WNBA players may be closer to striking

What began as a gift for championship teams has become one of the hottest items in licensed sports merchandise — a custom WWE championship belt. Distributed by Fanatics’ massive sports ecosystem, it has become a branding staple embraced across sports.

The craze started in the fall of 2013, when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to claim their eighth World Series title behind series MVP David Ortiz. A big WWE fan, Ortiz was gifted a replica WWE championship belt by the company, and he proudly sported the accessory in public.

The image of Ortiz’s replica belt soon caught the attention of athletes across major sports, many of whom began requesting their own versions. At the end of 2013 for his birthday, NBA champion LeBron James was gifted a replica title by WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and the following year, James bought custom title belts for his Miami Heat teammates, each with the team’s logo and the players’ respective names on the side plates.

The next few years, the demand for a custom championship belt quickly grew into a wider cultural trend in sports. More athletes adopted the title belt into their celebrations, and the accessory became one of the more recognizable symbols of success.

It especially became synonymous in the Super Bowl winner’s celebration after the New England Patriots received a championship belt for their Super Bowl LI victory in 2017. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said the company spends a “few thousand dollars” to make these custom title belts, which are initially made with side plates for both Super Bowl teams.

“If somebody has the trophy, someone else has the championship belt and is holding it above their head. It’s become a symbol that you’ve made it,” Levesque told Yahoo Sports in 2020 after Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce wore his title belt during the team’s victory parade. “Over the years you get to know a lot of these pro athletes, so the second someone wins the Super Bowl [or another championship], my phone blows up: ‘When are we getting our championship belt? or ‘Hey, can I get a second one?’ It’s become a thing they are proud of having and carrying around.”

Worldwide expansion

At the same time WWE was benefiting from the increased brand exposure from the title belts, it planned to modernize and scale its e‑commerce and merchandise operation. The company wanted to focus more on its media and entertainment business rather than deal with issues like sourcing merchandise in regions like India and China, as well as growing its apparel and paraphernalia business outside its traditional audience.

That shift came to a head in 2022, when WWE entered a long‑term partnership with Fanatics, thanks to a strong relationship between WWE President Nick Khan and Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin. Fanatics already handled merchandise operations for nearly every major U.S. sports league, and WWE could leverage those relationships and supercharge its merchandise revenue and brand reach.

What the deal also brought was a chance to market the custom title belt business by creating WWE-style championship belts for almost every licensed partner of Fanatics. Tapping into fandom that way was supported by Rubin’s wide-reaching sports ecosystem.

Fanatics has deals with the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA Division I schools and some European soccer clubs. Through that network, WWE can market the custom belts with Fanatics and use live events, social media and athlete appearances to help them grow as a revenue stream. The belts sell for $599 via the WWE Shop online store.

“WWE is a truly global brand that resonates with leagues, athletes and sports fans alike,” said Andrew Low Ah Kee, CEO of Fanatics Commerce. “Fanatics and WWE’s partnership uniquely allowed these premium, differentiated products to come to life in a fresh and distinctive way. We see tremendous opportunity ahead.”

The presence of custom title belts soon became consistent across sports media and victory celebrations, evolving into a recurring signature visual.

They were featured during Stanley Cup parades, showcased on the field at MLB’s Home Run Derby, spotlighted in the title belt display case at Fanatics Fest and incorporated into college athletics, including the CFP national championship game and the Big 12 title game, at which a co‑branded WWE-Big 12 title belt is presented to the Most Outstanding Player.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the partnership with WWE “highlights our alignment with key brands to ensure the Big 12 is the most culturally relevant conference in America.”

“We connect with fans and student athletes through innovative and forward-thinking ideas,” Yormark said, “and our work with WWE has increased our brand visibility and created value for our conference and its 16 members.”

In time, WWE sent nearly every championship team a custom title belt annually — complete with personalized side‑plate engravings — thus achieving the company’s goal of crossing over into mainstream sports and pop culture to expand its audience and brand relevance. And, of course, the revenue followed.

New territory

Within the growing legacy championship belt sales, NFL‑branded title belts have proven the most commercially successful, consistently ranking first in sales. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX title belt sold out and ranked among Fanatics’ top non‑autographed collectibles for Super Bowl LIX merchandise since its championship release. Also, since 2023, sales of collegiate legacy title belts have increased nearly fourfold, fueled by WWE’s growing licensing footprint across college sports that now encompasses 48 schools. Nineteen college belts were added in September, including Clemson, Ole Miss and Auburn.

With the custom title belts now commonplace in major sports, the question naturally shifts to where this momentum and business can go next to support WWE’s broader strategy. Building on the custom belts’ widespread visibility and cultural resonance, WWE is looking at more global partnerships with international clubs and leagues, the creation of individualized belts for star athletes and the extension of the product line into major entertainment properties.

After debuting 11 European soccer team belts to strong initial demand last year, WWE sees significant runway for growth across more international leagues. And how lucrative can the belts get? Think of the Shohei Ohtani-signed Dodgers custom belt that sold for nearly $50,000. WWE sees more opportunities like that, with more star athletes, across all major sports.

The company’s recent deals with Netflix and ESPN also open the door for custom belts tied to IP such as “Stranger Things” and Marvel, allowing the product to reach entirely new fan bases and expand beyond traditional sports audiences.

These opportunities aim to broaden the endeavor’s cultural footprint and unlock new avenues for revenue and fan engagement. And with the business backed by the influence and acumen of Rubin and Khan, the sky is the limit for this phenomenon.

“They’ve evolved from a powerful brand extension for WWE into a must-have for fans of all sports, a credit to Michael Rubin and the entire Fanatics team for recognizing the commercial opportunity,” said Scott Zanghellini, co-head of revenue at WWE. “We see significant growth potential across individual athletes, international sports and other genres, such as music and entertainment, and we’ll continue working collaboratively with Fanatics to evolve the business.”