The History of Two Titans of Sport Working Together
On March 31, 1985, the worlds of sports and entertainment changed forever when WWE — then known as WWF — presented WrestleMania. More than 19,000 fans packed “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden, to see a main event featuring Hulk Hogan and his celebrity tag team partner Mr. T take on “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.
In addition to the action in the ring, the spectacle featured celebrities like Liberace and the Rockettes and athletes including Major League Baseball legend Billy Martin and boxing icon Muhammed Ali, who served as a special referee for the main event.
That same year, Topps began a relationship with WWF that has flourished over the past four decades. From the very beginning, Topps has contributed to the legacy of WrestleMania, producing cards celebrating the Superstars of WWE and WrestleMania itself.
The Beginning of Topps WWE Cards
The first Topps WWE set, Topps WWF Pro Wrestling Stars, was released in March 1985, just ahead of the first WrestleMania event. It, of course, featured the top names that would be appearing on “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” as WrestleMania would one day be called. The set was also released via Topps’ licensed partners in Canada, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
The following year, Topps, in cooperation with its licensee in Canada, created a second series, which featured action from WrestleMania 2. That included the battle royal, and the main event of Hulk Hogan squaring off against King Kong Bundy inside a steel cage.
By 1987, Topps was all in on WrestleMania. Although its WWF release that year was technically called WWF Wrestling, it has become known as the WrestleMania III set — the legendary event that saw Hulk Hogan defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Andre The Giant.
Topps Returns to the WrestleMania Ring
Nearly two decades passed before Topps took another swing at WWE and WrestleMania. Action from WrestleMania XX was featured in the 2004 European-exclusive WWE Raw and SmackDown Apocalypse set. Over the next several years, Topps’ WWE cards continued to feature WrestleMania action, leading to 2014’s Road to WrestleMania product release. As the name implies, this inaugural product told the stories of various Superstars’ journeys to WrestleMania XXX and the event in New Orleans itself. But it also featured various insert sets celebrating 30 years of WrestleMania events.
An additional insert set celebrated the Undertaker’s legendary WrestleMania undefeated streak, which met its ignominious end at WrestleMania XXX. Finally, this set introduced WrestleMania-related autograph and relic cards.
There were new Road to WrestleMania sets created annually from 2014 until 2020. Each product had a similar build to the 2014 set, with some variations. For instance, in 2015, there was a Road to WrestleMania Undertaker card available only in certain WWE DVD releases. 2015 also saw the release of several Canadian-exclusive Road to WrestleMania cards, such as the Bret Hart Tribute set and Superstars of Canada, which focused on WWE’s most prominent Canadian competitors. The 2016 product kicked off the “Kiss Cards” insert, featuring authentic lipstick marks from some of the top female Superstars in WWE.
Topps NOW® WWE and Other Sets
The Road to WrestleMania line isn’t Topps’ only contribution to the “Grandest Stage of Them All.” Beginning in 2016, Topps introduced Topps NOW®, a print-on-demand line of cards that commemorates memorable moments from recent events. Available exclusively on the Topps website, Topps NOW® cards have a limited print run and often feature colored parallels, autograph, and relic variations.
WWE was included when Topps NOW® started in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2018 that WrestleMania Topps cards were included among the offerings. This line also included print-on-demand relic cards from the event. The 2018 set included a very scarce, commemorating 9-year-old Nicholas Cone winning the Tag Team Championship with Braun Strowman, becoming the youngest champion in WWE history.
Topps NOW® covered WrestleMania 37 in 2021 and will include WrestleMania 41 in 2025. And there have been a few other WrestleMania-themed print-on-demand cards and sets outside the main Topps NOW® line.
One of the most prominent of these online sets was 2020’s Countdown to WrestleMania, a 20-card set also exclusive to the Topps online store. Two cards were released each week for the 10 weeks leading up to WresleMania 3, featuring unforgettable moments from past WrestleMania events.
Another online exclusive product was This Month in WWE History, which ran over the course of 2020-2021. It told the story of historic moments from the complete history of WWE, including several WrestleMania moments.
Topps at the Main Event
Beyond the wide variety of WrestleMania-themed card products, Topps has had a major presence at the big event over the years. Beginning in 2019, the prestigious Topps Transcendent WWE product included a ticket to WrestleMania as well as an invitation to an exclusive Topps-sponsored VIP party held during WrestleMania week in the event’s host city.
Collectors who attended the VIP party during WrestleMania week in 2019 were treated to an exclusive set of WWE cards. These were buybacks from previous WWE sets, but numbered and stamped with a special VIP Party stamp. One of the most sought-after cards from the 2019 WrestleMania VIP Party is the Triple H / Stephanie McMahon dual autograph card, which was limited to only 50 copies.
Topps Goes Big for WrestleMania 41
Now, in 2025, Topps continues its celebration of all things WrestleMania. In the year’s inaugural release, 2025 Topps Chrome WWE, collectors can find a pair of insert sets centered on the WWE Hall of Fame, which has become a significant part of WWE’s WrestleMania week events. There’s also the 10-card WrestleMania Recall set, featuring action from the first WrestleMania event and bringing Topps around full-circle to its first line of WWE cards in 1985.
At WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, Topps parent company Fanatics will host WWE World at WrestleMania, a one-of-a-kind experience for the WWE Universe to enjoy, including displays, autograph signings, photo ops, immersive activities, tattooing, and much more. Of particular interest to collectors of Topps WWE cards will be The Topps Experience, where members of the WWE Universe can discover new releases, trade with fellow fans, and add iconic moments and Superstars to their collections.
Finally, following WrestleMania 41, collectors can purchase the event’s Topps NOW® cards and participate in the Topps Championship Buyback Program.
Topps and WWE have had a storied partnership over the course of 40 years, and there’s no bigger example of that than the wide variety of Topps WrestleMania products. There’s a reason they call WrestleMania “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” It’s where legends are born and legacies solidified, and Topps is proud to be a part of it.
