A Decade Of Wrestling In TNA's TENacious Card Set

With a decade now under their belt, I think it is safe to say that one of the areas in which TNA Wrestling has excelled is in merchandising.  Although two action figure lines have fizzled (seemingly through the fault of the manufacturers and not TNA itself), other items have been going strong for the majority of the decade of the company's existence.  Aside from a very nice series in 2004 from Pacific Trading Cards Inc., Tristar has been the company that has continually produced a quality card product under the TNA banner.

The latest series celebrates that full decade of TNA and Impact Wrestling with a fitting title--TENacious.  The Tristar company claims that this set will have the lowest number of cards produced of any of their previous TNA products.  Although slated to have a release date of 8/15/12, some hobby retailers were selling them at least a week earlier.

Breaking a hobby box of Tristar's TNA product is always a good time.  This is because most of their recent boxes have guaranteed a certain amount of "hits."  In card collecting lingo, hits are special cards that are either numbered, include a relic or autograph, or any combo of the above.  What both myself and another collector found when opening a hobby box of TENacious cards is that in the 20 packs of 6 cards we both received a complete 99 card base set.  While this is not guaranteed on the box nor is it usually the case, it's a welcome bonus that we don't have to go searching for the couple of cards that usually prevents collectors from a complete basic set in a box break.

I was immediately drawn to the actual box itself.  It's longer and thinner than the normal card hobby boxes.  With the shrink wrap still on, it honestly reminded me more of a box of chocolates than trading cards.  Like a few of the other Tristar TNA sets, even the boxes are numbered.  For the record, this box is numbered 1242 out of 1800.  Upon opening the box, on top of the 20 packs is a color-coded checklist of the 99 base cards and 20 short print cards.  Kudos to Tristar not only for including the checklist but for NOT including it in the packs where it would take the place of a regular card.

If you subscribe to our Facebook Fanpage, you've already gotten a sneak preview of the hits pulled from this box, but how about the 99 card base set?  Beginning with a card of TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett, the set is 99% current stars.  The ten year anniversary is tackled with memories from stars who have been there for much of that time as well as screengrabs of various events throughout the years. 

Although I'm a huge fan of the concept of picturing past moments such as Ken Shamrock winning the NWA championship and Jeff Jarrett attacking Hulk Hogan in Japan, the screengrabs did not work out too well.  The pictures are much too grainy and/or flushed out to produce a quality card.  There must have been a reason that they went in this direction, but it's sort of baffling when it's obvious that so much effort goes into the production of these sets.  The cards actually look a lot better when photographed than they do in person.

Tristar seems to take pride in getting "rookie" cards out quickly and has included some in this set.  Brooke Hogan, Joseph Park, Alex Silva, and Jessie Godderz all get the rookie treatment in this set, with Godderz card even including an Ohio Valley Wrestling logo emblazoned on the front.  Look for the Brooke and Park cards to be a bit more sought after than most from the basic set due to the former having crossover appeal and the latter being the best developed comedic character to come out of professional wrestling in years.

The current roster is well represented and I think I would argue that it might be represented just a bit much.  A subset of even just some of the bigger names from the past decade in TNA would've sufficed.  And as always, I must lobby for even just a subset of non-glossy cards.  As accessible as many of the TNA stars are for autographs at their shows, non-glossy cards would come in very handy for quick autographs.  Tristar has not produced a non-gloss set since their Impact '08 release.  For the second week in a row, how about it?

The reason that most collectors will purchase a hobby box isn't for the base cards, but for the hits.  As stated above, Tristar has done a fantastic job over the years with these special cards.  The back of the hobby box for TENacious lays out exactly what you may receive.  Off the top collectors are guaranteed three autograph cards which will be numbered to 100, 10, or even 1.  This particular box yielded autograph cards of Austin Aries and Kaz each numbered 6 of 10, and a dual autograph "Wedded Bliss" card of ODB and Eric Young numbered 91 of 100.  The latter is exceptionally cool and the lovely "bride" even noted on our fanpage that she doesn't even have one.

The next hits are short printed cards which can include anything from Jeff Hardy art to cards celebrating Sting's TNA Hall of Fame induction to a TNA Arrivals subset.  The Hulkamaniac in me was very pleased to receive a Hulk Hogan TNA Arrivals card numbered 28 out of 100.  The next two hits are parallel cards from the basic set stamped with a foil TNA 10 logo and numbered, again, to 100, 10, or 1.  The cards in this box were both of Knockouts, albeit one no longer in the company: an Angelina Love card numbered 6 of 30 and a card of the Killer Queen herself, Madison Rayne, numbered 8 of 10.

We finally come to the 7th hit where you again have a chance of two different card styles.  This hit is either an Impact celebrity signature card (signatures cut from other autographed celebrity items eclectically ranging from Chris Rock to Tom Arnold) or a TNA 10 event-worn clothing card.  This box held the latter, in this case being a dual shirt card from the former Dudley Boyz/Team 3D, Devon and Bully Ray.  A nice card for sure, although the celebrity cards would be more beneficial for someone trying to recoup their investment. 

What we have here is a solid set.  It could've reflected a bit more of the past decade of TNA, although I understand that they're trying to look ahead and there's nothing wrong with that.  I will state that I feel, like the recent WWE card product, that the looks are starting to blend together from set to set.  Reflexxions was a nice change, but in taking a peek at what Tristar has done with other card lines makes me hope for a more retro card look in a future set.  I won't go into another non-gloss rant, but retro is always king in this blog as it is for many collectors.

I would definitely recommend picking up a hobby box as the number of guaranteed hits is worth the retail price.  The aforementioned fact that the two first hobby boxes which I've seen broken have yielded a complete set only adds to that value.  Take a drive down to your local hobby shop and make an "Impact" on your TNA card collection, because when those 1,800 boxes are gone, they're gone!

TNA Makes An Impact On The Fanfest Scene

It's hard to believe, but 2012 marks the 10th year of TNA/Impact being part of the professional wrestling landscape. Through countless changes in presentation, personnel, and even ownership, the company has continually served as an alternative to WWE. Although the company has not always done it's best to differentiate itself from the often wacky land of the WWE Universe, the fact that there is a viable alternative at all can, at times, be very comforting.

TNA has always had one area where it has shined far brighter than WWE: fan friendliness. Some might argue that a smaller company has to be fan friendly in order to grow, but TNA has often gone above and beyond in this area.

With the rise of wrestling fanfests and conventions in the last decade, TNA went ahead and merged the concept with that of a traditional wrestling show. At even the smallest TNA house show you are nearly guaranteed to meet a few of the stars. Some old school fans may scoff at the idea of being able to actually meet the stars of the evening, but kayfabe isn't quite as healthy as it was years ago. It has been said that WWE still does not care for the concept of fans being able to meet the stars at their shows. While they do run their Axxess event during WrestleMania weekend and infrequently sponsor appearances (always run by "representatives" whose drill sergeant-esque actions would make Adolf Hitler blush), the company truly lacks where "meet and greet" concepts are concerned. This is where TNA picks the ball up and runs with it. Far.

Although I had attended several TNA house shows in the past (one of which I documented here), I don't feel that I truly witnessed just how fan friendly the company was until I attended their Bound For Glory Fanfest in 2011. Autographs and photos with nearly their entire roster of stars, including Sting, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan.

To put this in a monetary perspective one only has to do simple math. Hulk Hogan is in many categories all his own and that includes appearance pricing. A serious autograph collector already knows that Hogan has never actually appeared at a wrestling convention. His signings have largely been limited to sports shows with appearances from baseball and football legends. The price? Usually between $100-$200 per autograph (usually depending on the item). A photograph? If you're lucky, the organizers of the show MAY allow a lean-over-the-table photo.

The price to attend a TNA Fanfest? $200. Included on the lineups of both that I've had the pleasure of attending? Hogan. Flair. RVD. Kurt Angle. Jeff Hardy. Bobby Roode. James Storm. The Knockouts. I will stop there, as it already speaks for itself.

This past weekend I was once again able to partake in this incredible deal by attending the Lockdown Fanfest in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was organized identically to the Bound For Glory event in that you are permitted two autographs and a photo with any of the stars in the first three signing sessions and one autograph and a photo with the legends in the "Main Event Session" which features Hogan, Flair, and Sting.

It was announced prior to the doors opening that Sting would not be part of the event as advertised. In lieu of his appearance, TNA allowed fans to get two autographs from Hogan and Flair and gave out an Impact Wrestling t-shirt that would be signed by all of the stars in addition to your own items. To many of us in attendance, the announcement boiled down to this: three autographs each from Hogan and Flair. No matter how long you have been collecting wrestling autographs, you know that multiple signatures from these two is a real treat and made an incredible bargain all the sweeter.

Before entertaining the convention room, the employees at registration hand each fan a package of official 8x10 promotional photos to be autographed. Fans also have the opportunity to purchase many other items, including the current Impact Wrestling program, to be signed. One qualm I did have was that the company only had action figures available of stars that are no longer on the roster, much less at the event. Don West told me personally that the figures of Matt Morgan and Rob Terry were "down the road" at the warehouse. Why they were not available to be purchased and signed at the event as opposed to figures of Kevin Nash and Shark Boy is a mystery that we'll never have the answer to. Luckily many of us came already armed with the new figures of many current roster members.

At the house show signings it seems that security is occasionally instructed to refuse items for talent to sign. While it isn't a major problem, I have seen WWF/WWE items turned away. This "rule," if it is indeed official, is completely ignored at these pay-per-view fanfests. This allows many collectors to get classic items signed by stars like Hogan, Flair, RVD, Taz, Hector Guerrero, and even agents like Al Snow, Bruce "Brother Love" Prichard, and D'Lo Brown.

In a special surprise, TNA President Dixie Carter arrived early on in the event. Although she was not advertised, Carter quickly found a spot and signed autographs, posed for photos, and talked graciously with fans for hours. Ms. Carter was also very interested in what the fans thought of the current product and asked for opinions and suggestions. If the company truly listens, I think that it can become what the fans want it to be.

On this afternoon, I cannot imagine a wrestling fan in attendance who wasn't feeling pure happiness. Seeing the stars interact with the fans, parents sharing these moments with their children, and an overall feeling of "Damn...I love wrestling" filled the air as the autographs piled up. Even taking into consideration events like Axxess, a wrestling company has never held an event with such a casual feeling. From witnessing some interactions, it seems as if many fans follow the company around to various cities for these events. After attending even one, it's easy to understand why.

As mentioned above, the "Main Event" session is held at the end of the show. Although the line can last a few hours, it's truly worth the wait once you are in the presence of these legends. I've met quite a few wrestlers in the past quarter-century, but meeting The Hulkster is really an experience unlike any other. Love him or hate him, looking into his eyes and having a short conversation is somewhat surreal. Much to his credit, Hogan does indeed take that time with each and every fan and knows how to make the meeting extra special. Brother.

If this were a review, I would absolutely have to grade an A+. TNA goes above and beyond with these fanfest events. Some would say that they have to. I say that they don't have to do anything of the kind. Are they making money? I'm sure that they are. They also have the means to have names like Hogan and Flair at a more than reasonable price for fans. If you ask me, everyone benefits. If you have the opportunity, don't pass it up. It may be a once in a lifetime shot. And if the parting shot below doesn't make you want to go, nothing will...


****"From The Musty, Yellowed Pages..."****

Inside Wrestling, May 1978, Page 39 & Wrestling Revue, March 1973, Page 56

If you've followed the blog for any amount of time, you're probably familiar with our recurring "bonus" feature called "From The Musty, Yellowed Pages..." where we look at items found within the great old wrestling magazines.

It was about ten years ago that I first found "Lil Taz" in the Pen Pals section of Inside Wrestling. Yes indeed, Taz himself was once 9-year-old Pete Senerchia, a fan of Bruno Sammartino. Last year it become our very first "Musty" feature. Upon looking through a 1973 issue of Wrestling Revue, I discovered a great young shot of his current broadcast partner, Mike Tenay. Seeing that they would both be at the Lockdown Fanfest, I decided to pack the magazines and get a reaction...and hopefully an autograph.

Both seemed to really enjoy seeing their first magazine appearances. Tenay, who ran a newsletter of his own in that era, claimed that he did not even have the issue himself. Both agreed to sign and pose with the classic issues. Just another magic moment from the event...and luckily I didn't become "just another victim."

Killer Queen & The Red Rooster: Taylor-Made As Figures

"It's a great day in the barnyard," crowed The Red Rooster.

Recently a friend asked me if I thought that Terry Taylor could have had a better career than he did. After all, Taylor was saddled with "The Red Rooster" gimmick in his highest profile WWF run. Taylor himself, however, seems to harbor no ill-will about the character. Why would he? In the glory of the Hogan era he probably made some great money with the gimmick. Before he began strutting through the barnyard, Taylor was a top name in various territories and post-Rooster he worked behind the scenes for WCW, WWE, and TNA. All in all, I would say that the "Taylor Made Man" had a well-rounded, memorable, and fulfilled career in the world of professional wrestling.

After over thirty years in the business and runs with several companies that had toy deals, Terry Taylor finally comes to collections worldwide in action figure form. Joining him is another "action figure rookie," none other than the "Killer Queen" herself, Madison Rayne.

Although she's been in the business for under ten years, Madison has already had her share of in-ring monikers. Ashley Lane. Lexi Lane. Amber Lively. Madison Rayne. Shimmer. Wrestlicious. TNA. Blonde. Brunette. No matter how you know her, she has become one of the most popular and accomplished modern day women wrestlers in a very short time.

Behind the very entertaining heel "Killer Queen" persona, Madison is actually a very sweet young lady who deserves nothing but the best in her future. Now, like Terry Taylor, she has achieved the immortal status of having an action figure.

Madison is the fourth "Knockout" figure produced by Jakks for the TNA line. While this is the sixth series of single figures produced by Jakks, this is the first series to be labeled "Impact Wrestling" rather than "TNA." Madison joins her fellow former Beautiful People partners Velvet Sky and Angelina Love as well as Daffney.

The Jakks Knockouts figures won the 2011 J\/\/ Future Holy Grail Award for being items that I feel will be very collectible in the future. Although I still feel this way and I feel that this figure will be no different, I will say upfront that this figure is the weakest of the lot.

Whereas the previous three figures had amazing likenesses, Madison sadly falls short in this category. Comparing the figure to a picture of the Killer Queen shows that the facial likeness just doesn't match up. Her trademark blue eye shadow missing from the figure is likely the biggest culprit. Without it, it simply looks like another blonde.

What I will not take points away for is the fact that figure is grossly outdated as far as hair color. While Madison has rocked the brunette locks for a great amount of time, I prefer the blonde hair on the figure to fit in with the rest of The Beautiful People. The outfit and tattoos are nicely done as usual with these Knockout figures.

Terry Taylor is another great addition to the Legends of the Ring line. Taylor, as with all of the Legends of the Ring figures, fits right in with the WWE Classic Superstars figures. If one really wanted a Red Rooster bad enough, I can't imagine that a customization would be that big of a job.

I will admit that the figure suffers from the same problem that the Legends of the Ring Jeff Jarrett figure suffered from. To a kid, the figure would be rather boring to look at on the store shelves. To collectors, the figure is a dream come true. If I could have series after series of nothing but territory-era grapplers in basic tights and boots, I'd be a happy collector. I know I'm not the only one, and I really feel that an online exclusive line of classic wrestlers would serve both the collectors and the manufacturer well.

This series is available through TNA directly and has also shown up at K-Mart stores. The future of the Jakks-TNA license has been questioned more and more as of late and the distribution of these figures has only helped fuel the fire. Jakks had very little product hit in 2011 and thus far 2012 looks to be much of the same. Rumors abound that TNA will soon be the sole distributor of these figures. I have no issue with that at all as long as the move ensures that we will see more product.

Seeing as that the line could be in trouble, I can only encourage you to buy, buy, buy in this case. These are still my favorite wrestling figures currently on the market. It'd be a shame to see them simply disappear with so many great characters yet to be produced.

Sting, Kurt Angle, and Kaz join Rayne and Taylor in this series. Sting and Angle are nice new representations while Kaz is...Kaz. We all know that Kaz has already seen his best side in previous Jakks TNA releases.


Wait. You didn't know? Oh God, I killed kayfabe.

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When you're out hunting for The Rooster and The Queen, be sure to check out these latest offerings from our friends at Kappa Publishing.

The latest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated is their legendary year end issue featuring all the best photos, headlines, and of course, award winners for 2011. Next to it on any self-respecting newsstand is the latest double issue of Inside Wrestling/The Wrestler featuring articles on many up and coming stars and coverage from around the world. Be sure to check out the article on "The One Man Rock Band" Heath Slater penned by your favorite wrestling journalist--me!

TNA Live--An Experience In WRESTLING To Be Learned From

The wrestling industry is constantly changing and evolving. From The Rock and Steve Austin looking to pass the torch to the industry's "silent" battle against the fad of mixed martial arts, never before has there been more of a transition period than right now. One of the major companies has finally abandoned the "evil" title of "wrestling" altogether while the other is nearing a decade of trying to find itself.

When wrestling finally came to pay-per-view in 1985, the ultimate goals of most wrestling promoters immediately began to change. Pay-per-view buys became more important than selling tickets to live events. While these events, the sole financial backbone of the industry until '85, have survived the past twenty-six years, their importance has changed dramatically.

The matches which previously were only seen on a live basis were now available for a fee on pay-per-view or later on free television. Being under the same roof as your favorite stars and seeing cookie-cutter matches became the only real motivation to travel to your local arena and catch a live show.

TNA is a company which, for nearly ten years, has seemed somewhat lost at times. Being created as an alternative to the WWE product, many times TNA has seemingly just copied the worst of WWE. Glimpses of great things have come from the promotion, but often without capitalization or follow-up. For the past several years and deriving from several sources, TNA has done one thing right--the live event.

For many years independent wrestling promotions have been known for providing smaller shows where fans can see action from younger stars in addition to older veterans. Combine that with a usual option of getting to meet many of these stars at the show and fans of the independents usually leave the events with smiles on their faces.

TNA took those ideas from the independents and developed a unique experience that ultimately boils down to fans getting not only a great experience, but enough of a draw to get them out of the house and down to the arena. While TNA runs mostly smaller venues, fans always benefit from a more intimate setting where there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

A veteran of many live events over the past twenty years (including several TNA events), I can honestly say that TNA the event this past weekend in Rostraver, PA was one of the best I've ever been to. The company did its best to get the fans the best experience that they could have. From personal appearances in the area which included stars giving out autographs, DVDs, and show tickets to the different ticket options to meet stars at the show, I doubt a single fan left the event unhappy. Compared to the WWE's first two lackluster efforts at Pittsburgh's new Consol Energy Center, this is a far contrast.

Every TNA live event includes an "autograph party" where various stars of the promotion circle ringside with Sharpies to sign whatever the fans provide. Other signings and photo opportunities arise throughout the night as well. While buying a TNA program is encouraged by huckster Don West, I highly recommend viewing the show lineup in advance and bringing your own items in addition. The program is a very nice item to get signed, however, and nominally priced at $20.

For a few years now, perennial TNA announcer Jeremy Borash has come up with different ways for fans to obtain "backstage passes" in order to meet even more stars at the events. At the Rostraver show, sixteen commemorative Jeff Jarrett TNA guitars were available for purchase. While not in everyone's price range, the guitar included two backstage sessions as well as photo opportunities with Mickie James, Mick Foley, and Kurt Angle which were available to other attendees for a fee. Seeing the guitar in person makes you realize that this is the quintessential TNA collectible and ultimately a bargain. Considering what the included autographs and photo ops would cost on the wrestling convention scene individually it was almost a mistake to pass it up. Hopefully TNA creates other unique pieces of memorabilia such as this for future events.

The show itself was also a step above other offerings recently in the area. The card was solid, well booked, and well performed. If TNA provided the style of match and card on television that is presented on the house show level, we could see the company give the "entertainment" crew from Connecticut a run for their money. Each and every house show reaction I've witnessed live for Beer Money rivals and eclipses that of many of the Monday night superstars.

The bottom line is that both companies realize that change needs to be made in order for the ring wars to be "hot" once again. WWE believes that changing to full-blown entertainment is the way to go. TNA gets that wrestling is still on the marquee, but only seems to produce that on the house show level. There's room for athletics and entertainment in the world of wrestling, we simply need to get back to the perfect balance.

Whether you're looking to meet the stars, want to see entertaining wrestling, or pick up a couple of autographs, a TNA live event could be just what you're looking for. Don't let the stigma that the company has picked up deter you. They've changed live events the way that they needed to be changed. If the entire company followed suit, we could be in for wrestling the way we once loved it.