2023 COMC BINGE - PART 12: BROKE MY BACK, MADE ME HUMBLE

A REALLY FUN PART OF DIGGING THROUGH BARGAIN BOXES IS STUMBLING ACROSS COOL STUFF YOU WEREN'T REALLY LOOKING FOR. IT'S A GREAT FEELING TO FIND A WEIRD ODDBALL OR INSERT CARD MIXED UP IN BETWEEN THE 1987 TOPPS AND DISCARDED BOWMAN BASE. THIS IS SOMEWHAT HARDER TO DO ONLINE BUT IF YOU CLICK ON EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY AND SORT BY LOWEST PRICE YOU'LL GET... WELL, A LOT OF JUNK MOSTLY. BUT! SOMETIMES THAT HIDDEN GEM SINKS DOWN TO THE BOTTOM WITH THE CRAP

1985 TOPPS WWF PRO WRESTLING STARS #51 ROCKY JOHNSON, IRON SHIEK

I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WRESTLING CARDS. I'VE GOT A COMPLETE SET OF THE 1987 WRESTLEMANIA III TOPPS SET, A PILE OF HERITAGE CARDS FROM ME CHASING ALLEN & GINTER MINI INSERTS AND A HANDFUL OF RANDOM CARDS OF WRESTLERS I LIKE, USUALLY FROM THEIR ACTING CAREERS RATHER THAN WRESTLING. I BARELY BOUGHT ANY BASEBALL CARDS IN 1985, WRESTLING WASN'T ANYWHERE NEAR MY RADAR. SINCE I ON;Y FOLLOWED WRESTLING THOUGH OSMOSIS WHEN MY FRIENDS WERE TALKING ABOUT IT I DIDN'T KNOW THIS 1985 SET EVEN EXISTED UNTIL THIS CENTURY. I FOUND A CARD RANDOMLY IN A QUARTER BOX YEARS AGO BUT NEVER BOTHERED TO SEEK OUT ANY MORE. WHILE MINDLESSLY SCROLLING THROUGH CHEAP CARDS THIS ONE POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE. THE IRON SHEIK? WITH ROCKY JOHNSON IN A HEADLOCK?? HELL YEAH! IT WAS INSTANTLY IN MY CART, I'M NO JABRONI

THIS IS AN ODD LITTLE SET, THE FIRST TWENTY-ONE CARDS ARE INDIVIDUAL WRESTLER PROFILES. THEN THERE'S A BUNCH OF RINGSIDE ACTION CARDS WITH PICS FROM ACTUAL MATCHES AND A FEW GOOFY PROMO SHOTS LIKE HULK HOGAN PUNCHING A BOOMBOX. THE SET WRAPS THINGS UP WITH A SUPERSTARS SPEAK SUBSET WHERE WRESTLERS ARE FORCED TO MAKE CORNY JOKES ON A TV SET DESIGN. IT'S VERY STRANGE BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF A NON-SPORTS SET IT'S NOT FAR OFF FROM A LOT OF TOPPS' OTHER NON-SPORTS OFFERINGS. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OTHER IRON SHIEK CARDS ALREADY AND THIS WAS A FUN FIND