WWE recently settled a significant lawsuit with Panini after the latter sought to terminate their trading card company partnership prematurely. WWE struck up an agreement with Fanatics, but their deal with Panini prevented them from commencing it early. Now, Panini and WWE have a new venture in the NFT space.
WWE’s New NFT Project
WWE Superstars are now part of Panini Blockchain through the launch of Blockchain Donruss Elite WWE. The press release that they sent out to announce this partnership noted that Panini’s digital cards will feature WWE Superstars such as John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Lyra Valkyria.
The platform provides a secure space to purchase and virtually open digital packs of Panini’s distinct brands. Collectors can also engage in collection challenges to acquire cards not found in packs and participate in digital crafting events, converting common cards into numbered exclusive cards.
The initial Donruss Elite release features over 100 WWE Superstars, including special inserts like Star Status, Spellbound, and Title Waves.
Jason Howarth, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations, stated, “For the past three years, our focus has been on delivering a premier Blockchain product to our collectors. Adding a renowned brand like WWE to our lineup, with its passionate audience and rich history, aligns with the expectations of our community.”
More Blockchain WWE releases are slated to follow, featuring other exciting brands such as Panini’s flagship brand, Prizm. If you want to check this out for yourself, you can click here. The NFTs aren’t extremely expensive, with one of the highest priced Roman Reigns cards going for $150.
It is also interesting to note that the term “NFT” doesn’t appear one time in the entire press release. Yet, the Panini Blockchain is most certainly an NFT project. Their website is nft.paniniamerica.net.
Sidenote On That Fanatics Deal
Interestingly enough, when WWE and Fanatics announced plans to launch various offerings, it included encompassing e-commerce, licensed merchandise, physical and digital trading cards, and NFTs. Now, Panini America has unveiled a substantial digital collaboration with WWE.
We will have to see how this project pans out, but even John Cena admitted that WWE’s first attempt in the NFT space was a disaster.
