The Hit Man

 Well, not exactly another "hit" as we usually think of when it comes to the hobby, but he was "The Hit Man" - the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.

Of course there was the whole falling out in '97 and since then his career was never really the same, but Bret was great as a wrestler in the 80s and early 90s and morphed into a great polarizing character in the mid-90s to his departure. This is the Hit Man I remember fondly - and the one they picture here.

Mojo - I still don't get you - hopefully your hometown does.

The base, again all new, and we get the big man Braun off the missing in action list as well as another Dana and another Curt card to go with the bronze versions, and Dana's Hometown Hero cards I also pulled so far.

12 Packs, 88 Cards, 613 Points.

We will end this one with another PWE - been a few of these lately. This one is coming in from TCDB member Eriqulous who isn't actually too far from me - just out in the Waterloo area. Not close enougn to bother with a connecting drive compared to a quick stamp and mail, especially under the current COVID situation, but close nonetheless.

I am always surprised when I get 1991-92 Score cards that I need - I have seen so many, but it's the differences between the English and Bilingual (these being bilingual), that is the issue. Well, less issue for me now with these additions.

The 2015-16 Fleer Showcase cards add with the one I have to give me the three pure base cards (again, "base" set cards with serial numbers...really just call them inserts).

The MVP from the same year are nice, and the Champs add to the cards I have from the one box I opened way back when. Actually, I still have a box to open which I picked up at Dave and Adam's way back in August 2019...

Maybe by this August...well, not likely with this lot of cards...maybe August 2022?

Big thanks for the PWE trade Eriqulous!

Rushing Around

 The base cards today - whether it is hustle (loyalty and respect) or Lio - seem to be in a hurry.

I was never really a fan of Lio in WWE, but I am still ahuge fan of Mickie and Renee. Mickie can still go and I could see her go with anyone on the roster and know it'll be a solid match. As for Renee, sucks for her to part ways with WWE, but in all honesty, she will keep going on to bigger things in the "regular" sports world.

Speaking of other sports world, it's been interesting with Coachman having come back to wrestling - would have thought he moved on. Can't see Renee coming back to WWE per se.

We have the big man and...

The not so big man in the Lio Rush hot pack!

11 Packs, 81 Cards, 585 Points.

Let's finish with another tacked on PWE trade, this one with TCDB member MMekler30

Nicely continues the recent adds of Bowman related cards. As I say, Bowman doesn't do much for me with many of the prospect cards - here Luke and Brandon, neither of which actually played a game for the Jays, will still find a place in the Jays collection. A little cheaty to me, but for now, I'll accept it. I'm not quite at the point of just keeping for those who actually took the field for the team...

The Auto

Yes - we have the promised autograph today, but we will save it to the end folks. 

First up, all the base goodies, all new, including Stephanie all suited up and ready to fire someone.

When you talk about announcers that I have little opinion on and am indifferent towards - you get Vic Joseph. Sorry Vic.

The proud Long Island native definitely uses the hometown in his shtick, and that's more than fine with me. He's proud of it, plays it up, and gives him a great connection to New York - which really is like home to the WWE. 

Here is a man that should get a lot of credit for helping a lot of careers, including Dwayne Johnson's. Ron Simmons was a great wrestler in WCW, did well in WWE, and as far as I can tell, thoroughly enjoyed his role with the Nation of Domination and helping Dwayne early on in his career.

Cedric did some of his best story line work this year with his interactions with Hurt Business. I can't say he would have been one of the autos I would have hoped for, but it's a nice one nonetheless and can happily be added to the collection. A decent signature too as you can make out the name rather than a C-squiggle A-squiggle.

10 Packs, 67 Cards, 529 Points.

Well, after that pack this isn't a big deal, but let's end with a quick Listia share of cards on the cheap...

I am a sucker for a Jays card, even if I have it, if it's only a few pennies in points that I didn't have to do much to earn.

I will say, I am kind of waiting to see if Listia dies off as it seems to be ebbing make to sparse in the amount it is being used, and the activity level. Time will tell.

Absolutely Perfect

 Not only is today's pack another full pack of new cards...

It's perfect. Mr. Perfect was a great character, and Curt Hennig played it so very well. Sure they are hockey now, but watching the original vignettes from before he first debuted, it was great to see him look perfect in every sport or everything he tried.

It's because of Mr. Perfect I spent a lot of time learning to spit my gum out and swat it away as it fell to the ground.

Bayley pre-heel turn. She was John Cena lite, but they let her turn and I think overall it worked very well.

A nice bronze Dana and let's see the base...

A nice quartet which include the beast incarnate and Ember with those wild looking contacts.

Another solid pack and getting close to half way on the base set.

9 Packs, 60 Cards, 456 Points.

Speaking of perfect - let's look at a perfect little PWE. Well, technically 2 PWEs as the trade was big enough to require two envelopes. I sent off some unneeded baseball and received a bunch of cards from TCDB member Jamie Haydu...

Honestly - I don't know what the draw of the Micro cards were. There is no way I can read any of it, they are easy to lose, and other than the "small things are cute" factor - I don't see anything redeeming about them.

Maybe it's just me.

Keeping with the abnormal sizes, we get a Topps Big and Bowman card, both nice adds as I didn't have either, and some mid-90s normal sized but over designed Bowman to boot.

We move into some 00s Jays, Lyle definitely wins on this one with that stoic post and being a Bazooka card.

We finish with a few Leaf cards after some more Heritage additions - these of the Bowman variety. Raul Barron was not a name I recognized at all, so I had to look him up. Though drafted by Toronto, he never suited up for a team in the MLB, but did spend a number of years in Mexico.

Learn something new every day - a great side benefit of a solid trade.

Makeup Malfunction

 I remember this look...

I really wasn't a fan of the makeup - just so dark and distracting. Maybe she was going for an intimidating look, but when it draws enough attention to overshadow the actions of the match participants, I think it's gone a bit too far. Sometimes subtlety is best.

Speaking of subtle...

Okay, maybe not all the time - definitely not as a wrestler (see - spinaroonie), but as a commentator, Booker has grown on me. He, like Samoa Joe, does a great job of bringing his knowledge and years of being in the ring, to help convey the thinking and process of the wrestlers in the match. It means more coming from a 5-time, 5-time, 5-time, 5-time, 5-time, WCW Heavyweight Champion.

We get a double shot of Ronda, and right beside each other in the pack, we also get both Kanelliseses.

8 Packs, 53 Cards, 428 Points.

Anyone Can Be Lovable

 Anyone can be lovable right?

For the longest time, as a character, I could never get behind Alicia Fox or Drake Maverick, but it was seeing them in interviews out of character (mostly), that I started appreciating their story - not even the one they portray on screen, but their story in getting to (and staying with WWE). I have talked about Bobby Roode already, and Michael Cole...

I hated Michael Cole when they were pushing him versus Jerry at commentary. I know this is what they were going for, but my hate was for the fact the attention was drawn away from the actual performers. Still, it did work.

I can appreciate him much more these days - only took a good decade for being able to be mildly entertained by his announcing. Okay, maybe not entertained, but it is serviceable (though not lovable like Gorilla Monsoon or Bobby Heenan, or JR).

Oh the lovable loser - and I mean that from a character standpoint with his 200 loss in a row streak. I can't remember exactly what it went up to, but he got it over.

Hey Mickie - I'm sure it isn't just Richmond that finds her lovable.

As for Ken - he may be considered past his prime these days - but I am not going to pick a fight with him - he can be considered lovable, or anything else he wants to be.

Would like to see him get into the Hall of Fame at WWE one of these years though.

7 Packs, 46 Cards, 398 Points.

We finish with something I am happy about getting...some mroe Magic The Gathering packs. SInce I had an order for Christmas stuff to do with 401games, I picked up a few supplies and a few of the newer set packs to add to the collection...

I do kind of justify the collector booster packs as a bit investment. At $25-$35 for those packs, you are putting down over a dollar a card, and I only justify it to myself because the packs I have kept and have have held and increased in value.

I do have them more for collecting purposes of course, but my justification is, I'm not just "throwing" the money away, there's value there.

I also got some proper Ultra Pro pages for them now too. With 4 pockets per page and sized 4" by 6" (almost - not quite), these work excellent for the unopened packs.

Also picked up a bunch of newer artifact card singles - and a few old ones, but will save those for another day.

The Greatest

 Who else would we be talking about when on the topic of wrestling than...

It has been very interesting in hearing the interviews, like his Steve Austin interview, or the Undertaker Last Ride series, where discussion turns to Ric Flair's time in the 00s where he felt like he lost himself and wasn't the great wrestler from the 80s, that he had this huge lack of confidence. Amazing to think someone who is considered top of his craft would have confidence issues and insecurities, but it goes a long way to show everyone that these are issues that everyone has and deals with.

Speaking of issues and doubts...

Nia Jax shared many (scripted to some degree or not) on Total Divas and how those same feelings and thoughts were difficult to push through in getting to the point of her career that she has been as of late.

See - wrestlers can be superheroes of one kind or another.

There's a perfect superhero - Titus. I mean, the man can literally fly under rings in a single bound as he proved at the Super Ultra Mega Massive Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia a while back.

6 Packs, 39 Cards, 370 Points.

Before we go today, a PWE trade with francoiangers from TCDB which covers some baseball and some hockey too.

A bunch of blue and one set helper with Roger and 1991 Bowman.

Love the old 80s Esso set, so will always take added copies of Leafs from it (and yes, pretty much any set). As for Petr, this is actually the first Leaf card I have from the Be A Player Memorabilia base set.

A great little trade, and I noticed I am getting pretty close to 10,000 on the Jays counter too!

Not So Pouty

 This pack, let's start with a sour legend.

I can't tell you when this pic of Lita was taken, but definitely a bit pouty in this one. Given Lita was a bit of a high flyer, maybe an aerial shot would have been better. Just not from the RAW main event where she won the title, but looked like she killed herself diving to the outside.

All I can say is - lucky Columbus. As for people not from Columbus...

Personally - still trying to figure Mojo one - he always just seemed to be there and other than the short Hype Bros run with Zack Ryder, hasn't been able to put things together. Thought it may happen over the 24/7 title, but no such luck.

Lastly, the base cards...

Chad wins best shot of the bunch.

5 Packs, 32 Cards, 342 Points.

We end today with a first time trade partner at TCDB, Barnaby Crosby. The trade touched ona few base card needs for collections and a couple inserts.

Nice additions all around. The Sundin Stars of the Game is the sole Leaf for the insert set, nice to get Joe Sakic in the O Pee CHee Premier set which is now less than 10 cards missing, and Stadium Club adds are great as well.

The Mikko insert is because I do have most of them, and if I were ever going to think about taking a run at a master set, it would be a cheap product like Victory, and this one is probably about as far along as I have a set 

A big thanks for the cards, much appreciated!

Glorious

 

Well, I guess I have the non-autograph hit for the box. Mat Relics are the more likely of the hits, but the parallels are still a lot more rare - the bronze being every 216 packs.

As for content - I really liked the Glorious Bobby Roode character and of course the entrance and theme, so happy that he is on the card.

Bobby is an interesting one as the majority of his career obviously was outside of the big promotions, but he was a great wrestler, so, like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, I was glad that he was able to get to WWE eventually and be able to put himself in front of a bigger audience. I know that the majority of wrestling fans don't necessarily watch all wrestling, and wouldn't know him from his TNA days for example, but the WWE run he has had may invite some to look at his pre-WWE career and appreciate his career work, rathen than just what we see in WWE.

Just nice to see them make it to that final big stage sometimes, but yeah, this is obviously the card of the pack, and the box so far.

Figured I should lead off with it for the post as I didn't want to leave you on the

of your seat..... 

I know - use of that card wasn't as funny as I probably though, but no need to

than a crazy gazelle for the door.....

Okay, I'll see myself out...

Le

4 Packs, 25 Cards, 314 Points.

Getting Chances

I wish Dana was more properly utilized. She has a great look, has improved greatly in the ring, and if given the chance, I think could be seen as a legitimate threat to the women's title.

I think the closest to having a real chance that she has had was with the Titus Worldwide gimmick.

Speaking of underutilized, a few more suspects here as Ascension were solid in NXT but floundered on the main roster until their departure, and Elias seems to have been on the cusp of being near the top, but keeps in the mid-card at best.

As for Murphy, he has been deservedly thrust into a solid program for most of the year with Seth Rollins and the Mysterio family.

I still really like his 80s video game theme.

We end with a solid retro Mark Henry - he looks so young..and a bit scared too.

3 Packs, 21 Cards, 86 Points.