A Timeline of Sneakers in Professional Wrestling

Year(s): 2017-2019
Best Pair: Puma Clyde “Undertaker”

In 2017, ahead of WrestleMania 33, the WWE partnered up with Puma to release limited-edition Puma Clydes dedicated to five pro wrestling icons, including the Undertaker, Andre the Giant, and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. They were all in white, although a unique all-black pair was done with the Undertaker in mind. Each shoe came with special laces and an insole dedicated to that superstar, as well a line of T-shirts, sold through Foot Lockers across the country. This was followed by a Money In the Bank-inspired pair of shiny gold Puma Clydes with dollar signs on the tongue that came with your very own Money In the Bank briefcase. Their collaboration continued with a release of Clydes and the Puma Shinsei inspired by the WWF ice cream bars that were all the rage in the ‘80s, with ice cream sandwich-colored camo dropping on all-white Pumas.

By 2019, the WWE had formed a new partnership, this time with Fila, giving Sasha Banks and The New Day their own inspired kicks: Disruptor 2s for Sasha and the Original Fitness for The New Day. While sneakerheads may have hoped for something a bit more hypebeast-y, these did the job for the fans who want to show up at the arena with real WWE collaborative kicks.

Wale’s Asics collaboration from 2016 also deserves an honorable mention here. The gold Gel-Lyte III was made to resemble the Intercontinental championship belt from the ‘90s. While not officially tied to the WWE, it was a great way for the rapper to fuse two of his biggest passions. He’s developed a great relationship with the WWE in the years that have followed. —Khal