WWE Files Injunction Against Panini Trading Card Company

WWE has a lot of legal situations going on, and their ongoing legal nightmare with the Panini trading card company. This situation is far from over.

WrestleNomics reports that WWE recently filed an injunction against Panini to halt the sale of WWE trading cards. This legal action is part of the company’s ongoing effort to end its contract with Panini, potentially in preparation for licensing its rights to Fanatics. Initially, WWE sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Panini from promoting WWE merchandise, but this request was denied by a judge. In response, Panini counter-sued WWE to uphold their existing contract, set to expire on December 31, 2025.

In WWE’s recent filing, they present several key arguments:

“Panini had notified WWE in 2022 of a possible merger with Fanatics, which ultimately fell through in the spring of 2023. Following this, Panini suffered a substantial loss of key personnel and customers, with over 35 Panini employees, including those managing the WWE relationship, resigning in April 2023. New Panini employees assigned to work with WWE had notably less experience.”

WWE asserts that Panini failed to meet its contractual obligations, citing delays in inventory management, purchase orders, and responses to routine WWE requests. To support these claims, WWE provides declarations and emails from its employees.

In August, WWE found that Panini had not fulfilled its contractual obligations, as they had not produced prototypes, introduced new products for sale, or developed trading card games or digital trading cards.

In response to Panini’s alleged contract breach, WWE maintains that it was well within its rights to terminate the contract on August 25, which it did. WWE believes this termination should compel Panini to cease the sale of WWE products and either return or destroy their existing inventory, a step that Panini has not taken.

WWE also rebuts Panini’s attempt to shift blame by arguing that the contract did not obligate WWE to lodge complaints about Panini’s performance.

WWE argues that Panini’s continued use of WWE intellectual property causes irreparable harm to WWE, citing established case law to support its claim. There is obviously a lot more to unpack in this situation, so keep it tuned with us for the latest updates.

WWE has a lot of plans for the future, and it appears that they want to move along their deal with Fanatics. That being said, this legal situation with Panini.

What’s your take on this ongoing legal situation? Let us know what you think in the comments section!