Buzz Break: 2007 Topps Heritage WWE III (Ringside Edition)

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The box: 2007 Topps Heritage WWE III Ringside Edition (Walmart only)
The cost: Will vary when found -- click here for new WWE boxes

Packs per box: 11 (10 packs plus one 1951 Ringside bonus pack)
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 52
Base set completion: 
42 of 90 (47 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Santino Marella, Shelton Benjamin, Batista, Bobby Lashley, John Morrison, Tommy Dreamer, Bruiser Brody, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Brian Pillman, Kelly Kelly, Melina, Michelle McCool, Mickie James

Insert cards: 9 (a sampling of everything in gallery below)
1951 Ringside Rookies (1) – Deuce
1951 Ringside (4) – Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Chavo Guerrero, Finlay
Allen & Ginter Superstars (2) – Shawn Michaels, Carlito
Magnets (2) – Triple H, Batista

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Ringside Relics ring mat (1) – Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero Jr.

What's Buzz-worthy: Anybody remember this one from back in the day? Odds are you may not, but there's one sleeper card here that could end up being a card with some added demand among newer or casual collectors soon. This Ringside Edition blaster box was only sold at Walmart and they're pretty much nowhere to be found now -- and that key sleeper appears on the box -- a Ringside Rookies card of then-newcomer Cody Rhodes, a son of the son of a plumber, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. He appears in the basic set, too, but that's easily found and trumped by Refractor versions of it in the Chromed edition the next year. So, technically, Rhodes' only two RCs are in this release -- and both are only found in this particular retail-only box, but not every time. (Yes, the Ringside card is an insert ... but RCs don't exist in wrestling to many, so I'm pulling a VKM and calling it an RC.)  Either way, I didn't land one here. ... Why does Cody Rhodes matter? He's one of the faces of the new All Elite Wrestling promotion that will be taking the airwaves on TNT this fall as a direct competitor to the WWE. The Ringside packs are just one per box here and each includes one of four rookies and then four veterans from a 16-card set styled after the 1951 Topps Ringside boxing release that did include wrestlers. They are rare and asking prices for the established stars can be surprising on some sites out there. The basic Heritage set here is one that was around in hobby box form for a while -- so basically only the hits are rarer at this point -- but there are a number of veteran and younger stars included on 1980 and 1982 Topps designs as well as a subset of retired greats on the 1987 design. It's a solid little set and it's that little-ness that makes it a bland rip at retail. Thankfully this box did include a Relic -- boxes are rougher without them and they are not guaranteed at one in 24 packs. I hadn't thought about these boxes in years and I wasn't even sure if I landed them all for the Ringside cards back then (I think I bought until I completed the set) but I picked this one off when I saw the box. Spoiler alert: I'll be grading my Rhodes cards here at some point in the future as you can mark me down as feeling that AEW could be something big ... or at least something else on TV to check out. Will they be big money cards? Probably not, but they're far tougher to find than the standard cardboard -- and I think that makes a difference, especially if I land an elite grade.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: B+ (simple release)

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