WWE Terminates Contract With Panini
WWE has officially severed ties with Panini, alleging a breach of contract. This termination comes despite the fact that the contract between the two entities had over two years remaining.
The revelation was brought to light by esteemed Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell, who also revealed that WWE is now pursuing legal action to prevent Panini from continuing to sell WWE products.
The termination of the partnership, which had initially aimed to produce WWE trading cards and stickers using WWE intellectual property, has thrown both parties into a legal battle. Panini vehemently disputes WWE's claims and is seeking to not only retain the deal but also avoid paying a substantial sum demanded by WWE.
According to Rovell's initial Twitter announcement, "The WWE terminated Panini for breach of contract with 2+ years left." He further stated that WWE considers Panini's ongoing sale of WWE products as a violation of the contract and will seek an injunction to halt these activities. Additionally, Fanatics, which had originally been slated to take over WWE's collectibles operations in 2026, is expected to assume control immediately.
Panini, however, has a different perspective on the matter. They claim that WWE and Panini had agreed to a deal in March 2022, which included the production of trading cards and stickers using WWE IP. Panini asserts that they have fulfilled their contractual obligations and that the termination is a breach of the agreement.
The company also alleges that WWE had never raised concerns about their performance, had accepted royalty payments, and had even commended Panini for significantly growing the business. Panini contests the termination based on a provision within the contract that allegedly allowed WWE to terminate only if Panini had not made "good faith efforts" to create physical and digital trading card games, a condition they believe they met.
