BuzzMania 8: A Chrome Rip ... But Not Main Event? (Hour 7)

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 41 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Las Vegas. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania8, a marathon of wrestling breaks all day long.

This one is The Big Kahuna of 2025 -- the first release in Topps' early return to the WWE card license -- and the home of some truly massive possible finds ... but what about this time?

The Brand: 2025 Topps Chrome WWE (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (most formats)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Base Breakdown

Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 96
Base set completion: 
57 of 200 (29 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Rhea Ripley, Jacob Fatu, Oba Femi, Rob Van Dam, Drew McIntyre, Chelsea Green, Sol Ruca, Bubba Ray Dudley, Jey Uso, Cora Jade, Jade Cargill, Undertaker, Seth Rollins, Cathy Kelley, Arianna Grace, Rey Mysterio, Bianca Belair, Gigi Dolin, Damian Priest, Charlotte Flair, Jaida Parker, Kevin Owens, Ava, Karmen Petrovic, Hulk Hogan
(Note: A sampling of everything in the gallery below -- but check other breaks to see more base cards.)

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Insert Breakdown: 37
Refractors (2) – Tiffany Stratton, Omos
Prism Refractors (4) – Mankind, Zelina Vega, R-Truth, Tank Ledger
Neon Green & Black Refractors (2) – Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio
Pink Shimmer Refractors (6) – Bret Hart, Randy Orton, Batista, Carmella, D-Von Dudley, Eddy Thorpe
Red & Blue Refractors (4) – Solo Sikoa, Rikishi, Duke Hudson, Blair Davenport
Purple Refractors (2) – Dakota Kai, Bronco Nima
Speckle Refractors (1) – Dexter Lumis (/249)
Aqua Shimmer Refractors (2) – Jakara Jackson, Dani Palmer (/199)
Teal Laser Refractors (1) – Erik (/175)
Blue Refractors (1) – Gigi Dolin (/150)
1985 Topps Legends (1) – Wendi Richter
1985 Topps Legends Refractors (1) – Captain Lou Albano
Family Tree (1) – Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa
Paradigm (2) – Shawn Michaels, A.J. Styles
Slammy (2) – Roman Reigns, Dominik Mysterio
The Time Is Now (1) – John Cena
Embedded (Hall of Fame) (1) – Kurt Angle
Women's Division (1) – Torrie Wilson
Women's Division Refractors (1) – Jazmyn Nyx
Women's Division Blue Refractors (1) – Rhea Ripley (/150)

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The Hits (Autographs) Breakdown: 2
Red Brand (Raw) Chrome Blue Refractor Autographs (1) – Alba Fyre (/150)
Future Stars Refractor Autographs (1) – Jaida Parker (/175)

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My Take Before I Broke This: When this was revealed to be the first release in Topps' early return to the WWE card license (two years before it was supposed to get it back), I pretty much chalked this one up to "I'm not opening it" expecting the early asking price for hobby boxes to be out of my comfort zone for the typical return ... but the pre-order price was low enough that I bit on a pair of these, knowing they'd be my only rips of this one for hobby boxes. A price dip will probably never happen as ink from The Rock -- just his second WWE certified auto card signing ever -- will keep this one in demand even with all its formats and numbered stuff perhaps being spread out too much. This box, at market prices now, would not be on my radar -- I'll just buy premium singles I want -- but there are big possibilities here that should keep it on many watch lists.

Who Won The Battle? Not me. This box didn't really have anything rarer inside -- all numbered cards were /150 or higher here for both of my boxes. Meanwhile, there have been some absolutely obscenely overloaded hobby boxes ripped early on -- so much so I think there had to have big collation issues at pack-out. Some of the multiple finds in the same box for some of these same pre-order boxes were statistically impossible. But, I did at least land a Ripley insert parallel and a standard Stratton Refractor (my second of those in two hobby boxes ... but both with light surface scratching/roller damage) to at least give me some scraps for my collection along with ink of two women's stars still with plenty of potential. Chalk it up this way -- big box, big release, big expectations. This one? Big bummer. Not the show-closing kind of box I was hoping for.

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The Top Rookies: There ultimately aren't any Rookie Cards here, so I'll go with my best hit from a young name (RCs in  2024) from NXT who still has time to do some things before a potential main-roster arrival. She's a former LSU soccer star who has some USA Soccer experience, too, but there are no cards for Tiana Caffey. Her cousin, former college basketball star and two-time NBA champ Jason Caffey, does have a few, though. (Roll Tide.)

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Card That Stole The Show: Typically, the ink or something rarer would grab the brass ring but, well, big expectations had everything here checking in at just not as impressive save for maybe this insert parallel of Ripley, who I've waxed poetic many a time here as a star of now and a star of later (check the archives). It's not a big card in the big picture -- sales between $15-$25 lately on eBay. My autos were that or less here this time.

Box/Case Grade: C+ ... I landed some good names in spots but nothing truly big enough to get this one to an A on the big stage. Would have been a really rough box if not at the pre-order price.
Fun Grade: B- ... You get a ton of variety in hobby boxes but really this one only graded well since I landed it at pre-order prices and not the lofty market prices right now. That would have been rougher than a Mankind landing at Hell In A Cell.

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The Bottom Line: Big expectations come with a Buzzmania main event box and, while this product was a biggie, the end result with this one was not as strong as it should have been ... next hour's box is the finale for today. Can it deliver?

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

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