EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 273
in collaborazione con Edicola Birra Fumetteria
album: WWE TC debut edition (Panini)
cards: 160 (1-160)
starter pack: binder + 3 packets 9,90€
box: 24 packets (5 cards per packet) 2,99€ each
If a good morning starts in the morning .. better go back to sleep! Perhaps even unexpectedly, a collection of cards from the legendary world of Wrestling arrives on newsstands which, since the 1980s, has also had many fans in Italy.
The unedifying initial comment is linked to what Panini writes, “debut edition”, so a subsequent one is already in the pipeline and as a debut it seems not exactly an idile. The total number of cards, 160, is appreciable, but honestly for how they were made we would have seen them very well as an album of adhesive stickers. Nowadays with the cards we always expect some small devilry, metallic, holographic effect or more.
None of this, the cards are classic that could not be imagined more classic. For the less young, a big leap into the past, it seems to have really returned to the last century, the problem is that in the meantime we have reached the end of 2022.
The photos show images of the fights in the ring and it is the positive side of the proposal, many make you feel the spirit of the action and the show. The collection consists of 100 basic cards, certainly the world of wrestling has also changed, compared to years ago there is now a substantial presence of female wrestlers.
Following 40 cards with the great legends, present and past of this sport show. Impossible to make everyone and impossible to make all fans happy, but the lack of Ultimate Warrior and Andre The Giant, for example, makes itself felt. More reference has certainly been made to recent years, with a few rare exceptions, perhaps the target is the youngest who have never seen certain myths of the past.
The last 20 cards are dedicated to the champions and their belts, the only part of the collection that portrays the athletes posing: Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Undertaker, etc. We have not had the opportunity to view the recent and previous Topps collections to make a comparison (also because they rarely arrived in Italy), certainly something more could be done.
However, there remains the doubt that this product is designed for abroad and that it arrived in Italy just by chance or almost. This can also be seen from the Panini logo used. Above all, it suggests the much higher cost of packets in Italy compared to other European countries, 1 euro more than in France, Spain and Portugal. Because?!? Surely there will be a reason, but considering that there are just 5 cards inside the packet, the expense really becomes important. Despite the total number of cards in the album, it is still contained.
160 cards that become 580 if one ever wants to jump into the very North American and rather crazy logic of parallels of different colors, whether they are red, green or gold. Logic that we honestly understand very little.
We would have expected a different job, as written at the beginning, the rather simple graphics of the cards would have left their mark better in a classic sticker album, with the cards we expect more. Perhaps adding a limited edition card in the starter pack.
Not great debut, we await the continuation.
(EN)
