WWE has struck a deal with Prime Hydration that will see the influencer-backed drinks company’s brand appear on the mat at premium live events (PLEs), including the flagship WrestleMania.
Contract:
- Prime brand will appear at PLEs, including WrestleMania and Money in the Bank
- Company also becomes WWE’s official hydration drink partner
- Partnership will be supported by other live event activations, match sponsorships, and retail and digital campaigns involving WWE athletes
- Prime is first official partner to activate across both WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since merging to form TKO Group Holdings
Context:
WWE has long embraced commercial partnerships, with various brands signing on as official partners, presenting partners of PLEs or weekly programming like Raw and Smackdown, or title sponsors of individual matches. WWE performers are usually made available to promote these partnerships in advertising or via social media. So far, however, the ring has remained sacred.
Prime, which was launched by influencers Logan Paul and JJ ‘KSI’ Olatunji in 2022, has signed a number of sporting partnerships, including with Premier League soccer club Arsenal and Swiss women’s international Alisha Lehmann. This partnership with WWE could be the most significant to date given Paul has wrestled in multiple matches for the promotion, including at WrestleMania, and because of its strong presence on social media.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed but WWE described it as a ‘record-setting global partnership’, with Fox Business calling it the ‘largest sponsorship deal in WWE’s history’.
Comment:
“What Logan [Paul] and his team have built in a short time is phenomenal and we’re excited to help showcase Prime Hydration across our biggest events,” said WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
“Combining two of my greatest achievements into one knockout partnership is a dream come true,” said Prime co-founder Paul. “We’ve worked incredibly hard at Prime to build a brand that disrupts the beverage industry and it’s time to join forces with the global leader in sports entertainment. Thank you to everyone on both sides who have played an important role in bringing Prime Hydration to the ring.”
Coming up:
The Prime brand will take centre stage at WrestleMania 40, which takes place on April 6th and April 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
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