It’s a shame that Topps lost its license as the WWE’s official card trading manufacturer. It was a product that Topps excelled at, but now they are getting dropkicked out of the pro wrestling market.
I am sure that Panini, which takes over the card sets and stickers beginning in 2022, will be focused on making its WWE product a good one, but there is plenty of history linking Topps and WWE together. Topps and WWE originally signed a deal in 2005 and most recently renewed its deal in 2018.
Topps Heritage WWE for 2021 looks at current stars with a nod toward the past. Its 100-card base set borrows the design from the 1990 Topps baseball card set.
I am sure that Panini, which takes over the card sets and stickers beginning in 2022, will be focused on making its WWE product a good one, but there is plenty of history linking Topps and WWE together. Topps and WWE originally signed a deal in 2005 and most recently renewed its deal in 2018.
Topps Heritage WWE for 2021 looks at current stars with a nod toward the past. Its 100-card base set borrows the design from the 1990 Topps baseball card set.
I was never a fan of the ’90 design, perhaps because it reminded me of how many billions (I am exaggerating) Topps baseball cards were produced that year. Go to any yard sale or thrift shop these days, and inevitably you will find a stack of 1990 Topps baseball.
But that’s OK. Cards look better these days, and even the 1990 design has a boldness to it.
I bought a blaster box, which has 10 packs plus a “bonus” pack. There are seven cards in each pack.
The base set has 100 cards and has competitors from Raw, SmackDown and NXT rosters. The blaster box I bought had 18 Raw competitors, 15 SmackDown cards and eight NXT members.
I also pulled five Rainbow foil parallels — three from Raw and two from NXT.
What I find more intriguing is the Allen & Ginter-styled inserts, which come two to a pack on average. It’s the first time since 2012 that Topps has used an A&G design in its pro wrestling product.
But that’s OK. Cards look better these days, and even the 1990 design has a boldness to it.
I bought a blaster box, which has 10 packs plus a “bonus” pack. There are seven cards in each pack.
The base set has 100 cards and has competitors from Raw, SmackDown and NXT rosters. The blaster box I bought had 18 Raw competitors, 15 SmackDown cards and eight NXT members.
I also pulled five Rainbow foil parallels — three from Raw and two from NXT.
What I find more intriguing is the Allen & Ginter-styled inserts, which come two to a pack on average. It’s the first time since 2012 that Topps has used an A&G design in its pro wrestling product.
It’s no secret that I love the A&G design, and the 30-card insert set is represented by some of WWE’s biggest names, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Eddie Guerrero, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Vader, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, the Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hedwig), Razor Ramon and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
Sadly, some of these pro wrestling competitors have died, including Hennig, Guerrero and the Warrior. Also, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, whose card I did not pull out of the blaster.
The only negative to this insert is that the card backs have very little information, other than telling the collector that “You have just received an Allen & Ginter Card from 2001 Topps Heritage WWE.” No kidding.
Sadly, some of these pro wrestling competitors have died, including Hennig, Guerrero and the Warrior. Also, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, whose card I did not pull out of the blaster.
The only negative to this insert is that the card backs have very little information, other than telling the collector that “You have just received an Allen & Ginter Card from 2001 Topps Heritage WWE.” No kidding.
Another insert is a 20-card Superstar tribute to The Miz, highlighting his 15-year career that includes two heavyweight title reigns. I pulled five of these cards.
The Superstars Speak! is a 10-card insert set that includes big names such as Ric Flair, The Undertaker and John Cena. The subset concentrates on a wrestler’s catchphrase. The card I pulled from my blaster was Goldberg with the phrase, “Who’s Next?”
There are 18 Superstar Stickers to chase, and I pulled three of them — Alexa Bliss, Cena and D-Generation X.
Wrestlers always tell the best stories, and Topps Heritage WWE has told some great ones through the years.
The Superstars Speak! is a 10-card insert set that includes big names such as Ric Flair, The Undertaker and John Cena. The subset concentrates on a wrestler’s catchphrase. The card I pulled from my blaster was Goldberg with the phrase, “Who’s Next?”
There are 18 Superstar Stickers to chase, and I pulled three of them — Alexa Bliss, Cena and D-Generation X.
Wrestlers always tell the best stories, and Topps Heritage WWE has told some great ones through the years.
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