WWE fans have been able to take home a piece of the action for years with plaques featuring match-used canvas from premium live events.
Recently, WWE took it a step further by printing fans’ names on the mat and adding it to a plaque as a personalized memento. Prices for such items, from Raw at Madison Square Garden to WrestleMania 42, ranged from $400 to $1,500.
Pricey as that seems, they pale next to what collectors will pay for true wrestling history. In March, boots worn by the late Hulk Hogan
at the first WrestleMania sold for over $1 million. According to Sports Collectors Digest, the sale set a record for wrestling memorabilia, marking the first time a wrestling item surpassed $1 million.
As of this writing, the boots Hogan wore in his final WrestleMania match against Vince McMahon in 2003 have a bid of $26,000 at Heritage Auctions. At WWE Shop, a bid on a Roman Reigns autographed SmackDown 25th Anniversary Spinner Championship replica title belt sits at $1,820.
Clearly, collectors are willing to come out of pocket for the right piece of history, one that tugs at their heartstrings as fans. While boots and canvas can fetch a pretty penny, there may be something far more valuable that, to date, hasn’t been put up for sale: the entire ring.
That’s right. It’s time WWE upped the ante by auctioning a full event-used ring, complete with a canvas signed by everyone on the card, from the headliner to the opener, announcers, referees, and Paul Levesque himself. Given that Hogan’s footwear crossed the seven-figure mark, a fully authenticated WrestleMania-used ring could reasonably fetch six figures, if not set a new record in wrestling memorabilia.
Who knows — if WWE sells enough rings, parent company TKO might lower ticket prices.
Probably not, but a guy can dream.
