WWE has made merchandise since its creation in the 80s. Action figures, clothes, replica titles, and at one point even food “JR’s beef jerky.” Over the years I have bought numerous purchases from the WWE, but I want to show my top 5 items I have gotten from the WWE. I will showcase my favorite items while also talking about some personal stories I have connected with them. I will also talk about how some of the pieces of memorabilia are connected to great moments in WWE history. Many of them are from WWE’s biggest event of the year WrestleMania. Think of it as the Superbowl of professional wrestling.
5: SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 is considered to be one of the best WWE games ever made. It had features that the previous games did not have, and the fan-favorite game mode called “General Manager mode” where the player gets to run a WWE brand and see how well they do. You can catch current WWE Superstars play this on YouTube. It is hosted on WWE’s gaming channel UpUpDownDown. SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 also influenced the most recent WWE game WWE 2k22. They brought back the popular GM Mode which was used for the marketing of the game. Personally, my favorite part of the 2006 game was the season mode. Pretty much every male WWE Superstar on the roster voice acted in a special story that made it seem very personal and that the player was the wrestler. I remember playing as John Cena a lot when I was younger. I also appreciate how it was a story that was not reused. They were all unique to this game. I know the roster for this game expands every year but having a Season mode or bringing back the road to WrestleMania again would be very interesting to me.
4: WrestleMania 34 was the second WrestleMania I attended. What made that one special was the list of inductees who made it in the WWE Hall of Fame. The headliner was no other than the legend Goldberg. Also on the list was a Texas legend, Mark Henry. I bought the program which showed all the Hall of Famers looking their best. That was a pretty good WrestleMania. I think the highlight of the night for me was Ronda Rousey having her first match.
3: When it comes to professional wrestling, there is one man in everyone’s top 5. It is the Nature Boy, Ric Flair. And of course, WWE had to make a mask with his face and slogan on it when a pandemic happened. The mask itself is flimsy and not the best for fighting Covid-19 however, it makes you look “stylin’ and profilin’.” I believe I have lost the mask recently. It was great for the aesthetic.
2: I first saw this Seth Rollins tank top on Instagram and knew I needed it immediately. When I got it not only was it as nice as I saw it on Instagram, but it was also more comfortable than I realized. Most WWE shirts are pretty rough and not comfortable to be in. However, WWE does tend to get outside companies sometimes to make some products and they tend to be of better quality. Such as this “Seth Freakin’ Rollins” shirt. I will definitely be wearing it again next summer. The fabric is nice, and I think it looks nice.
1: WrestleMania 32 was the first one I attended, and it is also my favorite. I was with around 100,000 people and it was exhilarating. It was an amazing night from the first match to the last and I will never forget that feeling. I bought the official program which has every wrestler in it, and I was amazed by its quality. It is my favorite WWE product. The thing about this WrestleMania that had it stand out was the Women’s Match on the card. Before you walk into the Stadium, they had three women front and center. Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. This match could have easily become the main event. Looking back at it, the match was better and more memorable than everything else on the card. I remember being in the stadium and watching WWE Hall of Famer Lita introduce the new title they had. They were getting rid of the butterfly WWE Diva Belt and introducing the WWE Women’s Championship. It was designed beautifully. It looked like a nice symmetric belt that rivaled the Men’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I think having the Belt be mostly white really showcased how pristine and historic the championship is. I know some people loved the WWE Divas Championship and some people hated it. It was very divisive and still a controversial thing to talk about today. I personally like the new one better but wish WWE treated women in the Divas Era better.
