Preview: 2013 Topps WWE Triple Threat Wrestling

Schedule Release Date: March 12, 2013
Box Configuration: 24 packs/box, 7 cards/pack
SRP: $50/box

 

 

Box Break:

1 Relic
1 Additional Relic or Autograph
12 Threat 1 Inserts
8 Threat 2 Inserts
3 Threat 3 Inserts
1 Divas Centerfold
4 Black Parallels
1 Silver Parallels

 

 

My Thoughts:

The upcoming WWE set is built off of the 2013 Topps Baseball design, which works decently here. The complete set consists of 210 cards and is broken down in to 110-card base set, a 90- card Triple Threats set and a 10-card Diva Centerfolds set. The base set will have 3 parallels; Black, Silver and Gold plus printing plates.

The Triple Threats cards are a 30-card checklist with each wrestler having three levels depicting those wrestlers’ specialties. For example Sheamus’ cards are White Noise, Irish Curse and Cloverleaf. Threat 1 cards are more common and Threat 3 cards are the rarest.

 

The Diva Centerfold cards are a 10-card checklist that focuses on the WWE Divas, the cards are die-cut and you can fold them to stand them up.

The hits are made up of a base autograph, which is built on the base cards with an autograph sticker added. There are three relic sets, the main relic insert is the Summer Slam 2012 Mat Relics which contain a piece of the mat used at Summer Slam 2012, the Triple Relics contain 3 relics and the Diva Kiss insert uses the Diva Centerfolds checklist but includes a kiss autograph from the Diva. Topps included an image of the 2012 Kiss autographs in their sales materials so I am not certain what they will look like when released.

 

The checklist includes a nice selection of superstars and legends so collectors should be happy and at $50 a box it is a pretty cheap box break. Topps was able to keep the price down with sticker autographs, re-using the baseball design and using a mat relic as the main hit so this would be a product more for the everyday WWE fan and set builders. This is along the line of something I would pick up to break with my son just for fun.

 

 

Pros:

Cheap
2 Hits
1 Insert per Pack

 

 

Cons:

Sticker Autographs
Mat Relic Is Generic (The same mat is used for all wrestlers who wrestled at 2012 Summer Slam)

 

 

Rating:

I give this set a decent 3.5 out of 5 based on the premise that this is a basic set so I am rating it on what Topps set out to do with it, make casual collectors, set builders and kids happy. I think going with a relic specific to a wrestler would have made it better, such as a shirt worn by the wrestler instead of a mat piece which was used by all of the wrestlers.