Original Merchandise

Is anyone surprised that WWE/TNA don't release some other kinds of merchandise?

I mean, they have figures, t-shirts and belts down, but you rarely see any bizarre superstar-specific merchandise. I mean, Undertaker had a replica hat realsed. Why not:

A 'replica' gold medal for Kurt Angle.

I'm still shocked they haven't started selling "replica" Money in the bank briefcases. RVD's one looked awesome when it came out (his was the first to be customised i believe, with his name on it).

Gloves designed to look like Booker T's/Rey's/Undertaker's/Kane's/etc.

Edge's 'leather' wristbands with his logo on them (the ones he wears during a match). Also surprised they haven't made a limited edition coat the same as the one he wears to the ring.


It seems that some of the stuff wrestlers wear in the ring would be better off being made as merchandise than some of the stuff WWE come up with. Fr example, Angle's had some crap t-shirts made. Whereas if they just copied the designs off some of his singlets for t-shirts they'd look better.

Instead of making a t-shirt with Kane's face on it, make a black t-shirt with red stitching running through it (like his tights) and give it a 'torn'/'ripped' kinda effect.

Always expected to see Triple H's jacket come out (the leather/denim one with the big Triple H logo on the back)

Thought they may have made a Ric Flair exact-copy robe to sell around the time of his Hall Of Fame speech/wrestlemania 24. Make it limited to 100 or 200 pieces. Can you imagine the amount of huge Ric fans that would've bought into that one? Have Flair sign them all and sell them for three times the price it cost to make them. They'd have made a killing.

Bret's jacket. Scott Hall's nWo entrance vest. Austin's entrance vests. Hulk Hogan's boas. Miz's shorts. Any of RVDs singlet designs copied onto t-shirts. Kendrick's jackets. "replica" awards/trophies (Slammy's, RAW 10th anniversary, etc.)


Instead WWE release a ton of t-shirts each year, and only about two of them ever look any good. They have wrestlers wearing shirts on TV that they don't release (ie; they often have wrestlers on TV wearing a plain black shirt with the current 'RAW' logo on the front, yet, no matter where i look, i can't find it for sale anywhere).


I think this is pretty cool:

http://www.thecanadianconnection.biz/images/Clothing/Large/RawIsWarJacket.jpg




So anyway.. Any particular piece of merchandise you'd like to see relased, or that you always expected would be released, but never was?


(I know a lot of what i mention above would only really appeal to hardcore fans of particular wrestlers, and therefore wouldn't be as good a seller as the generic T-Shirts/figures you can get, but if they were made in limited numbers, i reckon they'd sell well.)

krudler

you can buy stuff worn by the wrestlers on wwe's auction site if thats the kind of thing you mean, who wouldnt want a pair of Kellys ring worn hotpants?

RAMPAGE1

Not sure what you mean KKV on the shirts in the last month two great shirts have come out that I picked up Triple H's eversoris and Ortons new grey shirt and that's just 2 in the last month

Do you have links to the shirts?



Also, i was just mooching ebay for random crap, and i came across an Orton hat. It says on the front in big letters "BORN BETTER THEN YOU".


Yep. WWE actually released a hat with "THEN" on it instead of "THAN".


EDIT:


Triple H's shirt:


http://www.wweshop.com/displayimage.asp?product=31231X.JPG


That's actually not a bad shirt. I've noticed the most recent shirts seem to have much bigger print on them, and more elaborate designs.

CMpunked

I'm guessing the change in design for the more older wrestling fan's shirts is due to the growing popularity of shirts like this:








Yes, that last one says Brock Lesnar, thats because they are associated with the MMA community and somebody (within the wwe) obviously noticed that they're were droves of 20-40 year old arriving at their shows wearing them and i guess they are trying to turn from having a shirt as simple as this:



The constant resemblence can't be a simple coincedence.



On another note:
KKV your idea of them making different items of larger merchandise is the exact same reason to why a lot of the merch like The 'Replica' kane and Helms mask and any other raretys look so bad.

Costs. It would just cost too much to produce any of those that you've said above.

And unless they are gaurenteed that the item will sell theres no way they would do it without a turnover.
The Ric Flair robe scenario is a good one. But how much would they sell them for? 100? 200?
The fact that they Didn't do it, means that it probably wasnt financially benneficial for the WWE.



A slightly off topic point:
This john cena shirt was pulled by the wwe after a rottweller organisation complained about it.

callaway92

All of the Affliction shirts are class

D.Q

why is there a big knob in the middle of lenars shirt..??

DieselQueen

DieselQueen wrote: »

why is there a big knob in the middle of lenars shirt..??

Was wondering the very same thing.



CBG:


I can see what you're saying, but Kane's mask, as you mentioned it, is a great example of something that would have sold better if there were actual effort put into creating it. The "replica" Kane mask is in no way the same as Kane's real mask. The colours are wrong, the design is wrong, the sticthing is wrong, and the moulding is wrong. If they actually made it properly, I'm certain they would have sold more. I'm still confused as to how they can call it a replica (as it clearly isn't).


Like i said in my original post, some of the items would, indeed, be aimed towards people who are huge fans of certain wrestlers.

Undertaker had a replica hat a while back. Surely, if they'd make that, they realise that there is a market for authentic WWE items.

Look at Edge's ring-worn wrist bands for example:







I reckon that they'd be a much more popular item than a pair of sweatbands with the Rated R logo on them. As i say, too, if they reckon they'd struggle with them, they could make them a limited edition item and limit them to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Edge has a huge following, and the wristbands don't look cheap or tacky (although they'd probably be better off going with the black bands with the grey logo).

When you look at the UFC/MMA/Affliction shirts and how WWE are copying them, surely there is a market there for them. That market would be older fans who are fans of WWE but don't want Cena's face on their shirts.

I'm a big Kane fan. I'd much rather buy a shirt with the red, ripped and torn threading tearing through it, very menacingly, than a t-shirt with an anmiated devil and "little devil" scrawled on the back. Kane's character would be amazingly easy to design merchandise for. Black t-shirt and a random, violent firey design and it'd look great. Yet, i don't think he's ever had a good t-shirt.


Edge's kickpads are another item that'd look great for sale to the general public (either as a design on a pair of tracksuit pants, as kickpads for skateboarders, etc. or as a pair of boots with a velcro cover).

Miz's shorts are a no brainer. How they're not on WWEShop.com at the moment, is beyond me.

CMpunked

KKV, its a simple case of supply and demand.

Lets look at it like this:

Say for a moment that someone came up with the exact same idea you had in the OP and pitched it to vince or whoever in titan towers and the response was "Tell you what, lets make a few trial runs, see how we do market wise and if it seems to be that there is a niche then we'll go with it."

Supposing that happened, that the chance was given.
My guess would be that the exact reason to why we dont have any of those things now a days is because the masks bombed.


They are terribly made, as we both found out.
And thats probably because there was no real effort into them. (just look at the shirts from those days)

So they went into production somewhere in asia and insted of any sort of detail put on them, they botched the painting and insted of trying to give it the laced up affect, simply molded the plastic around to give it the look of lace.

WWE obviously spent the least amount of money they possibly could so they could sell them at the lowest price, but still making a profit on each one.


Now look at Edge's wrist-bands.

1. They are a proper size, designed to fit edge's wrists. To create a "one size fits all" would mean finding a suitable material that would adapt.
2. It would more than likely be only smarks that would get them, and even at that there probably wouldnt be enough of them to buy it.

Takers hat is a simple example of merch that would work because its useable on a practical level.
Because its a hat. If someone bought it they can think "Im going as taker to that house show this year!"
And hats are relatively easy to make, they are universal.


If it was something collectable that actually had a bit of worth then people will flock to it.
Like replica belts.
F*ck it, even i bought one because they have that display qualites about them.


At the end of the day it comes down to something like this:

Supply Vs Demand

No demand, no supply.

I can see what you're saying. But in relation to Edge's bands, if you look at them, they are laced, so they would fit anyone. On top of that, Edge is wearing them, so WWE have to be producing a couple of pairs here and there anyway. I don't see the harm in producing a few extra and selling them via WWE-Euroshop, WWEShop.com, at events, etc.


Worst that can happen is you'll have too many and be selling them at a discounted price for a few months/year or so. WWE just seem to be playing it very safely merchandise-wise. I've been a fan of WWE's merchandise for a long time, but i must admit, i just find it boring nowadays. I still buy some of their stuff, but i'd like to see them taking a risky move and making a new "replica" item or something along those lines.



... Someone should really photoshop a motorbike under Cena in the picture above.

ShawnRaven

callaway92 wrote: »

All of the Affliction shirts are class

Can't agree more, my wardrobe is pretty much made of em. Have at least 15 of them.

CMpunked

Deleted User wrote: »

Worst that can happen is you'll have too many and be selling them at a discounted price for a few months/year or so. WWE just seem to be playing it very safely merchandise-wise. I've been a fan of WWE's merchandise for a long time, but i must admit, i just find it boring nowadays. I still buy some of their stuff, but i'd like to see them taking a risky move and making a new "replica" item or something along those lines.

To put it simply there must be only one reason for this.

We're in a recession so WWE are thinking to cut down on the amount of stock they produce which people probably wont buy because they dont have the money to.

callaway92

ShawnRaven wrote: »

Can't agree more, my wardrobe is pretty much made of em. Have at least 15 of them.

yup ..Got a couple myself...02 arena aint cheap though

ShawnRaven

callaway92 wrote: »

yup ..Got a couple myself...02 arena aint cheap though

Affliction shirts in general aren't cheap, but it's a case of you get what you pay for. And i really hate Tapout, and the WWE "Affliction wannabe" shirts.

krudler

Some of the Affliction shirts are ok, they're a bit ott though, plus more and more jocks are wearing them, they'll be the new "rugby shirt with upturned collar" jock douchebag uniform soon enough

ShawnRaven

krudler wrote: »

Some of the Affliction shirts are ok, they're a bit ott though, plus more and more jocks are wearing them, they'll be the new "rugby shirt with upturned collar" jock douchebag uniform soon enough

You could say that about most items of clothing though. I'm damned if i'll stop wearing jeans cos all the rugger buggers queuing up to get into Annabels wear them. So i'll use the same stance for Affliction tops.