Buzz Buys: Big buys, big cards, plenty of WWE & plenty more

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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BUZZ FELT RICH AGAIN ... 
The Card: Derek Jeter 2012 Panini National Treasures Prime Button (/6)
The Price: More than I'll admit.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a premium-priced pick-up for me but I only landed it after getting rid of a lot of smaller cards slowly but surely -- and that's something I should do more often. Sure, it's centering is off -- that's the one obvious issue -- but I always liked the simplicity and lineup of options for this first year of Panini National Treasures. I typically stick to the old guys but a button card of a new Hall of Famer wasn't a bad add and at the price it's a good long-term hold. I got this at a fraction of many Jeter game-used button cards out there. That's all I'll say for now -- I'm keeping these a little shorter than normal as this is the biggest roundup of pick-ups I've ever done.
Grab a box right here: Panini National Treasures boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

BIG PLAYER, BIG DEALS
The Posters: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Wall Art -- standard and variation (/99 each)
The Price: Direct from Topps (discount for buying three)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: You guys can chase and stockpile all of the Wander Franco flagship debuts you want (I pulled a few myself) ... instead I grabbed a trio of these when they arrived and sold out on the same day. I like the variation photo a lot more, but I figured the main version might appeal to more people out there over time. Are debuts (Bowman or Topps) iconic enough for these to have long-term appeal as wall art? I think it's possible with the right names. Why? Well, one example here is that this did sell out on the first day -- and there are only 99 of each. Secondly, they have been doing these long enough people that should be somewhat familiar with them and watching for them to some degree or another if they missed the drop. I'm holding these for a longer-term duration. 
Grab a box right here: 2022 Topps Series 1 baseball cards

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TWO OF A WOOOOO
The Card: "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair & "Superstar" Billy Graham 2013 Sportkings Series F Double Memorabilia Gold (announced as /10)
The Price: About $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is a fun pairing of two iconic and colorful stars of the 1970s and 1980s and it was a bit of a steal as the card is on the rarer side of things ... but not numbered. Heck, I didn't realize it was that rare ... I just grabbed it since it was two big names and cheap. The cards are a piece of Flair's red match-worn trunks and it's a piece of a tie-dyed shirt for the guy who Hulk Hogan idolized.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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FEELING CAMPY
The Card: Roy Campanella 2012 Playoff Prime Cuts Timeline Materials (/99)
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Brooklyn Dodgers legend is one of a few names I'll occasionally check on with cheap memorabilia cards as they are often on the affordable side for an older Hall of Famer. This set is one I liked even though it's admittedly a little funky with the player's face being so small on the card. The various types of cards in this one make the designs work with ink or multiple swatches in play, though. This simpler approach also has its charms. 
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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MY FIRST MAGIC CARD?
The Card: Danny Trejo autographed "Trusty Machete" Magic The Gathering card (from the actor's website)
The Price: Free! (no, really)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Machete don't text but apparently he's not worried about signing some autographs -- some free autographs -- to move some merch on his site. Normally he sells these -- and there are a few options (Maybe he's a Magic fan?) in general -- but one day recently he offered up one of these free for buyers of shirts on his site. The pickings were a little slim that day but I grabbed a small shirt (that I can't even wear) to land this. Fun fact: There was a Machete set made with some epic inclusions but I guess Machete hasn't gotten his hands on any of those. (I'd totally buy signed cards from that set ... I own a few sets I like it that much. Some will get slabbed someday.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... Magic boxes are here

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AND I WANDER ...
The Cards: Wander Franco 2020 Topps Heritage MiLB 1971 Bazooka Numbered Test, 2020 Bowman Heritage Prospects and two 2021 Topps Now Card of The Month cards (free with the season pass rewards code)
The Prices: About $3 and free (technically)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked off the first two cards last year after his call-up as I liked the odd appeal of the insert and then the 1992 Bowman re-do -- and also their prices as people were running up Bowman cards. The other two arrived in my hands free at the end of the season as he was on two cards sent to those who used rewards points to get free Topps Now cards every month. I don't actually own a ton of his stuff -- I didn't stockpile or chase but probably should have.
Grab a box right here: Baseball boxes are here

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A NEWCOMER'S FIRST WWE INK ...
The Art: Cora Jade autographed Rob Schamberger WWE Select Series litho (11-by-14)
The Price: $50 via WWEShop.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This NXT newcomer is the youngest WWE star on any roster -- she just turned 21 -- and figures to have a pretty decent run coming given how she's had a number of moments already in her first year. These dual-signed pieces sold out almost immediately when offered (an unknown volume) in just a few minutes on their site and these were the first certified autos for her as well. (It's not her first piece of WWE-sanctioned memorabilia -- we'll get to that.) She apparently has autos in the new 2021 Topps WWE Women's Division set (but no base) out this week but otherwise this is all there is for her right now. Could there be more to come? Perhaps ... as these are not limited so there's always a chance for a second wave -- or a newer piece.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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... AND A NEWCOMER'S MINI
The Art Cards: WWE Rob Schamberger NXT 2.0 Select Series Wave 28 set (Cora Jade, Malcolm Bivens, Xyon Quinn & Tony D'Angelo) (/25)
The Price: $15 via www.schambergerlabs.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set of smaller (4-by-6) prints is limited to only 25 hand-numbered matching-number sets and I grabbed this because it was the first piece of memorabilia for Jade. (The signed one showed up not long after this.) These are debuts for all four and WWE actually hasn't had much NXT 2.0 merch out there for anybody other than shirts. I like the card-like feel here once you get them in some top-loaders and the artist has done a number of small sets like this. Most are sold out but they can be found for a number of foursomes for all levels of WWE as well as past and present. They are blank-backed so they're still more art than cards but with new names there might be added interest until they have more cards.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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BOUGHT IT FOR THE SHEET ... NICE ENOUGH TO SLAB
The Mag: Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews -- Sports Illustrated For Kids January/February 2014
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I actually picked this one up for the card sheet's stars and possible grading there -- I'd actually like to slab whole sheets, not individual cards -- as there are some good names in this one. However, when this mag arrived it was very clean -- clean enough I might just grade it all. Why? It just looks good -- like a top mark could happen. I don't do much hockey but this is an interesting take on the teammates who have shared a lot of covers as Chicago Blackhawks. In this case, though, they were friendly rivals. The key card on the sheet here? Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, though others aren't bad -- they just have a lot more cardboard.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... hockey boxes are here

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HER OTHER PERSONA ...
The Photo: Sü Yüng autographed Queens of Combat 8-by-10 promo photo 
The Price: About $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This indie wrestling veteran hasn't appeared on much cardboard at all despite plenty of time in the ring for seemingly every promotion out there -- and I swear she's had matches with everybody. For me that has meant picking off various autographed items and photos since I recently discovered her multiple in-ring personas in recent years. (I'm admittedly late to the game but there's a lot of online footage out there to find.) I liked this since it's card-like with its frame and logo, though it's still a blank-backed image. Here's hoping she shows up and signs for a new wave of Impact cards. We know from Twitter that they are coming for some ... we should find out who makes the set(s) sometime soon.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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ALWAYS LOVED THIS ONE ... INK MAKES IT BETTER
The Card: Sammy Sosa autographed 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best card (BAS certified)
The Price: Pricey by Buzz standards but not as expensive as a lot of his certified autos
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I never really chased anything signed by this popular Chicago Cubs slugger back in the day but this card has always stood out as one of his best to me so I jumped on it when I saw a reduced price. What is it? This is the Baseball's Best set which is kind of an All-Stars boxed set back in the day with tweaked colors for the basic design but with different backs. Why this card? Well, it pre-dates his Rookie Cards by a year (this was a boxed set so not in packs ... so not a RC) and it's one of only a few to show him in a Texas Rangers uniform. All of his RCs are as a member of the White Sox after he was part of a trade-deadline deal for Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1989.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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THE BLAME GAME
The Card: Rob Manfred autographed MLB business card 
The Price: About the price of a blaster
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is my property but nowhere to be found in the world. What do I mean? Well, I found it raw and thought it might be a good card to slab -- and I did this one instead of buying one in a BAS case, which was about $50. I submitted this as well as a few other autographed items to BAS back in November only to have USPS never deliver my box -- likely lost forever as tracking never updated after a stop and it never arrived. And, so far, I'm getting declined or the run-around on them paying my insurance claim for my entire box of treasures, too, meaning I get nothing for signed stuff that, unlike this, I can't replace. So, yeah, blame. Manfred is a name getting a lot of blame for MLB's labor issues right now ... but I'm blaming somebody else for making me a bit irritated beyond that subject. Same name involved, though.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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FROM NOW TO THEN ...
The Mags: Assorted wrestling magazines from the 1950s up to this year. 
The Prices: Cover (PWI) and $9.99 on the rest
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This lot is one that I admittedly picked off here and there thinking I might do some slabbing ... but I'm finding the magazine grading game to be more of a challenge than I thought it might be even though I have a very selective eye for condition issues. The 1950s mag at right was one I really just wanted to check out in general baed on the age, while the various 1980s and 1990s WWE mags here have some icons involved and looked pretty good at a basic glance. Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Steve Austin and Lita are all names that have appeal and a couple of these could eventually make the cut to slab ... but none of them were clean enough for me to immediately say "yep" and put them in the grading stack. The 1990s stuff is high-gloss and thin stapled binding -- so condition issues can pop up easily vs. perfect-bound issues that are glued together. Ironically, the brand-new Pro Wrestling Illustrated Awards Issue here will get slabbed first of them all as it's double-sided (the back cover will look good in a slab instead of an ad) as part of AEW cleaning up and some good names attached. (There aren't many wrestling magazines these days ... so these might be their only covers right now, too.)
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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TWO OF A KIND ...
The Cards: Joe Morgan 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Fabric of the Game AL/NL (Reds /50 and Giants /100)
The Price: $17.50 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm not a big Joe Morgan fan but I have generally always liked this set on its face -- some of the varying die-cut windows get a little gimmicky, though -- and I liked the idea of having a matching pair once I found one of them on the cheap. The Giants card, which seems like the odd one to me, was only $5. This Hall of Famer's stuff isn't all that rare, but together I liked the looks of this.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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ALMOST MY FINALE ...
The Cards: Rickey Henderson and Shohei Ohtani 2021 Topps Project70 cards by Alex Pardee (/5,867) and Distortedd (/2,398)
The Price: Direct from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These are two of my last three cards for the series that I grabbed last year. The Henderson is from the artist that I bought the most (like many), while the Ohtani is the one from the artist whose unique style got me to bite first with the set (pun intended). My final card is on its way from Topps and a new Project should be launching at some point soon ... we'll see how much it grabs me in Year 3. I did less in this one despite there being a lot more to choose from and more I totally would do if I wasn't being prudent with cards at the price point. At some point, I'll scout prices and likely grab more -- it's easier to be less selective if prices have dropped.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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UNUSUAL JORDANS
The Mag & Cards: Michael Jordan Sports Illustrated March 14, 1994, issue with some unique Upper Deck cards from that era
The Price: A few bucks up to $30-something for the mag
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are tons of Michael Jordan fans out there -- far richer fans than I am -- so I have never really ever been tempted to chase anything for him. But, I did rip a ton of packs back in the day when he turned his attention to baseball and was a member of the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox farm team. The SI cover will be slabbed -- I bought it for that as it looks very clean -- while the others I pondered but didn't ... or did I? (Stay tuned on Making The Grade.) The final card of Johnny Kilroy is an oddball insert -- yes, it's Jordan -- check this for more there. I need to dig that one out (not sure where I put it) and see if it is clean enough to be slabbed. These are just time capsule cards to me -- more than all of his NBA stuff -- and they always get my attention.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball & basketball boxes are here

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TAKE A SEAT
The Card: Roger Maris 2002 Topps Super Teams A View to a Thrill Stadium Seat Relics 
The Price: About $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a release where I never opened a single pack -- only because I never saw it -- back when it arrived and that might be OK as some of the new and cool inclusions then might not be as interesting to many now. No worries, that means better prices. That's a slice of pink plastic from a red Busch Stadium seat.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... baseball boxes are here

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TEAM-COLOR PARALLELS FOR THE WIN
The Card: Randall Cunningham 2020 Panini Mosaic Green Prizm Mosaic 
The Price: About $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Team-color parallels always jump out at me when the rainbow and the franchise meet. This guy was one I collected heavily before the hits era of cards, so I check his listings from time to time. It's not numbered and it's not all that rare, but I liked it. Simple as that.
Grab a box right here: Panini Mosaic boxes are here

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A SIMPLE PAIR
The Cards: Devonta Smith 2021 Panini Certified Mirror Blue (/75) and 2021 Panini Prestige 
The Price: About $12 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has school ties for me and his Rookie Cards can be found pretty cheap. Why these? Both looked nice in different ways and both looked slab-worthy. I think the parallel is in my slab-it stack while the other is deeper on a waiting list of sorts but I still like the image. Rather than rip packs from the retail wild (if I can find them), I have decided to go the singles route more for football.
Grab a box right here: 2021 NFL boxes are here

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ONE MEATY LOT
The Cards: X-Men: The Movie, X-2 and X-Men: The Last Stand base sets and insert/promo sets lot
The Price: $9.99 for all of it
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: One of my collecting strategies (it's nothing big just common sense) has been to look for small lots in the COVID years rather than wax and this is an example of that kind of looking around paying off to a degree. It's nothing that big but I was able to find three sets and insert sets with those releases (more than what I show here) for one dirt-cheap price. Were they perfect? Unfortunately no as some of the pages these were stored in did not age well (basically gloss stick issues but no dramatic damage) but it was still a pretty solid find for the most part. That one set is Chromed and there were promo cards and other inserts in there.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... Marvel boxes are here

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IN A ROW?
The Card: "Weird Talk" -- 2017 Upper Deck Skybox Clerks 37 Foil (/37)
The Price: About $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This wasn't a cheap card but it does offer up some cheap laughs. The indie classic Clerks has this card set as part of its history (from not that long ago) and one of its parallels was this "37" insert. And in this case it's a 1/1 as it's No. 37/37. The last one of these I found I graded ... and I probably will grade this one, too. Why? This scene is one of the more hilarious ones in this profanity-laced piece of perfection from the film world. (My other 37/37 card is closer to the 37 moment.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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NO TAILPIPE TRIO?
The Photos: Beverly Hills Cop Paramount Pictures media kit 8-by-10 photo set (with perforated cutlines still complete)
The Price: $9.99 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These black-and-white photos were in media kits were sent to newspapers and magazines with hopes that their entertainment sections would use them when they wrote bout the movie. I found these in basically untouched shape and that was a big win considering this movie's iconic place in the 1980s and some of the names attached here -- not just Eddie Murphy. Generally I think this set hits all the bases except maybe the memorable scene with Murphy in the back seat of their car during surveillance. Oddly, that last image also was included ... I left the cutline showing to explain that one. (Not sure any newspapers would have used it.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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QUEENS OF CONTROVERSY?
The Cards: Morgana, Madonna, Montana (Miley Cyrus), Bella Thorne and Jesse Jane cards from the 1980s to today
The Price: Roughly $10 up to $35
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a wide array of past additions that I never really thought about under a catch-all theme but I think it works here. Morgana Roberts was a game-stopping ballpark icon of the 1970s and 1980s who actually interrupted her first MLB game in 1969 to run onto the field and kiss Pete Rose. (Think streaking without streaking.) "The Kissing Bandit" did that on a dare and it led to a career. Why a card? Apparently she got this past Utica Blue Sox card as a part owner of the team. (I bought it so long ago I don't even remember what it cost me.) Next up? Madonna -- she has a lot of card appearances (and controversies) in the past, but if you look closely at that Pro Set card the small yellow type is wrong. That's because it's a promo card ... not one of the regular ones. Next up? Miley Cyrus. She has had her share of controversies and provocative moments -- just imagine if Madonna's career had happened with the Internet and Twitter -- but this card is where it started as Hannah Montana. It, too, is a promo card for a Topps set. (It's not perfect, but I might grade it. You can find those cards but this seems better.) The last two autos are from Pop Century in recent years -- Thorne who did Disney stuff before going more provocative online and then Jane, who is a retired performer and a Hall of Famer. That photo is an all-time classic for fun Pop Century sets so I shopped around back when it arrived. All of these are simply unique cards without a lot of competition -- and that can help them maintain value.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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ANOTHER AFFORDABLE ADDITION
The Cards: Barb Wire 1996 Topps base set, promo card and laser cut and embossed insert sets
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Like my X-Men find, this one also was a catch-all on the cheap. It's an iconic bust of a movie starring Pamela Anderson based on a Dark Horse Comics comic book, but the cards are actually pretty creative with laser cuts and embossing. Those insert sets can sell for more than what I paid here -- though the gloss and edges of this batch was particularly chippy. (I'm not sure if that's how these cards aged or whether they arrived that way in packs.) I had visions of maybe throwing one or two of the better cards here (iconic ones) into a grading order back when I found this last year but it hasn't happened yet ... and I might not. But with her name in the headlines for a couple of TV series (one a documentary to come) and actually a run on Broadway arriving next month, I might need to look again. (At worst, I'm betting there has been a little more interest on her cards and memorabilia vs. when I found it. Why? Stuff off the radar of many can move faster than you think when a name pops up in pop culture.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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PICKING THEM OFF CHEAP ...
The Cards: Various WWE Relics -- Big E, Cesaro, Apollo Crews, D-Von Dudley, Bubba Ray Dudley, Damien Sandow, Damien Mizdow, Ember Moon, Beth Phoenix, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Xavier Woods, Renee Young, Dolph Ziggler, Ronda Rousey
The Price: $1 to $6 in general 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This lot happened over time as I picked off bargain-priced or under-priced Relics for some pretty good but perhaps not top-tier (value-wise) WWE names from the past and present. Some are parallels some have nicer swatches and others are kind of basic. Some of these literally were not far off from being pocket change, too. But, no matter what, I like the simplicity of a memorabilia card at any price and I like them more around $1. I'll buy them all day long like that as long as a name has some mild appeal to me.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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HALL OF FAMER INK
The Photo: Molly Holly autographed 8-by-10 WWE photo (Wrestling Universe signing)
The Price: $10 or less (in a sale lot)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE Hall of Famer hasn't had a lot of certified autographs -- that's just starting to happen now after getting the company's top honor -- but she's not a tough sig. I found this one on the cheaper side of things as part of a lot from a New York-based company that regularly has wrestling stars from the past and present in their shop for public signings. I generally try to pick off ink from everybody I can when it's affordable (most are) and then some favorites I'll pick off more if the images are strong. This might be my first auto for her -- if not, it's close -- and she had a memorable run.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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A LITTLE EXTRA
The Card: Shawn Bradley 2017-18 Panini Spectra Illustrious Legends Signatures Neon Blue Prizm (/49)
The Price: $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This color and parallel texture in this thick-stock brand has gotten me to bite many times. This also had a little extra touch that got me to grab this card on the rarer side for a memorable player from the past. I'm not sure if that's an inscription for him being 7-foot-6 or a rookie with the 76ers, but for the price I thought it was interesting. His name was in the news in recent months as he was paralyzed in a bike accident.
Grab a box right here: NBA boxes are here

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A PIECE OF THE PLATE
The Card: Alex Rodriguez 2004 Donruss Studio Big League Challenge Combo Jerseys (plate & jersey) (/50)
The Price: Under $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Here's an oddity ... a memorabilia card with a piece of home plate from a home run derby. Do you know of any others? I don't ...
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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JUST KEEP LIVING ...
The Cards: Miss Elizabeth and Scarlett Bordeaux 2021 Topps WWE Living Set five-card bundles
The Price: Direct from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set has gone into hibernation (at best) with the WWE license moving over to Panini and these two were among a few stars where I picked up a bundle with an eye on grading some cards (or at least one that was centered) from the release. Miss Elizabeth was a manager (and wife) of "Macho Man" Randy Savage and had a big place in the 1980s and 1990s WWE. Bordeaux (I'll use her full name since she's back on the indies) is a wrestler who managed her future husband, Karrion Kross, in WWE but never got the call beyond NXT. I suspect we might see her on TVs at some point again. This set, which used the memorable 1985 Topps design, got my attention a few times but the end came sooner than expected with many top stars not getting the nod.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... WWE boxes are here

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