Leave it to Wrestling Cards – like we see every week on Raw, there always has to be a rematch. In a shocking turn of events, Fanatics took a steel chair and wrapped it around the head of Panini, announcing today that they have signed an exclusive deal with WWE to produce trading cards, among other things like Digital collectibles and NFTs.

Here is the official announcement from WWE on their website.

Right now, this is about as big a news for WWE cards that can be broken, as Panini prepares to launch a WWE brand that seems DOA before it has the chance get going. As we have found out during the course of the last 6 months, 2026 will be a red letter year for Panini America. They will be losing the ability to produce NFL and NBA, their two biggest licenses, as well as MLB cards licensed through the MLBPA. With this announcement, we are now getting a clear picture that Fanatics is picking off Panini brands like there is a blood feud in the works.

This brings about a number of questions that I want to discuss, especially as we get into the thick of the release of the most anticipated WWE product of all time. WWE Prizm is set to release on 4/6, but it is already set to be the most limited Prizm run of all time, thanks to the news from this morning.

What Does This Mean For the Prizm Secondary Market?

The impact of this news is really yet to be seen, because there wont be multiple products to measure for months. Regardless of the news, Prizm will be an expensive product to rip and an expensive product to buy singles at the top level.

I dont think this news will have much of an effect overall, Prizm is a juggernaut with or without a long term expectation of production. Prizm’s crowd may even want to go harder after the WWE cards knowing that they wont be around as long. Remember, nothing gets a collector going like the knowledge of a limited run. If anything, I think this news probably helps things more than it hurts things with the release on the sixth.

If I have to guess, this first product still goes off without a hitch, and for a lot of reasons, likely does a lot better than people expected it would. Prizm’s coming bonanza is one that has too much momentum across the hobby right now, especially with Drake getting involved at the highest levels with Flawless Basketball. WWE Prizm isnt the issue.

What Happens to the Value of All the Non-Prizm Products?

Now that we know Panini WWE is going away, there are a number of planned products on the calendar that will have to be produced knowing that their run isnt going to continue. From a value standpoint, the brands that dont have the backing that Prizm does will have a pretty large gap to overcome. There are some like Select and Immaculate (both already confirmed) that will likely do fine. Newer non-legacy products will likely face a steep uphill climb.

I think its unfair to say that the products will be worthless, because that wont be the case. However, the giant over-market pricing increases wont likely be there the way they are for the legacy products like Prizm and Select. We have already been hearing that there are likely 2 non-legacy products that will be used for 2022 – products created specifically for WWE. That could be a huge opportunity for Panini to show off their brand creation strength with a hobby already looking towards the future.

In all likelihood, trading cards as a whole are hot enough right now that this news wont hurt Panini the way it would have years ago. That being said, this isnt something that spells good news all around for what Panini is trying to accomplish with their launch.

What Happens to Panini’s Approach With WWE Products?

This is where things are about to get interesting. If the contract is only 2-3 years and there is a defined end date to their relationship, I feel like the past doesnt speak well for Panini’s ability to invest in something that is going away. One of the main complaints that collectors expressed with the original announcement of the relationship with WWE, is that Panini tends to cut corners where they can. Customer service, quality control, and specific production practices have caused scandals in the past, and most of these issues could rear their ugly head again if Panini takes their eye off the ball.

Coming into this, I thought Panini would try to pour money into this contract knowing that it was one of their Alamo brands. Now that Fanatics has a pension for burying Panini at every turn, Im curious if that investment will happen the same way, or if they decide instead to double down with NBA and NFL ahead of their supernova explosion in 2026. This question is the scariest for me, as 3 years is a long enough time to really make some money on a white hot market, but without investment from Panini, it wont reach the potential it needs to.

What Does This News Mean for Topps Cards During the Next Few Years?

As Jim Cornette always says, “How can we miss you if you never leave?”

Basically, Topps cards have been on a ridiculous trajectory over the last few months, leading up to the launch of Prizm. Its a number of factors that contribute to these ridiculous increases in secondary market value, but without Panini, these values dont continue to go up with the slope they have been seeing.

That being said, its hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Once the values go up, and FOMO starts, its rare that we see those things change without a gigantic swing in the way people see the speculative value of those assets.

Is it out of the question to say this trajectory stalls a bit? Likely not. Is it within reason to think that WWE snaps back to where it was prior to this boom? No it is not. The floor has already been set, and it is well above where it was. The potential to cap the gains is there, but to me, the floor is concrete.

If you have been holding your Topps WWE cards, I dont think there is much need to worry. The value you see going right now is one that should have a lot of value in the future as well. More importantly, as I mentioned above, going away and coming back with a blitz is something that has always worked well in the hobby – especially for a historic brand like Topps.

Conclusions

I was ready to see what Panini was going to try over the next few years with WWE, and I feel like now that cant happen the same way. Trading card investments from the manufacturers go differently when there are long term contracts in place. They take more risks with experimental options, they let things play out with more patience, and they tend to use continuity in a way through products that cant happen with no long term license.

Overall, this is good for people who were sad that Topps had lost their ability to produce WWE trading cards. I was one of those people. Even though I have nothing but disdain for Panini’s business model and track record in dealing with things, I wanted to see how they could change the conversation a bit. I was ready for their era, and now they look like a transitional champion, holding the belt while the booking can build the next long term guy.