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The world of sports has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with brands and products through endorsements and sponsorships. Professional wrestling is no exception to this. Characterized by grandeur, pageantry, and splendor, professional wrestling has always been a popular attraction for endorsements. Whether it is worldwide superstars like John Cena endorsing Drumstick ice cream or the WWE’s sponsorship with Prime Rehydration, professional wrestling has always maintained a unique relationship with brands.
Endorsement deals and sponsorships have helped professional wrestling stars transcend the ring and bring the world of sports entertainment to a wider audience. Strategic commercial partnerships have also helped supplement the wrestling superstar’s income. Since the professional wrestling boom period of the 1980s and 1990s, commercial brand partnerships have played an important part in the growth of the professional wrestling industry.
Endorsements and sponsorships were rare in the early days of professional wrestling. Wrestlers had to rely on ticket sales and regional appearances as their sources of income. The limited access to television deals and small audiences that wrestling shows drew meant very few brands were willing to take a chance on the sport. With the explosion of professional wrestling’s popularity in the 1980s came new television deals. The Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW started to draw massive crowds. Commercial brands started taking note of this and realized the promotional power of professional wrestling.
These days, commercial brand deals are bountiful in professional wrestling. From fast foods to nutritional brands, wrestlers can be found endorsing all sorts of products. Many modern brand deals and endorsements see wrestlers partnering with digital brands, symbolizing the sport's forward-thinking nature. Today, bitcoin gambling brands stand out in the field of sponsors and endorsements due to their appeal to wrestling fans who are drawn to innovation. Online casino platforms that support cryptocurrencies offer users access to thousands of provably fair games, near-instant withdrawals, and exciting bonuses, with the entire experience feeling more private and secure. These features make these brands perfect professional wrestling endorsements as they mirror the sport’s values of entertainment and global access.
One of the earliest wrestlers to pioneer commercial endorsements was Hulk Hogan. A symbol of wrestling in the 1980s, Hulk Hogan’s rise to popularity took professional wrestling from regional bingo halls and gyms to a national audience. His partnerships with fast-food chains, cereal companies, and action figure lines created a blueprint for how professional wrestlers of the future would conduct business. Hogan’s stardom opened the world of professional wrestling up to household brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios, Arby’s, and Hitachi.
The Attitude Era is arguably one of professional wrestling’s most loved periods. Superstars like The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker consistently delivered some of wrestling’s highest-viewed television segments. The popularity of professional wrestling during the Attitude Era turned the sport into a marketing gold rush. Brands were eager to work with wrestling companies and superstars.
Wrestling’s Attitude Era brought with it an edgier audience hungry for entertainment, and commercial brands capitalized on this. During this era, the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was seen as a hot commodity. Various brands wanted to work with him. “Stone Cold” was edgy, relatable, and most of all, he was more over than any other superstar. To this day, he remains one of wrestling’s highest merchandise sellers with his “Austin’s 3:16 shirt”. Following the success of “Stone Cold” merchandise, many brands got him to endorse their services and products. A recent example of this is Tide, which has featured “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in many of its advertisements.
For a long time, endorsements and sponsorships were kept away from the ring. Superstars endorsing brands and products did so in their personal capacity outside of wrestling companies. The WWE, under the rule of Vince McMahon, kept the display of direct endorsements and sponsorships to a minimum. Now that the WWE is under new ownership, the company has embraced the display of sponsorships. Starting with the Netflix debut of WWE Monday Night Raw on the 1st of January 2024, WWE started displaying sponsorships on the ring mat. This is something that was not previously done.
Many wrestling fans point to Brock Lesnar’s partnership with Jimmy John’s sandwich restaurant chain as the WWE’s first real foray into visible endorsements. It was one of the first on-screen branding deals shown by WWE when Brock Lesnar returned to the company in 2012. Superstars are embracing their roles as athletes and brand ambassadors. Countless wrestlers are now sponsored by a variety of brands, while wrestling companies are now more open to visible brand partnerships.
From Hogan’s early commercial appearances to the global brand deals of today’s wrestling stars, endorsements and sponsorships in the world of professional wrestling have evolved with the sport. Commercial brand deals have become an important revenue stream for wrestling companies and superstars. The partnerships between superstars and brands have elevated careers, shifted public perception of the sport, and introduced wrestling to a new global audience.
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