Buzz Buys ... A LOT: Revisiting some Topps Now WWE debuts

Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

--

CHASING SOME EARLY WWE APPEARANCES
The Lot: 2018 Topps Now WWE cards -- Oct. 28 WWE Evolution PPV (two lots of six)
The Price: About $70 ... which was low vs. singles at the time -- and maybe even now.

Keep reading for more on this one ...

What's The Deal? With chatter about this past landmark event in WWE history -- Evolution was the first women's-only pay-per-view and still is -- out there today online, I figured I'd pop these up here for a little #TBT but also to show how some key cards are out there from the defunct Topps Now WWE line. These are nowhere near the rarest Now WWE cards -- some had well under 50 copies printed for a number of names more-notable now  -- but they are some early appearances here. Here's the rundown and their print runs:

Card No. 61 -- Trish Stratus & Lita (/212)
Card No. 62 -- Nia Jax vs. Zelina Vega (/139)
Card No. 63 -- Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai (/239)
Card No. 64 -- Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane (/149)
Card No. 65 -- Becky Lynch (defeated Charlotte Flair) (/325)
Card No. 66 -- Ronda Rousey (defeated Nikki Bella) (/324)

What's The Steal? Well, the key card here is the Storm-Shirai -- a pair of overall notables in international wrestling then and now -- who appeared on their first WWE card right here. These late-2018 cards came well before their in-pack debuts the following year. The two squared off in the final match of the Mae Young Classic tournament that showcased NXT stars and some indy notables who weren't signed. That card is the biggie here -- and 100 percent the reason I grabbed not one but two of these lots with an eye on grading. Atop that, the Vega, Baszler and Sane appearances all come in the same years as their WWE Rookie Cards, so that's an extra nugget of info for those, though all of them (including Storm and Shirai) have international cardboard from past years or, in Vega's case, card from TNA Impact several years before these. Oddly, also on the card for that event but not on cardboard? Rhea Ripley ... her first standard (non-gaming) cards didn't arrive until 2020. (Even more extra trivia: That Storm-Shirai card also is likely the first card appearance for the referee, Jessika Carr.)

Anything Missing? Nope. These were bundle buys from Topps by the original owner.

The Lot Details ...
Notables: As I noted earlier, the Storm-Shirai card is the key one with asking prices on eBay right now still at $20-30 (and up) and they were likely stronger back when I was buying. I also figured that buying the lots would offer up a better chance at flawless, slab-worthy copies and the only graded copy of that one on eBay has an asking price of $199 for a PSA 10. (No recent sales despite Storm's high-profile AEW storylines that got rather shocking just last night. Don't click that if you fear the famed Crimson Mask of wrestling.) Other cards here? A quick eBay check showed the Lita-Stratus at $5-10 asking, Jax at $10, Baszler at $13-15, Lynch at $5 and Rousey at $5-10 ... they probably go for less if actually sold but none of those matter as much to me as the main card.

Rookie Cards: Not really applicable here but firsts/RC-year notables already mentioned.

Bottom Line: Lots can deliver or at least let you shop on the cheap (at times) to get what you want while jettisoning the other stuff to pay for what you want to keep. While I have these stashed away -- and the Storm cards are destined to be slabbed in my case -- even these two simple lots show how that can perhaps work.

--

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com