With the way sneaker culture has become more and more prominent within WWE and pro wrestling in general, is it only a matter of time before a wrestler gets a signature shoe from Nike or another top brand? Paul “Triple H” Levesque thinks so.
The CCO of WWE appeared as a guest on Complex’s “Sneaker Shopping” series this week, perfectly timed for WrestleMania. Triple H told host Joe La Puma that while his own expertise on what was cool in sneaker culture at any given time was limited — he says he used to take Chuck Taylors with him on the road because they’d take up the least room in his bag — he knows today’s WWE superstars are on top of it.
And while he understands top stars in music and pop culture like Travis Scott are driving the shoe game in incredible ways right now, he believes WWE talent can have the same kind of impact to a shoe company’s bottom line if they were to join forces.
“I think that our performers affect that culture just as much as well,” Triple H said. “If you go to a game in almost any sport, you’ll hear out entrance themes, playing in that stadium or that arena. You’ll hear the saying and the chants and the catchphrases that our talent use. You can’t go to a game without people whoo-ing like [Ric] Flair. I see athletes doing the Roman Reigns ‘1’ all the time.”
He also mentioned Jey Uso’s “yeet” catchphrase and pre-match routine as another one that’s crossed over in a big way, and in his mind, this is an energy that Nike and other brands can tap into more directly.
“It all affects culture in a big way, and I think if somebody doesn’t do the signature line with some of our talent — you know, a Cody Rhodes, a Jey Uso, a Roman Reigns — I think they’re missing the boat on something that can be very impactful towards their business.”
Check out the full “Sneaker Shopping” episode below, which features The Game doing pretty well in picking out sneakers that hit despite his professed lack of knowledge on what’s cool.
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