If MLB outfielder Josh Reddick ever needs a replacement to the WWE Championship belt he bought for himself after his Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series, he's in luck. On Wednesday the WWE announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball in which they'll make WWE Championship replica titles and accessories for all 30 Major League clubs.
This is the first time the WWE has partnered with a U.S. major sports league in offering WWE Championship replica titles. In addition to team-branded belts, the WWE will create titles for marquee MLB events such as the World Series, All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. The WWE will also release MLB-inspired custom side plates and Lucha Libre masks.
"At MLB we are constantly looking to serve our fans with the most unique products possible so that they can support their favorite Clubs and players in the ways they want," MLB Senior Vice President of global consumer products Denis Nolan said in a statement. "We often see baseball fans and players bringing their MLB and WWE fandom together at games and online, so this is a natural development for us to work together and offer the highest quality, official co-branded items for fans around the world."
While the WWE hasn't formally been a partner with a major sports organization like this, it has extensive history with the MLB. The WWE gave team-branded title belts to the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers to honor their wins in the 2019 and 2020 World Series, respectively.
Additionally, the WWE made custom title belts for the most recent champions in every other major U.S. sports league: the Milwaukee Bucks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"We've been continually amazed by the reaction to custom WWE Championship title belts, and we're excited this partnership will allow us to make them widely available to fans," WWE Senior Vice President of direct-to-consumer products Kevin Moore said.
The WWE-MLB merchandise line will launch in 2022.
