Topps WWE Chrome 2025 Launches: A New Era of Wrestling Trading Cards Begins
When Topps learned it got the WWE license back, there were so many employees who wanted to be involved with the comeback.
See, Topps is filled with sports fans who like just about every sport, but various teams. Wrestling is different because even with so many superstars, they all love the WWE.
The hype for the Topps brand team was real because even though it last had the WWE license in 2021, everything was different now.
Fanatics has changed the way Topps is able to imagine trading card products. Its access and support means Topps can think of anything to add or enhance a card product and see that become a reality.
That includes getting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to sign autographed WWE cards for the first time since 1998 or including him on a dual autograph card with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. That looks like inscriptions for all the top superstars or relic pieces never seen in cards before.
Topps is back with the WWE in a big way with its first pack release with 2025 Topps WWE Chrome in stores today.
“The content in this product is tenfold,” said Clay Luraschi, SVP, Global Product Development, Fanatics Collectibles. “I'm super excited. And, I’m excited because I've worked on the brand over the years, but with all the innovation that we're doing and just where the trading card business is right now, it's perfect timing.”
WWE Chrome kicks off a new era for Topps. This year, it plans to include WWE in a number of historical and new products.
The unifying theme through those releases will be ‘innovation.’
By getting new memorabilia, inscription autographs and a few surprises, Topps plans to reach a wider audience and turn fans into collectors.
“With trading cards, you're trying to bring the fan and the collector closer to the superstar, and every year that continues to evolve,” Luraschi said. “So you're going to see things that we've done, but you're going to see a lot of new stuff that we haven't done before, whether it's around Relic cards or autograph cards or new subjects of people that haven't signed before.”
The first year back is more of a welcome-back party for Topps. Being without the license for several years created opportunities for the card company to show the fans how much they missed them.
“We are going to come back with some really strong brands and then also introduce some new ones,” Luraschi said. “But at the same, just welcome back collectors and fans to the Topps WWE experience with lots of new things.”
𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞: Cody Rhodes took some extra time signing this one-of-one trading card.
— Topps (@Topps) January 1, 2025
This card will be inserted into ONE LUCKY PACK of 2025 Topps Chrome WWE, coming soon! #1of1Day pic.twitter.com/KJXmmQYaAw
2025 Topps WWE Chrome includes 12 packs per box with two autographed cards. The 200-card base set will give collectors a chase with nearly 20 parallels. There are also case hits of exclusive inserts to offer rare and low-numbered collectibles.
Even with everything new, Topps will play up its heritage and history. The first Topps WWE set came out in 1985, so the card company is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a 1985 Topps insert.
Interestingly, Topps is kicking off the return with Chrome instead of a paper-based flagship product, which has been a mainstay across most of its IPs.
“Chrome has quickly become one of our strongest brands,” Luraschi said. “When I look back at some of the activity that I've seen over the last five, six years within the wrestling trading card market, I see a lot of energy around Chrome. I see a lot of people going back, picking up those (superfractors), picking up those low-numbered parallels of people who were just starting now and whose careers have matured.
“So it is a brand that people recognize from a technology standpoint, it's a very easy selling point because it's a beautiful looking product, and I think it's the perfect product to attract new people into the business. The Chromium brand in general is one of the most sought after technologies on a trading card throughout the entire hobby.”
Fanatics and WWE have a strong partnership, which is important to note as Topps moves forward with its trading card releases. Fanatics’ events arm puts on the major WWE events around events like WrestleMania.
At last year’s Fanatic Fest, WWE also had one of the most popular and loudest booths at the show as fans got to walk out to their favorite wrestler’s music in their own mock entrance.
Topps is also bringing back the digital Topps Slam app, creating physical Topps Now cards and will eventually include stickers.
The relationship should help Topps get in front of more WWE fans.
“WWE has been great as we were all on the same page very early on about wanting to take this to the next level,” Luraschi said.
Susan is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade working in the sports card industry. You can follow her at twitter.com/yanxchick