Pro Wrestling Tees
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling merchandise sales |
| Founded | June 1, 2013 |
| Founder | Ryan Barkan |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ryan Barkan (owner) |
| Products | Custom-designed shirts, DVDs, posters, action figures |
| Owner | Ryan Barkan |
| Website | prowrestlingtees |
Overview
Pro Wrestling Tees operates as an online platform and retail outlet that enables professional wrestlers to market their own merchandise. It stands as the largest website dedicated exclusively to this niche. The company frequently hosts fan meet-and-greet events coinciding with major wrestling shows, fostering direct interaction between wrestlers and their audience. This platform serves as a global marketplace, allowing prominent wrestlers to distribute their branded products worldwide.
Company Details
- Website: prowrestlingtees.com
- Owner: Ryan Barkan
- Launch Date: June 1, 2013
- Commercial Activity: Yes
- Product Range: Custom-designed shirts, DVDs, Posters, and Action figures
- Industry: Professional wrestling merchandise sales
History
The company was established in 2013 by Ryan Barkan, with its headquarters located in Chicago's North Side. Originally, the business began in 2008 as a digital printing operation where Barkan sold personalized T-shirts under the name One Hour Tees.
In 2010, Barkan was contacted by prominent independent wrestler Colt Cabana to design a shirt for his friend CM Punk featuring the phrase, "I Broke Big Show’s Hand". This collaboration led to additional orders from Cabana, who subsequently proposed promoting One Hour Tees on his podcast, The Art of Wrestling. Following this exposure, the brand experienced significant growth and attracted interest from wrestlers such as The Young Bucks, Joey Ryan, Kevin Steen, Christopher Daniels, and Frankie Kazarian.
By 2013, Ryan launched ProWrestlingTees.com, an online marketplace representing over 1,200 wrestlers worldwide who sell their own merchandise. The following year, the company entered into partnership agreements with New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
In 2017, Pro Wrestling Tees secured a contract with Hot Topic to provide wrestling apparel and merchandise. Two years later, in 2019, they became the official merchandise partner for All Elite Wrestling, introducing ShopAEW.com as their dedicated platform.
Business model
Ryan Barkan, in collaboration with Colt Cabana, originated the concept for ProWrestlingTees.com to enable wrestlers to market their merchandise globally. The platform was established to allow professional wrestlers and their families to create and sell custom apparel alongside other products such as DVDs, posters, and action figures. Each wrestler maintains their own individual store on the site and retains ownership of all images and merchandise they offer. Revenue generated from sales is paid directly to the wrestlers or their families.
Partnerships
ProWrestlingTees.com maintains direct partnerships with numerous renowned wrestling personalities, including Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, The Young Bucks, CM Punk, Shawn Michaels, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, Andre the Giant, Scott Hall, Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Roddy Piper, among others. Colt Cabana holds the distinction of being the very first professional wrestler to launch a store on the platform.
Sales figures
During the All In event weekend, Pro Wrestling Tees achieved nearly $500,000 in merchandise sales. By April 2019, the company announced it had distributed over $5 million in royalties to its partners. On December 3, 2020, Ryan Barkan revealed via Instagram that Sting's AEW t-shirt rapidly set a new single-day sales record on the site.
In tribute to Brodie Lee during the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life event, Pro Wrestling Tees' Shop AEW store released a commemorative t-shirt with all proceeds directed to The Huber Family. This release broke the record for most shirts sold within 24 hours in under two hours, surpassing Sting’s previous achievement. Furthermore, within just under four hours, it became the top-selling t-shirt of 2020 on the platform, overtaking Orange Cassidy’s prior record.