Logan Paul’s Prime becomes WWE’s first-ever logo to appear on its wrestling ring mats
By Jordan Valinsky, CNN
New York (CNN) — WWE and Logan Paul’s Prime have struck a “record-setting” deal to feature the sports drink as the first-ever brand logo to appear in the center of the wrestling mat.
Prime’s pact, which is the largest deal that WWE has ever struck with a sponsor, also makes the hugely popular sports beverage its “official hydration drink partner” in a two-year sponsorship. Specific financial terms weren’t publicly available.
A picture of Prime’s bottle first appeared on the mat over the weekend, and the brand will receive “unprecedented exposure and integration” with its logo being displayed at all future events, including “WrestleMania” and “Money in the Bank.” The Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, are no stranger to WWE, with both often competing at events.
Notably, the deal is for Prime Hydration and not for its energy drink, Prime Energy, which riled up some US lawmakers last year for its high caffeine content. Prime has said its energy drink contains a “comparable amount of caffeine to other top selling energy drinks, all falling within the legal limit of the countries it’s sold in.”
Prime’s partnership with WWE is an expansion of a relationship with another company owned by its parent organization, TKO: The sports drink also signed a similar deal with the UFC in January. In a press release, the parent company said it “brought together the global partnerships teams at UFC and WWE to form a singular global partnerships unit with a unified sponsorship strategy.”
Last year, UFC signed a record deal with beleaguered Bud Light to replace Modelo as its beer sponsor, with its logo having a “highly visible presence” during fights and weigh-ins.
Mat sponsors are common at the UFC, so WWE is following its lead and, in return, hopes to catch up in cash: The UFC raked in nearly $50 million in sponsorship revenue during the last three months of 2023 compared to WWE’s $15 million, according to its earnings report.
TKO has been busy since becoming an independent company six months ago. In January, Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to “WWE Raw,” currently seen weekly on Comcast’s USA cable network. The show will begin streaming live early next year. The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a previous TKO filing.
The company also added Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the WWE’s most recognizable stars, to its board of directors, paying him $30 million in stock awards to promote the brand as part of his new deal.
However, controversy surrounded the company when disturbing allegations of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse against WWE founder Vince McMahon came to light. McMahon, who has denied the accusations, resigned from the company a few days later.
The-CNN-Wire
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