The biggest weekend in professional wrestling is here with WrestleMania 36 set for a scaled down split event on Saturday and Sunday. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania3, a series of WWE wax box and wax pack breaks -- though also on a smaller scale than Buzz had previously planned, too.

This is Hour 3 ... a volume rip with quality basics.

The case: 2016 Topps Heritage WWE blasters (16 boxes)
The cost: Click here

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

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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 box: 2018 Topps WWE wrestling cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: Here when available -- click here for other boxes

Get a full breakdown of this one after the jump -- and be here on Friday for #BuzzMania3, a WWE breaks marathon

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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 box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available; click for all WWE wax)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 140
Base set completion: 54 of 110 (49 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards – The Rock, Sasha Banks, Mandy Rose, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Undertaker, John Cena, Carmella, Xavier Woods, Big E, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Paige

NXT Future Stars/All-Star Rookies (15) – Kairi Sane, Kyle O'Reilly, Velveteen Dream, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Bobby Fish, Kassius Ohno, Billie Kay, Bobby Roode, Asuka, Liv Morgan, Pete Dunne, Sarah Logan, Sonya Deville, Andrade "Cien" Almas

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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 box: 2009 Topps WWE wrestling cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com when available; Click here for other WWE boxes

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 165
Base set completion: 
90 of 90 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 19

Notables on base cards: Triple H, Steve Austin, John Cena, CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Natalya, Cody Rhodes, Jim Ross, Edge, Layla, Randy Orton, Michelle McCool, Alicia Fox, Maryse, Rey Mysterio, Gail Kim, Hornswoggle, Festus, Batista, Santino Marella, Santina Marella, Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Tiffany, Jerry Lawler, Undertaker, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella

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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 box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 13 (10 standard, one Relic/Shawn Michaels pack and one coin pack in this one)
Cards per pack: 6 in standard
Cards in this box: 63 (62 cards, one coin)
Base set completion: 24 of 110 (22 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Kairi Sane, Tomasso Ciampa, Dean Ambrose, Bayley, Undertaker, Carmella, Asuka, The Rock, Billie Kay

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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 box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 12 (10 standard, one Relic/Shawn Michaels pack)
Cards per pack: 6 in standard
Cards in this box: 62
Base set completion: 23 of 110 (21 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards – Johnny Gargano, Charlotte Flair, Sarah Logan, Sonya Deville, Bayley, Andrade "Cien" Almas, Goldust, Stephanie McMahon, Roderick Strong, Finn Balor

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The box: 2016 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania (24-pack retail box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 168
Base set completion: 
110 of 110 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 3

Notables on base cards: The Four Horsewomen, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, Daniel Bryan, Ric Flair, Triple H, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Lana, Chris Jericho, Stardust, Undertaker, The Dudley Boyz, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks Charlotte, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Ric Flair, The New Day, Paige, Becky Lynch, Lana

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The biggest weekend in professional wrestling is here with WrestleMania 35 set for Sunday in New Jersey. It's a big week for WWE with its NXT and Hall of Fame events planned, and we'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania2, a series of WWE wax box and wax pack breaks every hour.

How long will we go? Stay tuned ...

The box: 2004 Fleer WWE Divas 2005
The cost: Varies (click here for newer boxes)

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

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The biggest weekend in professional wrestling is here with WrestleMania 35 set for Sunday in New Jersey. It's a big week for WWE with its NXT and Hall of Fame events planned, and we'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania2, a series of WWE wax box and wax pack breaks every hour.

How long will we go? Stay tuned ...

The box: 2017 Leaf Originals Wrestling
The cost: Click here

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

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in professional wrestling is here with WrestleMania 35 set for Sunday in New Jersey. It's a big week for WWE with its NXT and Hall of Fame events planned, and we'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania2, a series of WWE wax box and wax pack breaks every hour.

How long will we go? Stay tuned ...

The packs: 2018 Topps WWE Undisputed (three packs)
The cost: Click here

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but a new year's resolution just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're not all on-the-cheap additions.

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HISTORIAN CARDBOARD HISTORY
The Card: John Thorn 2018 Topps Archives Purple Fan Favorites Autographs (/150)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz first knew his name back in 1989 when the massive book Total Baseball was a key way to look up past MLB players' stats -- you know, before the Internet -- and you could find a bit of everything else from the rules of the game, baseball history and more inside. Thorn has a ton of credits since then, including a consultant on the landmark Ken Burns documentary Baseball, and he is a winner of the Henry Chadwick Award, which is the top honor from SABR. Since 2011, Thorn has been the official historian of Major League Baseball and he has credited baseball cards as one way his interest in the game was sparked when he was young. He's also a collector. Believe it or not, he has a past card appearance in the 1990 Little Sun Baseball Writers set (an obscure release that's tough to find), but his cards in Archives can be landed somewhat easily despite there not being a lot to go around. He only appears on autograph cards -- a standard card and then Purple (/150), Silver (/99), Blue (/25) and 1/1 Gold parallels. The stock on these cards is way too thin, so you will see flaws easily -- especially on bold-colored versions -- but I grabbed this one because it was about adding the ink. Archives has included a number of unusual autographs with ties to the game in recent years and this one was on my to-get list from the start.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Archives

Keep reading for six more interesting items ...

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 9.

The box: 2015 Topps Chrome WWE (hobby box)
The cost: Click here (when available) (more WWE boxes here)

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

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 11.

The box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (blaster
The cost: Click here for hobby

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

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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 box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 140
Base set completion: 54 of 110 (49 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards – A.J. Styles, Randy Orton, Triple H, Sasha Banks, Braun Strowman, Paige, Kurt Angle, Natalya, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, Brie Bella, Mickie James, Elias, Maryse, The Miz, Alexa Bliss, Shane McMahon, Matt Hardy, Mandy Rose, Chris Jericho, Lana, Becky Lynch, Natalya

NXT Future Stars/All-Star Rookies (10) – Ruby Riott, Killian Dain, Ember Moon, Peyton Royce, Nikki Cross, Oney Lorcan, Aleister Black, Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Velveteen Dream

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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 box: 2018 Topps Heritage WWE wrestling cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 12 (10 standard, one Relic/Shawn Michaels pack -- plus one coin in this box)
Cards per pack: 6 in standard
Cards in this box: 63 (62 plus a coin)
Base set completion: 25 of 110 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards – Liv Morgan, John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Rock, Undertaker, Seth Rollins, Nikki Bella, Nia Jax, Asuka, Carmella, Bobby Fish

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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 box: 2015 Topps WWE wrestling cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 11 (10 packs plus a Relic pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 71
Base set completion: 
45 of 100 (45 percent)
Duplicates: 4

Notables on base cards: The Rock, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Undertaker, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Randy Orton, Batista, Roman Reigns, Jerry Lawler, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, Nikki Bella, Triple H

Rookie Cards (3) – Rusev, Xavier Woods, Emma

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Barring some unforeseen need for shelving in the next few days, I made one last trek to a Toys R Us on Saturday afternoon -- Store No. 8919, according to my receipt -- in advance of its closing forever.

By this time next week, the long-running toy chain will be no more as bankruptcy will be the final chapter of this story that began back in the 1940s. It will end a run that clearly had its share of successes -- and mistakes -- but one that has left an indelible mark on pop culture and kids everywhere -- and probably their parents' pocketbooks, too.

I don't wanna grow up ...

Jogging my memory a bit, I've been to Toys R Us stores in probably five states -- that's not a lot as I didn't really grow up as a true Toys R Us Kid, meaning we had to drive a couple hours to find the closest one when I was younger and most in my toy prime. But this particular store? It just might be -- actually, I can pretty much guarantee this -- it is the first Toys R Us I ever visited. When? I'm not sure when the first time happened but those same doors I walked through today were the doors I walked through long ago looking for 1988 Donruss baseball cards and other "bargain packs" all those years ago. It's definitely where I first bought a Jose Canseco Baseball Card Kit and it's where I first discovered The Conlon Collection in baseball card form. (The price was right and the history there is still priceless today.) It's where I'm sure I bought a few NASCAR diecasts in the more recent past, too, as we would visit relatives on vacation and I'd hit all the different stores in town looking for cards and whatever other interesting toy or collectable piqued my interest at the time.

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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 box: 2018 Topps WWE wrestling cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 packs plus a two-card Relic/bonus pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
44 of 100 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Jerry Lawler, Mr. McMahon, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Mickie James, Daniel Bryan, A.J. Styles, Big E, Kurt Angle

Rookie/First NXT Cards: Kayla Braxton, Christy St. Cloud, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Montez Ford, Pete Dunne

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post 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 box: 2018 Topps WWE Road To WrestleMania wrestling cards (Walmart blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 standard and one Relic/Shawn Michaels pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
42 of 100 (42 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Shinsuke Nakamura, Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat, Braun Strowman, A.J. Styles, John Cena, Elias, Mick Foley, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Goldberg, James Ellsworth, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, Tye Dillinger, Jinder Mahal, Charlotte Flair, Kurt Angle, Bray Wyatt

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Have you seen the latest crazy items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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THE NEW 2018 BOWMAN MEGA BOX MYSTERY
The Item: A redemption for a Shohei Ohtani 2018 Bowman Chrome auto from a 2018 Bowman Mega Box (What?)
The Price: $2,075 after 23 bids with six-plus days remaining
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: What is this? The only Shohei Ohtani card on the checklist for these Target-exclusive boxes is a ROY Favorites insert -- and he's not even listed as having an auto there. Could this just be that? It's not noted that way, meaning ... could it be one of his standard autos? Could it be a Kanji auto? Could it be (somehow?) the Superfractor hiding in the mix of cards set aside for these boxes? Maybe, maybe not ... (Update: Topps has announced that these are only for his standard Chrome autos and "a limited number are available.")
Similar Pieces: Check out these Shohei Ohtani Bowman autos
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 Bowman boxes

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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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 box: 2018 Topps WWE wrestling cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 packs plus a two-card Relic/bonus pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
43 of 100 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 1

Notables on base cards: Jerry Lawler, Mr. McMahon, Jim Ross, Stephanie McMahon, Elias, Carmella, John Cena, Maryse, Paige, Peyton Royce, Daniel Bryan, A.J. Styles, Big E

Rookie/First NXT Cards: Asuka, Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole (2), Montez Ford, Pete Dunne, Sonya DeVille

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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 box: 2018 Topps WWE wrestling cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 packs plus a two-card Relic/bonus pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
42 of 100 (42 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Mr. McMahon, Jim Ross, Stephanie McMahon, Elias, Carmella, John Cena, Maryse, Paige, Peyton Royce, Daniel Bryan, A.J. Styles, Big E

Rookie/First NXT Cards: Asuka, Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole, Montez Ford, Pete Dunne, Sonya DeVille, Bobby Fish

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 11.

The box: 2008 Topps Heritage WWE IV (retail)
The cost: Click here (when available)

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

Continue reading →

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 boxes: 2018 Topps WWE wrestling cards (hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Cards per pack: 42
Cards in this lot: 123
Base set completion: 
63 of 100 (63 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Triple H, Charlotte Flair, Ember Moon, Daniel Bryan, Booker T, The Miz, Maria Kanellis, Shane McMahon, Mickie James, Jim Ross, Nia Jax, Kevin Owens, Lana, Jerry Lawler, A.J. Styles, Lita, Natalya, Andrade "Cien" Almas, Brie Bella

Rookie/First NXT Cards: Asuka, Zelina Vega, Mike Kanellis, Bobby Fish, Christy St. Cloud, Bobby Roode

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