From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down the results here. Like this and want to see more — or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The box: 2017 Leaf Buyback Wrestling autograph cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 11
Base set completion:
N/A
Simply put, Don West got me again.
If you’re a collector of a certain age, then you know the past entertainment value of the past Shop At Home hobby heavyweight who got more than a few people to “dial in now” for their latest shot at some cardboard treasures.
This isn’t exactly a scenario like that one, but a recent tweet by a past wrestling star piqued my curiously and led me to eBay and that then led me to ShopImpact.com, which is the website of Impact! Wrestling, one of few WWE competitors these days, and there was West with a deal that I figured … why not?
He styled. He profiled. He wrestled around the world and made millions “Woooooooooo!”
The limousine riding and jet flying is a bit less chaotic these days, but the boisterous story of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair — or, really, the real-life story of Richard Fliehr — will get the spotlight tonight at 10 p.m. on ESPN.
It’s a 30 For 30 documentary that’s been in the works for months — long before his recent health scare nearly ended his life at age 68. It’s a piece that promises to explore the man, the myth, the legend — and where that’s led him to today. (And to be the man, you still have to beat the man … he’s not done yet.)
If you hadn’t noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com is in the midst its Black November sales now.
Wave 2 is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases — and here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye.
2017 Topps Update Jumbo boxes and cases
This relatively new release is simply a fun one that’s stacked with Rookie Cards and moments from the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This collector has ripped hanger boxes, blaster boxes and standard Hobby boxes and many of them have delivered good volume on those guys named Bellinger, Judge and even on the variations. (They don’t have to be rare to be fun.) I haven’t studied the jumbo breaks closely, but one auto and two other hits at this price makes for a fun rip — and if you get lucky you could do pretty well. While this might be a brand that seems somewhat plentiful now, once wax dries up there will be enough key players here to make it of interest later — and basic Topps flagship RCs seem to be growing in popularity, too.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is cleaning out his closet for a cause.
The man who had an ear torn off during a match, was thrown off the roof of a steel cage to the floor in one of the most-shocking moments in WWE history, and made multiple personas household names around the world is also a big supporter of RAINN. He has helped that group with more than $500,000 in donations and support generated by wrestling fans through auctions like the one running for the next few days.
Among nearly 50 items up for grabs now? The boots worn in his last match and the chance for Foley to come to your Raw or Smackdown watch party anywhere in the continental United States.
What else is there? Keep reading for a visual rundown of some notable items and experiences in the auctions as well as direct links to them so you can see how much they’re going for now.
“GLOW is unlike any show we’ve ever seen” reads the Entertainment Weekly headline for a review of an upcoming series from Netflix that’s a comedic but fictionalized take on the late-1980s real-world wrestling promotion.
It stars Alison Brie as “Ruth Wilder,” a struggling Los Angeles actress who opts to try out the world of pro wrestling in the series, which is based on a short-lived women’s wrestling promotion called Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling that ran for four syndicated seasons in real life. (Really.) The series arrives on June 23.
The real-world wrestling show was pure cheese — even to a 10-year-old wrestling-inclined Buzz — in an era where Hulkamania yellow was everywhere, but apparently the new series is packing punch with critics. The EW reviewer gave it an A while breaking down all of the reasons the 1980s-based new series works. “GLOW, which takes everything over-the-top about professional wrestling,” it reads, “pushes it to higher levels of absurdity and melodrama, and finds something deeply personal, explicitly political, and wonderfully brute-force awesome.”
Now, how about those collecting ties? Well, they’re more like pieces of trivia that could interest those who enjoy the show, but here we go …
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long … and this is Hour 4.
The box: 2009 TRISTAR TNA Knockouts wrestling hobby box
The cost: Click here
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The box: 2009 TRISTAR TNA Impact wrestling (blaster box)
Where to buy: Check eBay (hobby on BlowoutCards.com)
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 24
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion:
23 of 99 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – A.J. Styles, Brother Devon, Traci Brooks, Beer Money Inc., Sting, Mick Foley
TNA Debut cards – Brutus Magnus, Sarita
From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The box: 2008 TRISTAR TNA Impact wrestling (blaster box)
Where to buy: Check eBay (hobby on BlowoutCards.com)
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 35
Cards in this box: 35
Base set completion:
21 of 69 (30 percent)
Duplicates: 2
Notables on base cards – Consequences Creed, Don West, ODB, Jim Cornette, Christian Cage, Angelina Love, Sharmell, Rhino
What: 2017 Leaf Originals wrestling cards
Arrives: April/May
Box basics: Five autographs in every box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view
What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf turns to its Originals brand for the third time with nothing but autographs in the mix from stars of several wrestling promotions.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Four stars from TNA Wrestling will hit Big League Cards in Casselberry, Fla., on Saturday (Oct. 8) to sign autographs for free and help raise money for combat-wounded veterans.
Oh and there will be a charity arm-wrestling match with the shop’s owner, too.
“This event is so exciting,” said owner Alan Narz. “To have TNA bring so many of its exciting superstars to Big League cards will make for a great event and lots of fun. The fact that we will be raising money for such a great cause makes it even better.”
One of the more comprehensive autograph sets in wrestling card history arrived in hobby shops on Friday packing plenty of power from the past for the WWE, TNA, ECW, NWA, AWA and beyond.
The set is 2016 Leaf Signature Series and it includes eight autographed cards in every box with an array of parallels that help add to the chase that’s already pretty intensive.
It’s been three years since the last TNA Wrestling card set from TRISTAR, so the autographs from some of the wrestling promotion’s top stars may be starting to dry up a bit on cardboard.
The company has changed a lot in the last few years, too, which makes a new development on its website, ShopTNA.com, a surprise. How? A few generations of old promotional photos can be found autographed for bargain prices — and many are signed by top names who have not been involved with TNA for some time.
If you’re in certain parts of the U.S. as you read this, then you’re snowed in thanks to Mother Nature and Winter Storm Jonas.
It will probably give you some time to consider collecting some new players.
Maybe Brett Blizzard is an option — he had a pretty decorated college career but never made it to the NBA. He did have cardboard, though, and he’s still playing overseas.
But he’s not your only option …
A.J. Styles is reportedly set to make his WWE debut sometime in the next week with the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view set for Sunday in Orlando and the Raw and Smackdown tapings also in Florida next week.
That’s good news for wrestling card collectors since he’s a relatively plentiful autograph, a potential popular name for the story lines heading into the biggest time of the year with WrestleMania coming soon, and he’s also a bargain auto to pick up at the moment.
How much of a bargain?
Gary Fisher
Also Known As: @shinnox on Twitter
Website: www.facebook.com/stingcards
Email: sting.card.king@gmail.com
Location: Ohio
Work away from cards: games and graphics design
Collecting since: 1990-1999, 2011-present
Main focuses: Autographs, memorabilia cards, oddball cards.
Favorite players/teams: Sting and wrestling in general.
Current collecting projects: 2010 TNA Xtreme Green /10 S-T-I-N-G name plate (I still need “S” and “I” so if anyone out there as these, please contact me.)
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