Buzz Break: 2004 Topps WWE Apocalypse wrestling cards

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 packs: 2004 Topps WWE Apocalypse wrestling cards (nine Italian Edition packs)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com for newer WWE stuff 

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

Packs per lot: 9
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this lot: 72
Raw base set completion: 
15 of 38 (39 percent)
Duplicates: 6
Smackdown base set completion: 
14 of 32 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 6

Notables on base cards – John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Miss Jackie, Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, Booker T, Tazz, Chavo Guerrero, The Rock, Stacy Keibler, Victoria, Lita, Kane, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman, The Hurricane

Inserts: 31 (a sampling of everything in the gallery below)
Divas (5) – Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson (2), Lita (2)
Puzzle cards (7) – Undertaker, Edge, Eddie Guerrero (2), John Cena (2), JBL
In-Ring Action (17) – The Hurricane, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Eugene, Rico, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chavo Guerrero (plenty of dupes here)
Checklist (2) – No. 2 (twice)

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: What is this? Well, it's an Italian version of a Topps UK release -- something different that didn't make the cut for Friday's BuzzMania 4 marathon of breaks. (That one will mostly be American stuff but it will dabble with some unusual ones to mix things up.) This one is odd -- it's a couple of tiny base sets for the two shows at the time, a horizontal puzzle-back card set that looks a lot like a nice base set, a strong Divas set with essentially the same type of card backs as the base (all in Italian ... see a sampling in the gallery) and then a rough set of action cards. Even weirder? Some of the base cards are on foilboard, some are not. (I initially thought they were parallels. Nope.) The design and portraits here are pretty strong -- and the printing and stock is, too, though it's skinny and damage-prone -- but the overall lineup is too simple for a BuzzMania post. I like them and there are some cards here I'd totally slab but the couple I would have some wrapper-pressure issues or nicks ... had I ripped more than just nine packs I would have been fine, though the duplicates and triplicates here were odd across the board. Revisiting this design with some of the expectations of the here and now might make for a good release though I'm not sure the base set's big face behind cutout is the best look -- keeping it simpler would be an improvement there.

Product Grade: B (good portraits here but not much in the lineup)
Lot Grade: A- (good names here)
Fun Grade: B-

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