5 WWE Superstars Who Need Their Own Shoe
WWE likes to make money. Last year they set company records for revenue, raking in $729.2 million. [...]
WWE likes to make money. Last year they set company records for revenue, raking in $729.2 million. About 15% of that comes from consumer products, aka merchandise.
Oh, the merchandise. It's everywhere. WWE can offer you a cornucopia of stuff. For instance, the former tag team of Enzo and Cass had 54 items on WWE Shop. 54!
If a wrestler wears it in the ring, WWE can make money off of it. And outside of t-shirts most of their products lack practicality. Tell me, what need is New Day's Unicorn Horn filling in your life?
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Like any respectable conglomerate, WWE can't wait to sell you stuff you don't need. What if, instead of pushing Becky Lynch's goggles or Sami Zayn's newsboy hat, WWE put their marketing minds to footwear. No, not socks. Sneakers.
On closer examination, there may be a nice window to do something cool and make money. Such opportunities are rare.
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Shane McMahon is a well-documented sneakerhead - famously rocking Jordan's during his biggest WWE moments. Bautista marks out for Kobe's and J's. Kofi Kingston sports LeBron's. Roman Reigns nearly broke Twitter when he switched out his back utility boots for some slick Nike's. The Rock has an Under Armor deal. I mean, how close are we?
Well, someone does have a personalized shoe. It's John Cena and they don't count because they look like this:
If you're over 10, you're not buying these. But, that's not to say it can't be done. Today's version of WWE wrestler has become a brand. And what do brands do? They sell stuff. WWE Superstars have a comparable reach and are arguably more recognizable than NFL and MLB stars.
With that said let's jumpstart this campaign. Here are 5 WWE Superstars Who Need Their Own Shoe.
Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks has something that peers Charlotte, Bayley, and Alexa Bliss will never attain.
No, it's not her uncle, Snoop Dogg.
Banks owns the most marketable quality an athlete or celebrity can wish to be blessed with. Something every kid on the planet wants to be. Sasha Banks is cool.
Even though there are still a few kinks to work out, WWE has done a great job in maintaining her brand. Banks is up for a Teen's Choice Award for Female Athlete, along with the Bella Twins and Serena Williams. That's privileged company considering how short of time Banks has been on WWE's main roster.
All that said, Banks is the only option in the Women's Division who has enough clout to push her own shoe. As one of the figureheads of the Women's Revolution, Sasha has successfully headlined PPVs in NXT and partook in the first ever Women's Hell in a Cell match. The girl is a trendsetter. Get her some kicks to help her keeping climbing.
Roman Reigns
If you think people simply do not pay attention to the shoes wrestlers wear, I present you with Roman Reigns.
Typically, Reigns wears clunky black boots that look like military hand-me-downs. So when he debuted a pair of Nike boots at his Fastlane match with Braun Strowman, the world immediately noticed.
I'm totally with you on the shoes.. I
— Handy #RomansRules (@HandyRed) March 29, 2017
loved the white on your combats!
You broke twitter! And killed it with
your match! #RomanReigns ?❤ pic.twitter.com/MXXsMOU8to
Can we all take a moment to praise Roman Reigns' boss ass new shoes? #WWEFastlane pic.twitter.com/HzTEvuv2jv
— Io (@IoDaTiger) March 6, 2017
Reigns' notoriety is only growing. Each year the Big Dog pads his resume - on top of headlining 3 consecutive WrestleManis's Reigns retired the Undertaker, an accomplishment worthy of a 200-page dissertation.
By every indication, WWE is building itself around Roman Reigns. Like Banks, Reigns has an "it" factor that is hard to describe but somehow easy to monetize.
Seth Rollins
When it was announced Seth Rollins would be the cover boy of WWE 2k18, a huge statement was made. Rollins joined the esoteric group of John Cena, The Rock, Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin as those lucky enough to grace the game's cover. Even better, in that same week, Triple H declared Rollins to be the future of the company.
Like his Shield brother, Roman Reigns, Rollins has an unspoken allure. Despite suffering back to back knee injuries Rollins maintains his world class athleticism and we can assume his best moments in WWE have yet to come.
Picture Rollins zooming about the ring, stamping super kicks on opponent's faces with his own personalized shoe. I mean, how many 450 Splashes has Steph Curry ever done?
Mojo Rawley
While Mojo may not yet be championship material, The Hype Bros more eccentric member will leave an impression on you. Rawley is John Cena with ADHD. It's likely kids love him already, but his energy has a certain magnetism that could translate well to other demographics.
Although his potential sneaker deal may be totally contingent upon his buddy Rob Grownkowki wearing them at Super Bowl LII, Mojo already owns one of WWE's most remarkable personalities. In a WWE where people look and sound more alike, Mojo is a stark abandonment of that trend.
As a potential outlier, Mojo may carve himself a nice niche into WWE's earnings. Stick him into a pair of LA Gears and watch the money flow.
Brock Lesnar
What do you notice about this picture? It's definitely not Brock Lesnar's shoes - and that's a problem.
Being a former UFC Heavyweight Championship, Brock Lesnar is arguably most visible star WWE has ever had. Although he's certainly one of WWE's most reclusive employees, Lesnar has a knack for marketing. Just by saying "Suplex City, bitch," in an off microphone taunt to Roman Reigns, Lesnar created his own popular t-shirt line.
He may lack the warm charisma that Shawn Michaels had, but people like to admire Brock Lesnar. He's already smashed through a marketing threshold as he is the only wrestler in WWE to have a sponsor on his gear (Jimmy Johns).
WWE pays Lesnar $3 million a year to work a minimal schedule. Time for WWE to get some more on their return and put out some Beast Incarnate Stompers.
