Cody Rhodes has been positioned as one of WWE’s biggest stars, but a new claim suggests the company’s merchandise numbers might tell a different story.
Speaking on The Dirty Sheets podcast, Billi Bhatti challenged the narrative that Rhodes sits at the top of WWE’s merchandise rankings. According to Bhatti, both his personal observations at WWE events and conversations with sources suggest that CM Punk is actually the stronger seller. Bhatti explained that one of the easiest ways to gauge merchandise demand at WWE shows comes from signed photos that are sold at arena stands for top talent.
“One thing that every single main eventer has, if you are in the top three stars on either Raw or SmackDown, you sell signed pictures. These cost less than a dollar to make — probably about 25 cents to print — and they sell them for somewhere between and depending on how limited they are.”
He said he’s had plenty of opportunities to observe the situation firsthand while attending events with his son, who collects the photos.
“Over the past year my son has been collecting these pictures. He has Cody Rhodes, he has CM Punk, he has a few John Cenas, he has Jey Uso, he has LA Knight. These have been the main stars.”
Bhatti then explained why those items can reveal which stars are actually moving merchandise during the night. Based on what he claims to have seen at live events, Bhatti believes Rhodes’ merchandise has often remained available even after shows conclude.
“This is a good barometer in terms of who really is killing it in the merchandise department. Whose picture can you get at the end of the show? Because if the picture’s still there at the end of the show, that means it hasn’t sold very well.”
“From the naked eye alone, from arena experiences alone, I can tell you that at every show I’ve been to I have always seen Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes pictures still available at the end of every show.”
He contrasted that with what he says happens when it comes to CM Punk merchandise. Bhatti said he eventually reached out to sources to find out what the numbers actually look like behind the scenes.
“I have never ever seen a CM Punk picture available at the end of the show.”
“So I decided to look into this because initially when we first saw that picture we were unable to get a John Cena one. So I spoke to my sources about it and said what’s the situation with these pictures.”
According to Bhatti, the information he received pointed to Punk selling significantly more merchandise than Rhodes. He added that the gap extends across other categories of merchandise as well.
“CM Punk’s pictures are absolute hotcakes… and CM Punk outsells Cody Rhodes by four to one.”
“CM Punk, in fact, outsells Cody Rhodes in most areas of merchandising at around about two to one.”
Bhatti made it clear that Rhodes is still moving merchandise, but he rejected the idea that the Undisputed WWE Champion is the company’s clear top seller.
“I’m not saying Cody Rhodes’ merch is selling badly, but Cody Rhodes certainly wasn’t number one.”
The claim is sure to spark debate among fans as WWE heads deeper into WrestleMania season with Rhodes positioned at the center of the company’s main event scene.
Do you think CM Punk is actually WWE’s biggest merchandise seller right now, or is Cody Rhodes still the company’s top draw? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.