Report: WWE's Top Merchandise sellers at Live Events and Online

[Sweettre15]

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter


WWE's current top merchandise sellers at live event are, in order, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Batista, Sheamus, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar. Punk is down a spot because he's been away.

On WWE's shop website, the top sellers are Cena, Punk, Bryan, Hogan, The Shield, Steve Austin, Lesnar, The Undertaker and Orton.


Most notably missing from the list is Sin Cara, who has had a drop in sales since Hunico took over the role, and Rey Mysterio, who for years had been in the top tier.

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news...e-superstars-are-moving-the-most-merchandise/


So to Break down and simplify the report:

Live Event Sales

1. John Cena

2. Daniel Bryan

3. CM Punk

4. Batista

5. Hogan

6. Orton

7. Brock Lesnar


WWE SHOP sales

1. Cena

2. Punk

3. Bryan

4. Hogan

5. The Shield

6. Stone Cold

7. Brock Lesnar

8. Undertaker

9. Randy Orton



So guys, What are your thoughts on this stuff thus far?

Personally, I can assume the increase from Bryan being #4 is the new "Yes Movement" apparel being better looking than the Goat shirts and Beard hats but Cena's merch seems to be pretty much untoppable at this point.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I'd say The Shield and Dolph Ziggler are conspicuously absent from that list. Most of the shows I've been to recently, those two shirts are sold out within half an hour of the event starting.

 

[Sweettre15]

I'd say The Shield and Dolph Ziggler are conspicuously absent from that list. Most of the shows I've been to recently, those two shirts are sold out within half an hour of the event starting.

Maybe more Shield fans are mid to late teenagers that prefer only online shopping. As for Ziggler, I'll just assume he sells but not at a Top 10 level.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Cena being #1 is no big surprise,

DB's a no brainer as well

Could've sworn Rey or Sin Cara was at #3 last time one of these was posted here, surprised about not seeing them on the list at all

Punk will pick back up assuming he comes back, if not then yeah steady fall

Batista's a surprise at #4, I guess flipping off the crowd makes them buy your stuff XD. What's more interesting though is not breaking top 9 on WWE shop sales, not a great sign there.

Top 4/5 is pretty expected of Hogan

WWEHC champ on the bottom is kinda sad

I hope those sale#'s are enough to justify the large amount of $$$ brock's getting

Taker will go up closer to WM.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I'd say The Shield and Dolph Ziggler are conspicuously absent from that list. Most of the shows I've been to recently, those two shirts are sold out within half an hour of the event starting.

That's probably because a) they have less items of merchandise and b) the merchandise that they do have won't be stocked anywhere near as optimistically as the likes of Cena's, Punk's and Bryan's (in the case of Ziggler, at least).

 

[sjdigitall]

Pretty evident from this that in 2014 Randy Orton is not a draw, something ive been thinking for months now. I wonder what is going to happen to Randy Orton, they really did try to revitalise his career with this heel run he is in right now but it just doesnt seem to be working. His mic skills have improved a bit from the long boring viper promos but its just still not good enough. Hopefully if WWE pushes him right and the marketing department gets things right, this time next year i would really like to see Roman Reigns up there.

 

[enviousdominous]

It's all in what type of audience member you market yourself toward. The Cenation is, to me, the next evolution of the Juggalos. He doesn't sell shirts, he sells jerseys. Donning a John Cena jersey, a John Cena sweat band and a pair of John Cena wrist bands is how his fan-base prepares to go to war against the haters of the world. John Cena merchandise doesn't just sell because it helps a parent earn ten minutes of good behavior, it's a lifestyle for his fan-base. Not to mention the fact that they crank out a new John Cena jersey every five or six months.

I think the WWE has done a good job of promoting Daniel Bryan. Their public attitude toward him is "He's not good enough to be the face of the company". So fans like me turn around and say "WE'LL SHOW YOU!!" and run to the t-shirt kiosks to put our money down on a Daniel Bryan push. While the WWE counts their money I'm sure they woefully admit "Well, they sure showed us." and speed away in their new sports cars.

Punk's cult following makes Daniel Bryan's cult following look like a bunch of amateurs, I can say that because I'm technically a part of both. It's cool for Punk fans to blast his name and logos all over WWE programming, especially when it's taboo to do so. They know that Daniel Bryan would still be in the indies if the crowd wasn't adamant that he return way back when, so now they're not going to shut up (or stop opening their wallets) in regard to how badly they want CM Punk back. It's not so much about seeing their favorite performer anymore, now it's about forcing the WWE to do what they want.

 

[toon126]

Does this take into account Cena has a wider range of mercy to sell compared to others? I'd be curious to see how he stacked up like for like without the head bands, caps, foam hands etc.

Also, look at Austin! Lol still bossing it, guy must still be making an absolute fortune from WWE. Good on him.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Does this take into account Cena has a wider range of mercy to sell compared to others? I'd be curious to see how he stacked up like for like without the head bands, caps, foam hands etc.

I've always loved this argument. I know you're not actually complaining about it like a lot of idiots on here do, I'm just using you as an example since you're the first one to bring it up.

You realize he has so much more merchandise because people actually want it, right? The same could be said for the Dolph Ziggler quantity. They're not going to make a bunch of different kinds of stuff for a character that people don't give much of a crap about. That's just wasting money.

One thing that does kind of surprise me is Shield. Not that they're not on the list, but that I haven't seen or heard of a lot of merchandise for them. They're popular as hell. You'd think there would be more out there. I guess that probably has more to do with them not wearing their merchandise though.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Punk's cult following makes Daniel Bryan's cult following look like a bunch of amateurs, I can say that because I'm technically a part of both. It's cool for Punk fans to blast his name and logos all over WWE programming, especially when it's taboo to do so. They know that Daniel Bryan would still be in the indies if the crowd wasn't adamant that he return way back when, so now they're not going to shut up (or stop opening their wallets) in regard to how badly they want CM Punk back. It's not so much about seeing their favorite performer anymore, now it's about forcing the WWE to do what they want.

The support for CM Punk has been dwindling over the past few weeks. According to reports, even though the Chicago fans were chanting his name loudly and proudly throughout the show, a lot of fans are allegedly turning on him. The reports state that the vast majority of Tweets surrounding CM Punk that night on Raw were negative towards him. Fans are no longer chanting his name as frequently as they were, as evident at Raw in Memphis. There was only one chant, it was during the Sheamus vs. Christian Memphis Street Fight, but it lasted all of maybe 10 to 15 seconds. I don't recall any CM Punk chants this past Friday on SmackDown!.

If Punk doesn't make an appearance in the next several weeks or make a surprise appearance at WrestleMania XXX, I believe more and more fans will start moving on. If Punk doesn't take part in the biggest show of the year, I really believe that it'll truly hit fans and will sink in that he genuinely MIGHT not be coming back to WWE.

 

[closet_fan]

Cena being #1 is no big surprise,

DB's a no brainer as well

Could've sworn Rey or Sin Cara was at #3 last time one of these was posted here, surprised about not seeing them on the list at all

Punk will pick back up assuming he comes back, if not then yeah steady fall

Batista's a surprise at #4, I guess flipping off the crowd makes them buy your stuff XD. What's more interesting though is not breaking top 9 on WWE shop sales, not a great sign there.

Top 4/5 is pretty expected of Hogan

WWEHC champ on the bottom is kinda sad

I hope those sale#'s are enough to justify the large amount of $$$ brock's getting

Taker will go up closer to WM.

They'll continue to drop now that Mysterio is barely on tv with his contract almost up and the new Sin Cara taking over. I would imagine they'll eventually fall even further by the end of the year.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The reports state that the vast majority of Tweets surrounding CM Punk that night on Raw were negative towards him. Fans are no longer chanting his name as frequently as they were, as evident at Raw in Memphis.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Punk's original intention in walking out wasn't to permanently quit pro wrestling, but rather to increase his negotiating power with WWE, showing them how badly they need him......only to see his fan base deteriorate in a big way and harm his position? Of course, if he came back, it might grow again.

Well, you roll the dice and live with the outcome, I guess.

Meanwhile, the results of this listing kind of fly in the face of all the people who don't like Cena and decide that no one else does either, huh? The "Ceena izn' poppular anymore!" rants fall flat when we look at the results and see that he's #1.....just as he has been all along. Apparently, everyone isn't "bored" with him.

 

[enviousdominous]

The support for CM Punk has been dwindling over the past few weeks. According to reports, even though the Chicago fans were chanting his name loudly and proudly throughout the show, a lot of fans are allegedly turning on him. The reports state that the vast majority of Tweets surrounding CM Punk that night on Raw were negative towards him. Fans are no longer chanting his name as frequently as they were, as evident at Raw in Memphis. There was only one chant, it was during the Sheamus vs. Christian Memphis Street Fight, but it lasted all of maybe 10 to 15 seconds. I don't recall any CM Punk chants this past Friday on SmackDown!.

Here's the thing; while Punk was the overwhelming desire of the crowd, they're also there to see pro-wrestling. It's like dangling keys to distract from a passing ice cream truck. The WWE ponied up one hell of a card, whether or not this was an attempt to distract from Punk is a different debate, but seeing the Usos finally get the tag titles and seeing The Wyatts vs The Shield was a pretty good distraction.

On top of all that, the card didn't have so many valid replacements when Punk cut the promo that he's most famous for. The crowd wants Punk when it misses Punk, the crowd doesn't miss him so much when a guy like Daniel Bryan is getting pushed or a guy like Jerry is part of an episode of RAW in Tennessee.

When it comes to Twitter, people will often share thoughts even when they're way beyond anything relevant to put out there. If someone openly resents Punk for walking out, I just attribute it to the second stage of the Kubler-Ross model if they use the grammar of an eight year old.

If Punk doesn't make an appearance in the next several weeks or make a surprise appearance at WrestleMania XXX, I believe more and more fans will start moving on. If Punk doesn't take part in the biggest show of the year, I really believe that it'll truly hit fans and will sink in that he genuinely MIGHT not be coming back to WWE.

He's a home-town hero who shocked the world. If he comes back in ten years, I'll mark out for him.

I think it's as beneficial for Punk to give his fans some time to remember what they miss about him as it would be for some other people who've been on the main card for a long time. His true fans just want to see him perform, if he comes back past the point of no return for most people, we'll still pay money to see him.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

The support for CM Punk has been dwindling over the past few weeks. According to reports, even though the Chicago fans were chanting his name loudly and proudly throughout the show, a lot of fans are allegedly turning on him. The reports state that the vast majority of Tweets surrounding CM Punk that night on Raw were negative towards him.

Yup, this isn't like the Summer of Punk back in 2011. You can't maintain that level of interest without having some sort of forum, and Punk has been very quiet. And to be fair to him, this falls right in line with Punk wanting a break. If the guy's legit burnt out, then he DOESN'T want to be in front of the fans right now. He doesn't want to be stirring the pot somehow.

 

[haydo 434]

What really really surprises me is that their is no ziggler on the list. Evey event that I have attended most people in the crowd wear ziggler shirts, this is also evident when watching on tv.
Hogan, lesnar and punk all have a great following and merchandise will really ship fast for them, on another note daniel bryan's new shirt is very appealing and looks well compared to the previous shirt with a goat on it.

 

[haydo 434]

I really feel that orton puts on really solid matches, yeah his heel turn may not be as vicious as it were last time around but I feel that he will reach those heights again.
At the age he is, orton has got years ahead of him and is going to be a big part of the future.
The question is what do you do after mania where he will more than likely lose the title? But one thing is certain the viper will be a very important factor in the future of the company.

 

[Mr.Maikeru_Sawyer]

Not to mention the fact that they crank out a new John Cena jersey every five or six months.

umm. john cena gets new gear(or at least new color scheme) every 3 months that is 4 times a year, and every little kid MUST HAVE IT. that's why J.C. has remained the top seller for going on 10 years now.


the merchandise movers are where they are on the list because the "List" basically shows who gets new apparel the most often

 

[Eddie Menuek]

umm. john cena gets new gear(or at least new color scheme) every 3 months that is 4 times a year, and every little kid MUST HAVE IT. that's why J.C. has remained the top seller for going on 10 years now.


the merchandise movers are where they are on the list because the "List" basically shows who gets new apparel the most often

And they get new apparel most often because they're the ones that WWE can rely on to shift it all. It's no coincidence that they started to crank out new CM Punk shirts, perhaps on a more regular basis than Cena's, after the original 'Best In The World' t-shirt sold like a motherfucker.

 

[JoeMallard]

The support for CM Punk has been dwindling over the past few weeks. According to reports, even though the Chicago fans were chanting his name loudly and proudly throughout the show, a lot of fans are allegedly turning on him. The reports state that the vast majority of Tweets surrounding CM Punk that night on Raw were negative towards him. Fans are no longer chanting his name as frequently as they were, as evident at Raw in Memphis. There was only one chant, it was during the Sheamus vs. Christian Memphis Street Fight, but it lasted all of maybe 10 to 15 seconds. I don't recall any CM Punk chants this past Friday on SmackDown!.

If Punk doesn't make an appearance in the next several weeks or make a surprise appearance at WrestleMania XXX, I believe more and more fans will start moving on. If Punk doesn't take part in the biggest show of the year, I really believe that it'll truly hit fans and will sink in that he genuinely MIGHT not be coming back to WWE.

It's for the best that the Punk chants stop. Punk probably wants it like this, so he can come back and turn heel on Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania. Some people say that Punk never drew, but in the end, he made the WWE MONEY! That's all that matters.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

One point I'd just like to add; wrestling isn't what it once was. While certain tee's might look good, if they feature someone who the majority of non-wrestling fans haven't a clue about then most casual fans'll probably pass and buy a Cena, Hogan, Lesnar, Austin etc. Then they can wear them again without people continually asking "What's that tee shirt all about?"

 

[beckyh]

I am and at the same time am not surprised by the Randy Orton standing. There are more rebellious tweener type shirts out there. CM Punk has some good ones. Even the DB ones are rebellious.