WWE recently announced the success of the 2023 Payback Premium Live Event, which broke WWE’s all-time event merchandise record. Merchandise sales increased 182% over the previous year in collaboration with special event retail partner Fanatics.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, generic WWE merchandise sold the best at Payback, as it almost always does. This includes shirts with the Payback and WWE logos, as well as Money In The Bank briefcases.
This category includes title belts, which are a significant earner. Many items are unlikely to ever surpass this, as one title belt can equate to 12-24 Superstar t-shirts.
Cody Rhodes topped the individual Superstar rankings for Payback, beating out John Cena, who was ranked second. Cena missing out on the top spot is unusual, as his merchandise continues to sell well, especially when new items are released.
LA Knight ranked third in the individual Superstar category for Payback merchandise sales. Many of LA’s sales occurred online and through Fanatics, but WWE has made it a point to bring much more of his merchandise to live shows.
In terms of AEW, merchandise sales for All In in London appeared to be strong. As expected, ROH World Tag Team Champions Better Than You Bay-Bay – Adam Cole and AEW World Champion MJF were among the top sellers.
