Pack Break - 2009 Topps WWE Heritage

Last weekend's WWE Royal Rumble PPV is the beginning point on the road to Wrestlemania in April.  As part of the "festivities" I dug out a pack of 2009 Topps WWE Heritage from the bargain bin @ Target.  I was watching some wrasslin' in 2009, but I hadn't jumped back into cardboard collecting yet so these are new to me.  Each pack contains 5 cards and the features Allen & Ginter minis, magnet cards & event-used relics.

First card out of the pack is #63 of Layla.  According to the card's back she came over to RAW on Monday nights in the 2008 WWE Draft from the ECW brand.  She was a former dancer for the Miami Heat apparently.  Didn't know either of those factoids.  All I can say is she looks much tougher in this photo compared to how she is portrayed as part of the silly tag team LayCool.  I like the design.  It's simple and the star border around the photo works well for the Diva subset.

Next card is #89 of the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes.  I still don't have much of a memory of his time in the WWE.  I'll always remember him feuding with Barry Windham in the old NWA/WCW years.  I take since he is considered a veteran his card sports a different design...one of which I don't care for too much.

One of the things that can make or break watching wrasslin' on TV are the commentators.  Just watch a current episode of Monday Night RAW and you'll probably want to mute the TV after hearing Michael Cole talk for no more than 5 minutes.  Jim Ross was one of the best commentators out there.  While it may be painful to watch him talk he had a voice made for wrestling.  I'm not sure what he is up to these days, but he is sorely missed on Monday nights.  Tazz was the former wrestler / whitty counterpart that gave a wrestler's prospective to what was going on in the ring.  While he wasn't my favorite he was good.  Now he's over @ TNA with the awful Mike Tenay.  Great card.

  

Base card design is very simple.  There are several different colored backgrounds used across the base set each having the Heritage shield in the lower left corner.  John Morrison is card #28 while Ricky Ortiz is card #2.  Morrison I know.  I even remember him when he came out to the ring w/ his old partner (and Mileena) walking down the red carpet w/ the "paparazzi" taking pictures.  He had an awesome moment in last weekend's Royal Rumble where he was thrown off the ring apron and landed on the padded wall a la Spider-Man.  Fast forward to the 1:02 mark to see what I'm talking about!

Ricky Ortiz was released by the WWE in August 2009 so he is just an afterthought. 

BA Benny sent me a few packs worth of these cards a few weeks ago.  I didn't really know what year they were from until opening this pack.  Topps did a pretty good job with these and I wonder why it wasn't brought back for 2010.