The last few days have been a whirlwind for WWE collectors, seeing the shift in WWE with the biggest Wrestlemania in a long time, followed by the release of one of the biggest WWE products of all time. Prizm (as expected) has taken the collecting public by storm, and its performance is showcasing the power of Panini’s juggernaut for a lot of people who have never seen it in action. The reactions are split between “OH HELL YEAH!” and “I got two words for you!” but many of the people are seeing just how crazy this can get in a very short period of time.

The Hype is Real

Yesterday afternoon, if you looked under trending topics for Sports on Twitter, WWE Prizm was among them. That doesnt happen often. Not only did the trends on twitter reflect the massive hobby dialogue, but the prices on eBay were going absolutely ape shit. Base cards selling above 100 dollars, new hobby superstar Bron Breakker getting close to $5k for a gold RC, and multiple cards RIGHTFULLY listed above the threshold for the most expensive modern WWE card ever sold.

Black Finites, despite the stupid name, have been popping up and selling high all over the place as well. Even low tier superstars who have never had a card sell above 50-100 bucks are getting 500-600 off the bat. We knew that there would be impact across the spectrum, but the craziness around ALL the cards is pretty shocking. If its rare in this set, its expensive. If its desirable in this set, its even more expensive. If its rare AND desirable – records will be set.

Wax Costs Exploding

When this dropped for pre-order at $700 a box, people thought it was absurd, despite my warnings. Upon crossing $1000 a box, there was a lot of hemming and hawing about how you could end up with a dud at a price usually reserved for multiple cases of WWE products. Right now, boxes have jumped to almost $1500, and if you are reading this post a few days from now, that could be left in the dust.

First off the line cases are selling at a price that is more than a case of Transcendent, with one selling at $20k yesterday. Because the FOTL run is so much smaller and guarantees so much extra content, this happens with every Prizm brand they release. To see it happen so quickly with WWE is awesome to see, because it shows the big fish are here to feed.

With re-orders likely coming in waves, the price will continue to spike and hard. The FOMO has started to kick in and those that bought in early and sat on their boxes for no less than 48 hours have already doubled their money. Remember, there is a TON of this product. They printed enough to satisfy demand, but the market can support the prices, so dealers keep raising costs. That’s business, folks.

Things Yet To Come

There are still a few things we havent seen yet, events that will shape the core of this landmark event. Even though we got our first major gold sale with Andre the Giant at $8k, there are MANY more to come. So far, we have not even seen a Rock or Roman Reigns Gold, and a Hulk Hogan has sold, but only in a private sale. When those cards come up for auction, there will be fireworks and explosions. The Ultimate Warrior 1/1 Black has been posted for sale and SOLD on eBay at $15k, making it tied for the most expensive wrestling card ever sold. Considering Warrior isnt even on the top tier of guys, this is going to be broken a few times over by the time we get through some of the major cards.

We also have seen that the Color Blasts continue to be a huge success for Panini, with Cena and Reigns getting prices that are entering territory usually reserved for the NBA and NFL. As Lesnar and others get posted, I have a feeling these cards will be among the top prices we see over the run. The cards are simple in concept and distribution – ultra rare inserts that have a loyal fan base. Many people believe the print run to be under 50 per card, which will only fuel more FOMO as people see them posted and sold at huge values.

Lastly, this is one of many configurations with things like retail still to come. Retail will flood the market on the low end a bit, so I dont expect the high price for base to hold. Once the exclusive box set comes to the market, that will also have impact on the way the cards are valued. The configs drive a ton of extra revenue for Panini without much consideration for the rarity of unnumbered parallels. In other words, they will print this stuff until the machine breaks, and it will still sell regardless.

The Exit Strategy

One cannot look at this level of insanity and think it will be permanent. Everything you do in this hobby should have an exit strategy. If you are lucky enough to pull something huge, how much are you willing to risk that the value continues to increase. Finding the peak of the value and capitalizing on it with a key sale is a unicorn. Most will sell too early on the way up the mountain, or too late on the way down. This is something that every collector needs to consider as things go more and more crazy.

Honestly, its all a level of comfort – either buying and holding or ripping and flipping. No one should be playing around with money they dont have and expecting anything but a loss. If you do end up with something nice, my philosophy is always bird in hand is better than two in the bush. In other words, dont go chasing riches that might not come when you already have riches in your possession. There are other more calculated individuals who know how to operate in the market more appropriately, carefully weighing profits and losses against a ton of data from many sources. Many collectors dont have that level of scrutiny and can be left in the dust on both sides of the peak. Just be careful.

This is a fun time to be a wrestling collector, and an even more fun time to be an observer of the feeding frenzy. Dont get lost trying to figure out how you will stay afloat, just enjoy the show. Wrestling was always meant to be an attraction, and I dont see why the cards in this set should be any different. You dont need to sit ringside with Taylor Swift and the Dallas Cowboys players to have a good time. There is a lot of intrigue and fun to be had in the cheap seats as well.