I truly feel this year could be a catalyst for the future in the mainstream. With Netflix showing that 2025 will be a new future home of content, similar to what we saw with F1, the sky is the limit. I hope it gets there.

The Next Era of WWE: What Does Topps Need to Do When They Return To Wrestling Cards

Yesterday I started talking about the legacy that Panini has left behind during their short tenure in wrestling cards. If this is truly the end of the road for them, pending the outcome of the pile of lawsuits currently in progress, that inevitably means that Fanatics will be back in charge. As of last year, Fanatics has acquired Topps to be their flagship provider in trading cards, putting in motion one of the largest consolidation plans in hobby history.

The good thing is, we have had lots of experience with Topps at the helm, and collectors have a TON of expectations if/when they come back. We already knew that come 2026, Fanatics would be back in charge of wrestling cards – that was announced the week of Prizm’s launch in 2022. This means, regardless of the outcome of the litigation, Topps will be back in the fold in the near future.

With that notion in focus, I wanted to take some time to talk about some of the things that I believe need to happen to continue the success that Panini has cultivated over the last 18 months. Coming into the Panini era of WWE cards, I had VERY low expectations given their history in NFL, NBA, UFC, and other sports. I think my expectations were blown out of the water, and Panini did a tremendous job bringing new attention to the niche area of wrestling. Now that the bell has been rung, what are the next steps to keep that attention in place?

Part 1 – Avoiding the Fanatics Way

Let me start by saying Fanatics has a horrible reputation in many areas of their business for producing lower quality goods than meet the expectations of their customers. They have recently received a ton of criticism for clothing and other goods being produced with low standards of quality, including a national story about a fan who ordered a Philadelphia Eagles shirt. Here is why those things happen.

Fanatics is a multinational conglomerate whose business depends on high margins to be successful. This means producing goods at the lowest possible cost and selling them for a price that consumers still find acceptable. If you have ordered a shirt from Fanatics WWE Shop recently, you can already tell the quality of the shirts has diminished significantly. I still have shirts from the late 1990s bought during WWE events, and I can tell you that they used to have higher quality in their production. Even recent shirts I bought are much higher quality.

If Topps comes back with this mindset in tow, we are going to have major, major issues. I haven’t ripped baseball since Fanatics took the reigns, so I cant comment on any changes in quality there. But recent problems with duplicate superfractors, errors in production, and horrible collation issues seem to signal a greater issue.

I see this issue being exacerbated in WWE, being that it will end up being a license that should be 6 or 7 rungs from the top of the ladder in the grand scheme of things. In the past with Topps WWE, the amount of care delivered to the license was representative of its place within the corporate structure. Smaller budgets, lower amounts of attention, and as a result, some ongoing issues around products, timing and content were frequent.

It would make me exceptionally happy if WWE got more equal treatment within the corporate structure at Topps, even though I know that NFL, NBA, Star Wars, UFC, and of course MLB will continue to get the bulk of the attention. If there is an expectation of more gimmicks and higher margin to increase consumer demand, I have major concerns about the quality that will result from these choices.

Part 2 – Better Autograph Checklists Need to be a Focus

There was one thing that Topps did exceptionally well during their run, and it was refreshing. Most of their products by the end of things featured a majority of on card autographs. Stickers were used in some circumstances, but for the most part, autographs were hard signed.

That being said, outside of Transcendent, autograph checklists were severely lacking and incredibly repetitive. There is a finite universe of people that can sign for products, but Topps seemed to focus ONLY on the easiest to obtain. When Panini came to WWE, there was a tour de force of new signers that were featured across a ton of brands. They even got people like Batista and Scott Steiner back to the fold after long hiatuses from the card business. Other signers like John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and the Undertaker were regularly featured and very accessible.

Because Topps was more cost and risk averse in their previous run, signers like this rarely made it into sets, if ever. Sometimes they wouldn’t even be put on the base checklist. That all needs to change, especially if there is now going to be more budget available. Even if it means more redemptions need to be issued, I fully support Topps assuming this risk, as I was supportive of Panini taking similar risks. Collectors may bitch and moan about having to wait, but those redemptions still carry exceptional value on the secondary market. Despite all the complaints, people still want autographs of the biggest names in the sport. From last count, Panini had a pretty high success rate of return as well, so many of their redemptions were worth it. Although some bigger names are still outstanding, their track record suggested that they would be fulfilled with more time to execute the signings needed. For a set like Immaculate that had a lot of redemptions, my tracking was showing more than 3/4ths of the outstanding ones had been fulfilled.

Now that we know what is possible with Panini in this space, its impossible to put that toothpaste back in the tube. They found ways to make autograph checklists a strength for their products, even when they were issuing sets with 100% hard signed cards.

Part 3 – Photo Choice Has to be a Huge Focus

If you look back over what Topps produced during 2013 to 2022, there were major struggles in one specific area, and that’s photography. Too many times Topps relied on the WWE render database to build their cards, over the iconic photos that were available from the historic moments in WWE history. For those unfamiliar, a render is the posed shot that WWE uses in their match graphics on TV. For many wrestlers, they reused the same renders quite a bit, and it made products hard to digest.

When not using renders, Topps didnt really have success in finding action photos from events that encapsulated the best of what wrestling fans were looking for. Championships, big TV moments, entrances, and finishers are the four buckets I align to great photo choices in sets like Select and Prizm. Topps tended to go the opposite direction. Wrestlers were rarely shown with titles, and action shots were from forgettable TV spots.

I hope that the experience with Panini and the collector response to the photos will spur action upon Topps’ return. This is an area that was arguably the strongest that Panini products displayed, and it will be hard to go back to the previous approach if not remedied.

Part 4 – Relics Need to Be More Interesting

From 2019 through the end of the license, Topps relied almost exclusively on mat relics or furniture relics to fund their memorabilia sets. Collectors CONSTANTLY complained about this, and were bored with relic content to a point that those cards became relatively worthless. When they offered unique relics in fully loaded in 2020 and 2021, there wasnt much of a response because of a small checklist, and pre-conceived understandings about the value of Topps relics.

Starting in Select 2022 and going through Select 2023, Panini opened the door to show us what is possible. Although the relics were player worn instead of match used, the visual appeal of the cards were undeniable, and collectors didnt seem to care that they werent from items worn during a TV taping. Immaculate had some of the most incredible looking relic cards in any sport in any year, and values reflected this with huge secondary market performance.

When Topps comes back, I hope we get to continue this approach, because it just didnt work the last time around. Relic cards lacked appeal, and with a lack of appeal comes a lack of value. Sets like Undisputed and Transcendent would greatly benefit from these new relics, and I would love to see what doors are opened if Topps continues what Panini started.

Part 5 – Build a Chase in Every Product

Back in 2016, Topps started focusing a lot of energy on autograph content in products. They signed a deal with the Undertaker, dedicated resources to include more autograph content in every box, and as their deal moved on, brought back Steve Austin. They also accomplished something that Panini was unable to – Vince McMahon had his first ever pack available autographs. In a way, the autographs became the chase.

When Panini came to WWE in 2022, they took that ball and ran through a wall. They added high value chases to every single product they put out. WWE logos made their debut in 2022 Select, and rare case hits in Prizm, Select, and Revolution became a favorite of collectors. Instead of autographs being the chase, Panini used their brand notoriety to create value in base parallels and rainbow hunts to add value to products without adding more cost to the box. As a result, values went up across the board for these cards, and products were more widely opened by mainstream breakers and resellers.

Although secondary market demand often put box cost well above MSRP, the chase made those box prices more easy to stomach for people like me who collect the super premium cards. Panini even put some of these chases in the more affordable products like Revolution and NXT, to ensure collectors had something to hunt for in every release.

When Topps comes back, this might be one of the more important elements they can focus on, and it cant just be for ultra premium releases like Transcendent. It needs to be more prominent, and it needs to be cool. Panini set the bar REALLY high here, and collectors will notice if Topps decides to avoid this part of the planning.

Thankfully, Topps has things like Superfractors, which have become hobby benchmarks for collecting, and they also should have access to go to the same well that Panini went to with more logos and awesome relics. Without this element, products will feel more boring and flat, and less attractive to breakers who give collectors more options and access to the experience of collecting.

Part 6 – Create More Product Variety and Crossover

When you look back over Topps Wrestling from 2005 onwards, there is an extreme focus on affordability and mid range products. Flagship, Heritage, NXT and Women’s Division were calendar staples, and Undisputed was one of the only premium releases on the calendar. Although the creation of Transcendent WWE in 2019, brought the most expensive wrestling card product in history, it wasnt enough to satisfy the demand for high end collectors that have joined WWE since 2015. Sets like Chrome and Finest can deliver premium cards, but that isnt the target delivery of those product checklists.

When Panini took over in 2022, they had more focus on a variety in their calendar, and focused all but one product on a previously successful brand name that collectors could identify with. They also had a number of premium releases that were readily accessible to collectors, with plans for more as their license went on. They played the hits for WWE, and sets like Chronicles filled in the gaps where there needed to be more affordability in play.

As much as I loved Undisputed, its maybe the only unique to WWE product that carries any real weight or value with collectors. Although there are prominent members of the previous WWE collecting community that loved Women’s Division, NXT and other ‘WWE only’ sets, the value outside that small (but vocal) group of people was small. None of them really brought new people and new eyes.

If Topps were to come back with sets that were incredibly popular in MLB and other brands, the entire scope of their calendar could change. Sets like Dynasty, Museum Collection, or Masterworks could add huge value to their portfolio when paired with favorites from the previous era like Chrome, Finest, and Undisputed.

Part 7 – Find Opportunities to Maximize the Shiny

Topps is the innovator of Chrome style sets in the modern sense that most products are built upon. Not only that, but Topps has EXTREME brand equity in this space, even though the cards arent as valuable as we have seen Prizm and Select become over the boom period. It took a risk in 2020 for Topps to even consider bringing back Chrome and Finest after being gone for multiple years. Both sets were insanely successful on the secondary market, and were some of the only cards in Topps’ run to be in demand through the Panini era.

The introduction of Prizm and Select in 2022 changed the game for WWE cards going forward. The most expensive wrestling card ever sold comes from Prizm. Maximizing this continued focus that started in 2020 needs to be a top priority. More configurations like Sapphire or Bowman could be a huge addition to the portfolio, or even shiny elements to other products like we saw with 2021 Transcendent Superfractors.

As the boom has transpired in the mainstream hobby, shiny cards became a gigantic element of what drives a successful product in all niches and licenses. Topps has the methods and IP in place for Baseball that could be similarly successful in WWE.

Part 8 – Make it a Focus to Engage the Community

One thing I think that no company has been successful with in the hobby is engagement around the community aspect of collecting. I proposed to Topps, late in their WWE run, that more community spotlight opportunities would be great to drive the competitive tendencies in their collecting base. We all know how competitive each person can be when they have a desire to curate a top notch collection, and I think Topps needs to put a focus on this aspect for their return to WWE.

Unfortunately, I think this is one area Panini completely fumbled during the last few years. Their entry into WWE caused a huge divide amongst the existing collector base, and there was little effort spent to highlight any area of the community to repair the damage. Honestly, it might not have helped even if they had tried.

Fanatics is quickly gaining a negative reputation across the entire world of sports, and finding ways to showcase their success with the community could be a huge olive branch for collectors in a small space.

Overall, I have been an avid Topps and Panini collector now for 6 years, and I have high hopes for the future of wrestling cards. Im sad the litigation strategy has thrown a wrench in the vastly successful period we are in right now. Cards are more valuable, more people are engaged, and products are selling well enough for card manufacturers to invest more in their creation. Its unfortunate this has been ground to a halt. If Topps can come back to the fold and give more due to this smaller license, things will go great. If they dedicate the same resources as before, we could see gigantic issues arise. Values will drop, fewer collectors will stick around, and investments in the future will diminish. If you just want cheaper cards, its a stupid and narrow thought process about the future of wrestling cards. I hope we dont have to go that direction.

Panini in WWE Cards: How Will the History Books Look Back on This Period of Time?

Although it could be a long drawn out process, the Panini era in wrestling cards looks to be in a state of flux. WWE has effectively terminated their relationship in favor of moving forward early with Fanatics, a move that was already in place to happen in 2026. With Topps under the Fanatics banner of hobby consolidation, many in the hobby are left wondering what brand name will be on the cards they are buying in the future. Will it be the originator of the modern wrestling card era with Topps, or the company responsible for the boom after Topps lost the license in Panini?

More importantly, if this is the end of Panini WWE, what can we take away from this 18 month period in the timeline of the hobby? I wanted to look back as a sort of retrospective, but also talk about the impact of Panini’s legacy in WWE even after Topps returns.

Part 1 – Panini Accelerated The Boom of WWE cards

When I started collecting WWE in 2017, it was easy to find wrestling cards in the budget area of a local card shop. Ebay listings were a small trickle of new cards, rather than the deluge we see today. Wax prices were beyond affordable, where many of the products could be bought by the case for the same price as a single box of cards in other sports.

When the Pandemic forced everyone to change their daily lives, and cards became the new hot collectible item, Wrestling cards lagged behind. Most prices in 2020 stayed pretty static, while the rest of the hobby exploded. While Topps was closing out their first run in WWE, Panini established themselves as the premier sports card brand, as Prizm, National Treasures and Contenders started churning out five figure sales every day of every week for multiple years.

Eventually, in mid 2021, Panini announced publicly that they had acquired the license to produce WWE cards. For the first time in the modern era, all the standards that funded the recent boom would make their way to wrestling. Because of the way Panini branded cards had performed in the years leading up to the boom, as well as during the boom, almost instantly WWE was on the radar for investors and thousands of new collector eyes.

Modern Topps WWE cards shot up in value almost overnight, with shiny sets like Chrome, Finest and others quadrupling in value. We also saw the first five figure modern wrestling card sale, and content flowing from podcasts, youtubers, and collectors on a new WWE hobby stage.

Although wrestling cards had started to trend upwards by the time the announcement was made, the acceleration of that growth after the Panini announcement was undeniable. Panini had started a fire, and the smoke around the future of WWE in the hobby was starting to get awfully thick. That wouldnt have happened in such an accelerated fashion without Panini in the mix. Love them or hate them for what they stand for in other sports, coming to wrestling brought a ton of attention and value to this niche area.

Part 2 – Panini Produced the Most Valuable Wrestling Card(s) of All Time

Ill get to the community divide here in a minute, but there is no amount of screaming or yelling that can offset the numbers Panini put on the board during this 18 month period. When Prizm was released in April of 2022, there were multiple gigantic sales of cards that created all new records for the history books. Prizm black 1/1s of big names started cranking out five figure sales beyond a number of expectations, and the Rock’s Prizm gold sold for absolute mega money to the point where it started challenging all time numbers.

The one card people were looking for took a while to surface, and when it did, the mainstream hobby took notice. The Rock’s Prizm Black 1/1 was pulled in a break and sold twice privately before ending up with prominent IG account “Thatstheoldprice.” His affinity for big time Prizm black cards is known hobby wide, thanks to his acquisition of gigantic cards of Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Lebron James. Adding the Rock to his collection set an all time sales record, but because the sale was private, many questioned it’s true number. When it was eventually listed for sale on PWCC’s elite auction over the spring of 2023, it was time to see the true power of the Panini brand.

Although the auction started slowly, the final price was something that no one expected. Selling for a massive $126k closing price, the Panini modern era of WWE cards had produced a unicorn sale. Not only did it more than double the price of the previous record wrestling card sale, it was a stake in the ground for what Panini was capable of in a smaller market area for the hobby.

Other huge sales followed, including another 5 figure sale of the Rock’s black prizm from the sophomore Prizm set. Panini brand power was on display during these last two years, and its a major component of the legacy they will leave behind. Its possible that Topps comes back and creates new standards, but the consistent value of the top end of Panini’s values look to be untouchable.

Part 3 – Panini Split the Once Harmonious Community

One of the main reasons that I loved wrestling cards more than any other type of card is because of the people. I loved how the community banded together for each other, helping collectors connect with each other, and cheering each other on as they achieved milestones in their PCs. It was truly a situation that should have been a model for the rest of the hobby, and it was the one thing that wrestling cards had above every other niche. It was one of the main reasons we were able to have so much success in creating the Main Event for the 2023 National Convention.

When Panini came to town, everything seemed to change. The community became split over the new era, mainly the pre-conceived understandings of rising prices and exposure to parts of the hobby landscape that wrestling was previously immune to. A portion of the community longed for the chance to collect their favorite Panini brands for the first time in WWE, regardless of the price. The other side of the community felt like everything would change for the negative, given Panini’s history of issues in NFL and NBA.

Wrestling card social media became a very contentious place for collectors to engage, especially as Panini collectors and previous community members clashed over the impact the new cards were having on the market. Many felt they would be priced out, or unable to continue the way they had before, angry and bitter that higher prices and more eyes on wrestling cards had changed their ability to exist the same way in the hobby.

As for the people joining up, they were exposed to both sides of the aisle very quickly. A celebration of the new life that wrestling cards had taken on, combined with gatekeeping and vitriol from others. Some of the anger stemmed from a lack of understanding of the greater hobby and how Panini had created such an immense following, as many existing wrestling collectors werent familiar with the ways of the greater hobby and the way collectors assigned value to cards and parallels.

In similar fashion, the newer collectors coming in were subject to some culture shock a bit, as the Wrestling Card community was tight knit, and very particular in the way they approached their collections. Lack of understanding of why people werent wise to the modern hobby norms, or just general personality differences led to blowups all over facebook, twitter and other platforms.

Part 4 – Panini Showed What Was Possible in Modern WWE Cards

For years, Topps had a method of operations in their product releases. A focused checklist of current stars and legends that signed for each product, coupled with relic content that focused on pieces of mat provided by WWE from their events. Up until 2018, Topps did have access to things like shirts and other relics, but over time, they stopped using them in product as the supply seemed to run out and not be replaced.

When Panini came in, they turned everything on its ear. Huge signer checklists with readily available autograph content of seemingly every star on the roster, and all the top legends of the attitude era that Topps reserved for big product releases to drive value. Giant names like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and John Cena became available in every product, giving collectors access to autograph content that was out of reach during most of Topps’ run from 2013 on. Panini also dove deep into the annals of WWE lore, getting people to sign for sets that had rarely signed, or never signed. ECW, WWF, and even some of the older territory wrestlers became common checklist subjects, much to the joy of collectors who grew up during the respective eras.

Panini also opened up the doors on player worn relics, which brought a ton of variety and fun to products over their run. Instead of relying solely on match used materials, Panini and WWE coordinated to have superstars wear shirts and other items during signings to then cut up and include as swatch content in most of the releases.

For the first time ever, there were chases in WWE sets that mirrored the favorites in the mainstream four sports. WWE logos, patches, and relic content that used the extensive library of colorful shirts available on WWEshop became a standard, and with new content, brought huge value in the box hits for premium sets like Immaculate and Impeccable.

In Immaculate, the new relic content was coupled with on card signatures that was never achieved in the Topps era outside of some rare examples. Multi-signed on card autographs were also available for the product as well, something Topps only achieved in very specific circumstances in Transcendent. Stars like Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and others were paired with quad signed and triple signed cards across a product that might have been the most extensive wrestling product ever created.

Topps will have their work cut out for them to equal the level of content that Panini, but hopefully this approach will be possible across Topps legacy brands like Transcendent, Chrome, Finest and potential new brands like Dynasty. Because Panini was spending 3-4x in licensing costs with their time, versus what Topps was originally spending, there is a lot of hope within the community that having a larger budget could open up avenues unavailable previously. Topps has their own hobby standards that were similarly successful over the boom period, and now that they have this roadmap of possibilities, we might see how those standards are applied to wrestling cards in a similar fashion to Panini.

Part 5 – Panini Had Issues With Timing Across the Board

When looking back over the last year plus, it was clear that Panini did a lot of things that were great. They continually fell short in one area, and that is timing. Products releasing on time, autograph redemptions being fulfilled for certain superstars, and things like the Asia configurations being basically non-existent until a year after their release.

In terms of releases, Products rarely hit their timelines, which is beyond problematic. It was a horrific issue for Topps as well, but given the circumstances, it doesnt change how frustrating it is to have consistent delays across the board. There were multiple products that released weeks to months after they were supposed to hit shelves, and I can only imagine what it must be like for the breakers who have to pay for allocations and then not get them on time.

Similarly, many products, especially Immaculate, had redemption issues for top guys. Its one thing if the redemption is for Ivar or Chad Gable, but Roman Reigns, Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker were all late in getting their cards back. I want these people in the products, and I understand the logistical issues that align with hard signed cards. However, it doesnt make it less of a problem. Thankfully most of the redemptions are at a better spot now, but some remain woefully on the indefinite calendar of waiting.

Part 6 – Panini’s Photos in Every Product Might Be the Best in the History of Trading Cards

Yes, this is a very hot take, but Ive been collecting cards for a long time, and I have never been so impressed with photos the way that they were used in every Panini WWE product. There are very few instances where a photo sank a Panini WWE card, but very many instances where a photo choice made a Panini WWE card more valuable.

Panini’s focus on moments that made fans excited for the product on television made perfect sense, especially in cards that define Panini WWE as a whole. Topps was notorious for snoozeworthy photo choices or relying on renders supplied by WWE to make their products. Panini had a wonderful balance of epic moments, championship moments, and history in all their products, and it made every single set stand out among the crowd.

With Select, the photos became the selling point as much as the cards themselves, with almost universal praise for how much better the cards looked as a result of how the photos were chosen. Adding in a wide ranging checklist of current stars and legends, and it became abundantly clear the amount of care that went into choosing the photo for each subject.

There have been awesome photo focused sets in other sports too, Stadium Club Baseball comes to mind. The consistency of greatness across every Panini WWE product is unparalleled.

Part 7 – Product Quality Was Up and Down for the Biggest Sets of the Year

I remember seeing the first packs of Prizm WWE opened, and I couldnt help but notice all the issues that were in place for centering and surface of the cards. I hadnt opened a Panini product in a long time, and I hadnt had the experience of how Panini QC could impact a product.

Prizm seemed to be the tip of the iceberg, and even worse, it seemed to get worse year over year. In 2022 Prizm, the vertically oriented base cards and the white sparkle parallel packs were filled with centering issues. In Select and Impeccable, there were major issues with collation, and how the cards were put into the packs themselves.

Although design, photos and autograph content were all top notch, the way those cards were put into practice had a very up and down life at Panini. This is pretty consistent over the entirety of their business, and its unfortunate they couldnt get past it in WWE circles.

Part 8 – Panini Found Ways to Make People Aware of What They Were Doing in WWE

From the time that Prizm was announced, to their recent booth setup at the NSCC, Panini made WWE a focus for their entire brand across the hobby. They found ways to incorporate their WWE license into new spaces that Topps was never able to do, and as a result, many more people saw that wrestling cards were a viable focus for a trading card or memorabilia collection.

I remember when I first saw Panini WWE cards being advertised during the live broadcast of WWE RAW and Smackdown and how cool that was. I may not have the clearest memory, but I dont remember the last time cards got a spotlight on any sort of WWE programming.

Additionally, there was a gigantic WWE wall on their booth for the national convention, cards in the giveaway packs delivered for wrapper redemptions, and wrestling cards in the VIP packs for the party that is held annually.

Panini also got WWE superstars to make videos ripping packs, which were then showcased all over social media. These types of activities are all exceptionally helpful in driving new attention for the wrestling card market.

Overall, there were some major issues that happened during the last few years, but I cant help but talk about how shocked I am at the success that Panini has had. I went into this era with VERY low expectations given my experiences in the other sports. Panini found a niche to do some great things in a small market, which has created undeniable buzz and entertainment for collectors. That is a legacy that hopefully stands the test of time.

WWE vs Panini – Updates and Information as Fanatics Waits in the Wings

Coming into last Wednesday, I dont think anyone expected things to blow up the way they did. Its like the end of Monday Night Raw where the match ends, the champion’s hand is being raised, and then the heel attacks from behind. Eventually the entire locker room comes running down the ramp and a giant brawl fills the screen as the show goes off the air. Starting the entire legal landscape of Fanatics vs Panini with a steel cage match over the WWE license seems fitting, and I wanted to make sure there is a place where people can come to get caught up if they are feeling their head spinning.

Let me start by saying there are a lot of people weighing in on this topic, as its a subject that hits home with almost every WWE collector, but also the many enemies Panini has deservedly made across NFL, NBA, and the other licenses they have owned since forming out of the ashes of the Donruss, Leaf, Playoff company. Additionally, because the hobby on social media is a very tribalistic, opinionated hellscape at times, there are lots of angry individuals with axes to grind as well. Some of those axes are very sharp having been at the wheel for years, others are dull much like the people sharpening them.

It can be a tall task to differentiate between sources you can trust and sources that just want to watch the world burn, so Ill try my best here to showcase the people and conversations to keep close to your inner circle, and avoid others whose conversations are more like you watching a train barrel through a car on the tracks.

First – lets start with the more official reporting. I wont have much commentary here, just links to use for your information.

Here is the tweet from Darren Rovell that kicked off this whole fiasco:

Here is the report from Fightful Wrestling:

Here is the report from the Wrestling Observer:

Now lets get into some of the reaction commentary, of which ill have more to offer in terms of feedback and how they approach the different areas of their coverage. There are a few main sources for wrestling knowledge out there, and a handful of them do a great job of covering the different aspects of what has gone down over the last few weeks.

Ill start with the content I have made in partnership with WrestlingTradingCards.com, which has been one of the most trusted sources of wrestling card content for decades. I joined up with Tony back last year because I valued what his mission was, and having Paul from WrestlingCardPriceGuide.com and Ryan Schear join up as well has made us a dream team of coverage from all sides of the collecting spectrum. Tony is a shop owner, and a long time wrestling collector, promoter and jack of all trades. Paul is a master set collector and an incredibly intelligent individual when it comes to the business side of the market and the hobby. Ryan has been well versed in all areas of the hobby from his decades of experience in cards.

I also was able to put together a recap after the hearing on the restraining order that happened last week.

Moving onto some of the other content creators who do a tremendous job in wrestling cards and covering the hobby. These are the places that I go when I want to watch or listen to content related to wrestling cards, and I absolutely love the way these guys approach their consideration. Each of them brings a unique perspective, and I think its important to read through, watch or listen to what they put out.

Here is a tremendous tweet thread breakdown of all the legal proceedings by Paul Lesko, who has meticulously documented every piece of this case, the TRO hearing, and everything.

Zhan Mourning has been covering wrestling cards on his youtube channel for a very long time, and does a great job with production, and his coverage. He is also one of the most balanced sources in his coverage, given that his collection is so widespread across basically everything. He did a live video (brave man!) to cover the topic which hits on a ton of different areas, and the hour long session is worth a watch, along side all the other content on his channel.

The boys from the Card Foundation are a must listen with their podcast that airs weekly on the Major Pod Network. The episode that contains the breakdown of all of this is part of their Patreon right now, but will be available tomorrow for everyone who wants to listen. You can get all of their episodes at the spotify link below, and it is absolutely worth joining their patreon for access to their facebook group and the early content.

Brett from Stacking Slabs has been a frequent guest on WTC panel discussions, and I have been a guest on his show a number of times as well. He recently put out an episode where he gives his thoughts on the termination of the license and the impact it has on the collectors of wrestling cards. Brett is a huge wrestling fan and its beyond important to have content creators with big audiences that talk frequently about WWE cards.

Sports Card Radio and Sports Card News, run by Colin and Ryan Tedards did a live broadcast recently as well, where they used their large youtube following to talk through some of the ins and outs of how they see the different parts of this going down. They cover a wide range of topics, usually stemming from outing scams, breaking down scandals, and being overall hobby watchdogs, so check them out.

Lastly, Dan Nguyen, otherwise known as the Great Curator has become a big wrestling card collector over the last year, and was a guest at the Main Event when we hosted it at the National Convention earlier this year. His show “Between 2 Slabs” covered the topic here as well on their live broadcast, and this is probably one of the more follower heavy channels in the hobby to cover it. There are other platforms as well, but Im not going to signal boost people who I dont support like Geoff Wilson.

Bottom line guys, there is a ton of content to consume any time a big story breaks in this hobby, and I rarely care as much as I do with this particular story. There are ways to engage with collectors on facebook and instagram as well, as groups like Wrestling Cards and Collectibles have threads with tons of conversation about how individual collectors feel about the license.

This is going to be a long and arduous process to sort out the litigation, the relationship, the outstanding products and redemptions, and all sorts of stuff that come along with how a partnership breaks down. This was a ten million dollar license that was terminated in an instant, and its almost guaranteed to be messy.

As a result of the messy legal proceedings, using contextual information from collectors braving the same set of circumstances is a great exercise to frame your approach, or at the very least, come to a better understanding yourself. Find a balance between the guys who think redemptions are the work of Satan and the journalists who do this for a living. As scary as it is, our experience in this hobby may not change if the ongoing product stream is removed, but a consolidation plan that impacts people, businesses and jobs within the hobby landscape could definitely change the way we engage. Its best to educate yourself as it goes through its process.