Gabe Cooper thought he had been around some of the biggest names, especially last summer when his Noggin Boss oversized hat company connected with the likes of Tom Brady, Allen Iverson, Jordan Chiles and Dawn Staley at Fanatics Fest in New York last June.
But perhaps no event overwhelmed Cooper as much as the zealous fan base that attended WWE World, a five-day fan event last month at the Las Vegas Convention Center that coincided with WrestleMania 42.
“I never knew how big wrestling truly is,” said Cooper, Noggin Boss co-owner and graduate of Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business. “I watched it when I was a kid.”
Noggin Boss, operated out of GCU startup business accelerator Canyon Ventures, was part of an autograph sponsorship collaboration with wrestlers.
“Basically, we had these step and repeats (backdrops) everywhere that were Fanatics, Noggin Boss and WWE co-branded,” Cooper said. “Fans would pay hundreds of dollars to receive one autograph from their desired wrestler.”
One Noggin Boss hat sported the signatures of more than 20 wrestlers, which prompted lucrative offers from fans.
Cooper and one of Noggin Boss’ influencers also took pictures ringside and had VIP suite access for WrestleMania 42, which attracted more than 106,000 fans to Allegiant Stadium.
Among the top performers who were gifted and wore the colossal caps were John Cena, Undertaker (fans in a specially designed suite met him and received merchandise), women’s world champion Liv Morgan and Logan Paul.
Rhea Ripley defeated Jade Cargill to win the WWE women’s title and was gifted a hat.
Also, CM Punk grabbed Noggin Boss headwear from a fan and teased the crowd, acting as if he was going to wrestle while wearing the hat.
“You can't pay for this kind of exposure,” Cooper said. “And again, the happiness that he has with it, it never gets old.”
WWE reported WrestleMania 42 set new digital records, with more than 1.3 billion views across social platforms – up 18% from last year’s record-setting mark.
Noggin Boss played a role.
Between Punk taking a Noggin Boss hat off a fan and wearing it, and influencer and streamer IShowSpeed walking up to the company's booth and trying on hats while livestreaming, Noggin Boss attracted more than 8 million views in four days.
“This was probably the biggest unplanned moment of virality that happened,” said Cooper, who said his phone was "blowing up" over the attention his company received.
WrestleMania 42 festivities were sandwiched by two NFL events – Super Bowl LX and the NFL Draft.
Noggin Boss decorated hats on demand in a hotel suite adjacent to Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with selected GCU students assisting before the Super Bowl. The hat company also gained championship rights with the NFL, allowing it to produce championship versions of league hats.
“We had Gronk (five-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski) wearing our hats and doing his thing,” Cooper said.
Cooper did not have much time to recuperate after WrestleMania, as his group traveled to Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, where 13 teams displayed Noggin Boss products. Some teams – including the Arizona Cardinals – brought a dozen super fans who were allowed to sit in the theatre section and wear Noggin Boss attire.
That popularity will spread to the south. NFL Mexico, which last hosted a regular-season game in 2022, has requested an order. The NFL is returning to Mexico City in December for a game involving the San Francisco 49ers.
It's another chance for international exposure, as Noggin Boss obtained the rights to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
“We own the stands and love the movement we are seeing," Cooper said. "The fans continually grow in mass numbers from season to season."
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
***
Related content:
GCU News: Noggin Boss takes star-sized bite out of Big Apple visit
