2015 Topps WWE

Over the last couple of years, I've slowly gotten back into WWE wrestling. I think it's the unique type of fandom that the sport demands that has made it attractive to me. A combination of scripted drama with the possibility of actual surprise is an intriguing one, and for this reason, I plunked down $1.99 at my local Target.


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:
42 John Cena

He gets a bad rap from serious fans, but I can't help but like the guy. They say he's there for the kids to have someone to cheer for, but I appreciate what he brings to the ring. His ring entrance music is the best in the business, in my opinion.

7 Big E

Currently representing for The New Day, a group of clowny also-rans that are downright embarrassing to watch. Automatic FF when I'm watching RAW on the DVR.

41 Jimmy Uso

Part of another snooze-inducing tag team. The WWE's tag division is an absolute joke, a far cry from the days of Demolition and the Road Warriors.

55 Nikki Bella

Fitting I get one Diva in a pack, just like you get one Divas segment per show. Nikki is the less attractive of the Bellas. Fact.

66 Rusev

This guy never disappoints. The Russian schtick is enjoyable, and I love it when he gets enraged and starts shouting in rapid Russian (or Bulgarian, possibly, his true heritage). Looking forward to another match with Cena, though that storyline looks as if it's gone by the wayside at the moment.

Crowd Chants 6 "This is Awesome!"

Fun idea for an insert, but I wish I had gotten someone with a little more pop.

Hulk Hogan 6 Faces Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania IV

What's that, two inserts in this retail pack? Can't go wrong with that. Hogan rules.

So I have to say I think I'll be buying more of these. I like the use of the 2015 Topps baseball design, and with a small set, I think completion won't be all that difficult. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to the Cheap Heat podcast.

2009 WWE Heritage IV: A Purchase Made Out of Spite

When I posted a pack rip from 2009 Topps last week and mentioned that I had to go across the country to get those cards, I was half-joking. But this weekend, I again went to my local Wal-Mart and Target, and AGAIN I found no 2009 baseball cards. No Topps, no Upper Deck. No packs, no blasters, no cereal boxes, nada. I was taunted by Timeline, Stadium Club, Documentary, Updates and Highlights, 2008 Topps Series 2, and Heritage High Numbers. What the heck is wrong with my jerkwater town?

So at Target, I found myself staring at a single $10 blaster of WWE Heritage. Though my wrestling geekdom has been well-established, I've resisted the urge to by freaking wrestling trading cards time and again over the past few years. Finally, I had a moment of frustration and weakness. Five five-pack cards and a BONUS four-card pack? Sounds great! Allen and Ginter inserts, and the potential for match-used relics? Who wouldn't want a swatch of Hacksaw Jim Duggan's tights? Okay, never mind. With The Wrestler in the running for a few Oscars tonight, today seems like an appropriate day to rip some rasslin' cards. Ring the bell!

27 John Cena - Ugh, one of the most annoying guys out there. He's got this moron jock aura about him, and a hip-hop gimmick that's like nails on a chalkboard. Because snot-nosed little kids buy his t-shirts, WWE keeps shoving him down our throats, regardless of the fact that obnoxious adult males like myself boo and mock him at live events. Go away, John Cena.

46 Shelton Benjamin - A former amateur wrestler from the University of Minnesota. In case you're curious, he's got bleached hair because his nickname is "The Gold Standard". Get it? That's not even the worst thing the writers have done with him. Despite being an incredible athlete, he's never been treated like a big star because he doesn't have enough charisma. To this end, he was briefly managed by his overbearing sassy momma, as portrayed by obese former sitcom star Thea Vidale. Why do I watch this stuff again?

67 Melina - Consider this scan your reward for putting up with a wrestling post. In case you're curious, she's famous for doing a full-extension split as she enters the ring. Don't make me get the hose...

85 Junkyard Dog - The Legends subset is the real gem of this set. Sadly, JYD was killed in a car accident a decade ago. The other Legends I got in the box were Superfly Jimmy Snuka and Brian Pillman.

25 Jeff Hardy - Just your standard poetry-writing, North-Carolina-born, ex-druggie, raver-looking, ladder-jumping former World Champion. Rumor has it that he once gave his brother, fellow WWE talent Matt, a dead fish for Christmas. Like you do.

So I did get one Allen and Ginter mini in the box (CM Punk, for those who actually care). It was right purty. There was also a die-cut magnet of Batista, which seems like an odd choice for an insert. And the bonus pack? Four cards that I'd already gotten in the other packs in the box. I realize that the entire base set is only 90 cards, but come ON. Whoever packed that box deserves a good powerbomb.

2007 Topps WWE Wrestling Heritage Series III

Ok, so Thorzul beat me to the first pack of the year. Can't a man sleep in after New Year's Eve? I was up in time to catch the kickoff of the Sugar Bowl, so it's all good. He had a couple of nice packs and got the blog off to a good start. I needed some extra time though to carefully ponder just what would be the perfect pack to open to start off the new year right. It's a new year, a new beginning, this is a chance to set the tone for the next twelve months! The right pack could propel this blog up to lofty heights, the wrong one... complete disaster. That's why after long deliberation, contemplation, procrastination and blowing through most of a $50 gift card at Target, I chose this pack to start off 2008.

What?? There's nothing wrong with this pack... it's Heritage! It's got the retro designs and the super supple wrapper that drives men wild and... gum. I really bought it for the gum. Yes, that's right, I just wanted some gum, so that's why I bought a pack or maybe three. Fine! I'm such an insane Allen & Ginter addict that I bought some packs just so I could try to get an A&G mini card. You think that's bad, I actually pulled a relic card from one of the other packs and this is the one I chose to post. I need help. This is what I got:

one stick of yummy gum
64 Ashley
74 Dusty Rhodes
Allen & Ginter 10 of 12 The Undertaker
9 Umaga
26 Armando Estrada

So I got my A&G mini, yay! And it's The Undertaker who I have actually heard of before. He looks nice and crazy on this card, and I like crazy cards. This set has an 80's design thing going on, although the backs are generic non-sports junk. It may just be that my mind is warped from all the cards I've scanned for The 792 but I like these even though I haven't watched wrestling with any kind of regularity for over a decade. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes is an awesome pull, the man is an awesome interview and it makes me happy to see someone who is as out of shape as I am kicking ass on a trading card. This is cool stuff although I'm already WWE'd out. Before you decide I've gone completely insane consider this: Which 1982 Topps card would you rather pull? This:

or this:

Sorry Bedrock, sometimes a Cy Young award isn't enough.