Over the last couple years, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has collaborated with local professional sports teams to produce exclusive t-shirts that are sold when WWE holds a show in the respective teams’ markets. It’s a genius bit of marketing that appears to be incredibly successful.
Many NHL teams have been involved in this cross-merchandising, most recently the Colorado Avalanche when WWE Monday Night Raw emanated from Ball Arena in Denver on Labour Day (Sept. 2). The Edmonton Oilers, in fact, had a special t-shirt of their own when WWE last came to Rogers Place in September 2022.
Some of the designs, like with the Oilers two years ago, are pretty basic, featuring the team and WWE logos. Others are more creative, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs shirts that have featured elements representing wrestler Edge, a Toronto native and diehard Leafs fan.
But it’s safe to say there has never been a more fitting WWE shirt designed for an NHL team than the one that has been produced for WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown show in Edmonton on Friday (Sept. 6).
The shirt graphic features the Oilers logo and colours incorporated into the winged skull icon of WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. “Edmonton Oilers” appears above, while below reads, in big all-caps stylized text, “Finish the Story”.
“Finish the Story” became Rhodes’ slogan during his long quest to capture the Undisputed Championship, the biggest title he’d never won during his decorated career.
After coming up short against Roman Reigns in the Undisputed Championship match at WrestleMania 39 in 2023, Rhodes earned a title shot again at WrestleMania 40 in April, when he defeated Reigns to finally win the championship.
Oilers and Rhodes Have Parallel Journeys
The parallels with Edmonton’s NHL team are uncanny (not to mention present a perfect marketing opportunity). Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has received pretty much every individual accolade possible, but hasn’t been able to lead his team to the Stanley Cup.
Following years of trying, and enduring many setbacks along the way, McDavid and the Oilers finally got to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, only to come up one victory short of the championship.
Now the Oilers, just like Rhodes, will try to get back to the championship one year after coming up agonizingly short, and “finish their story” by winning the Stanley Cup in 2025.
In a video posted to social media, Rhodes talks about the t-shirt design: “A little collaboration effort between my friends on the Edmonton Oilers and myself, a little meeting of the minds, I’ve got some friends on the squad, and of course, the message is the same: Finish the Story. Guys, finish your story.”
Oilers and WWE Have Many Connections
It’s not clear who Rhodes’ “friends” on the Oilers are – a quick search through Google and social media doesn’t turn up anything linking the WWE Undisputed Champion with any of Edmonton’s hockey heroes (although McDavid and Rhodes were both award winners at the ESPYS in 2022). More likely, Rhodes was taking some liberties for marketing’s sake.
The Oilers, however, have a unique history and no shortage of connections with WWE. During Raw at Rogers Place in 2022, wrestler Dexter Lumis disguised himself in an Oilers uniform and goalie mask to attack his archrival The Miz, much to the Edmonton faithful’s delight.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has been an Oilers fan all his life, while superstar John Cena has worn a throwback Wayne Gretzky Oilers jersey to the ring. Legendary Oilers locker room attendant, the late Joey Moss, was a massive WWE fan who received a championship belt autographed by many wrestling stars from his hero Hulk Hogan (from ‘Edmonton Oilers enter think tank over ways to memorialize Joey Moss’, Edmonton Sun, 10/28/20).
Sheldon Souray, former Oilers All-Star defenceman, married one-time WWE Divas champion Kelly Kelly. And in another Edmonton connection, Reigns, who Rhodes pinned for the title, played for the city’s Canadian Football League (CFL) team.
Oilers Will Gain Attention From Rhodes Collaboration
Regardless of one’s feelings about professional wrestling, this latest WWE crossover will have many hockey and wrestling fans excited and draw a lot of attention: Rhodes is one of the biggest stars on the planet right now (yes, probably even bigger than McDavid).
Related: 6 Reasons the Edmonton Oilers Will Win 2025 Stanley Cup
The Oilers “Finish the Story” shirt is a limited edition and will be available only at Rogers Place on Friday. It will surely sell out. Rhodes has another slogan that Oil Country hopes to see on a t-shirt the next time WWE rolls into Edmonton: “Story Finished”.
