Buzz Break: 2021 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2021 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 126
Base set completion: 
71 of 100 (71 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Karrion Kross, Scarlett, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dexter Lumis, Keith Lee, The Way, Cameron Grimes, Riddle, Pete Dunne, Kushida, Jake Atlas, Imperium, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed

Insert cards: 53 (a sampling of everything below)
Roster (36) – Scarlett, Kacy Catanzaro, Karrion Kross, Raquel Gonzalez, Indi Hartwell, Piper Niven, Saurav, Xia Li, Malcolm Bivens, Bronson Reed, Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, Kayden Carter, Swerve Scott, Fandango, Matt Martel, Walter, Tyler Bate, Fabian Aichner, Candice LeRae, Marina Shafir, Joaquin Wilde, Jake Atlas, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, Adam Cole, Dave Mastiff, Dakota Kai, Austin Theory, Kyle O'Reilly, Robert Stone, Trent Seven, Santos Escobar, Aliyah, Timothy Thatcher, Zack Gibson, Finn Balor
MIGS Media Illustration (2) – Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest
NXT Alumni (2) – Angel Garza, Keith Lee
Finn Balor Tribute (3) – Finn Balor
Purple parallels (9) – El Hijo Del Fantasma, Santos Escobar, Finn Balor, Keith Lee, Jake Atlas, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, The Undisputed Era
Blue parallels (1) – Johnny Gargano (/50)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
Autographs (1) – Raul Mendoza (/250)
Red Autographs (1) – Kay Lee Ray (/25)

What's Buzz-worthy: The sometimes-younger stars of NXT will often have their first cards found right here and this box showed some of the possible highlights with a product that is back closer to its traditional form (fewer packs than the past) after a COVID-forced mini format last year. This one continues with the highlights approach to the base set -- with an improved design -- that might not be ideal but the Roster set is a strong highlight here along with on-card autos and some inserts/parallels to mix things up. The super-skinny stock is still used here -- the autos show it often from what I have seen -- but that's about the only drawback (it's a big one if you grade) as these boxes include two autos (one often a parallel) and then most often times a numbered parallel in the mix as part of a bargain-priced box. The Red auto I found here is a pretty solid one -- she's a young star who just returned to TV -- and it's one in 179 packs (10 boxes). The only ink rarer are Golds and the 1/1 Platinum autos. My second auto isn't as strong but the Red pays for the box. A number of the good young signers are found here so if you land them in color you could do quite well but there is safety in numbers with two autos per box at this price. Will boxes dry up fast? Well, that depends on when the next WWE release drops ... there have been some delays. All in all, I have ripped a lot of NXT boxes pretty much every year they have existed and if they dip they are a safe buy.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: A+ (rarer ink of a young name makes this one a win)
Fun Grade: B+ (skinny stock and rough cuts hurt here)

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