Racing with Walmart

My last post was only a few days ago and it was about some wrestling cards I got from the Walmart website.  Since this has kind of been a sad week for me personally, I thought I'd write about some cards to make me feel better.  Today I figured I'd finish up writing about the racing cards I got from Walmart.

I was a little surprised when I saw many older packs.  I figured I'd be stuck with a bunch of 09 stuff and while I hoped to get some of the newer Donruss stuff, I knew it would be the stuff before they started putting stuff out.  Going in, I really got it just to open packs and maybe find a few Carl Edwards and Jamie MacMurray cards.  Neither are my favorite driver, but they are from Missouri so I do kind of collect them.  After seeing some of the older packs, I started thinking I could get some Rusty Wallace and other Missouri racers.

So, like the wrestling ones, I kept a sheet detailing what packs I got.  Keep in mind I was supposed to get 30 packs.

    Racing 30 Packs
1- 2008 Press Pass VIP (4 cards per pack)
1- 2004 Wheels High Gear (4 cards per pack)
1- 2006 Press Pass Stealth (4 cards per pack)
1- 2010 Press Pass Stealth (5 cards per pack) *Got a hit
1- 2007 Wheels American Thunder (4 cards per pack)
1- 2003 Press Pass (8 cards per pack)
1- 2008 Press Pass Premium (4 cards per pack)
1- 2007 Press Pass Premium (4 cards per pack)
1- 2003 Wheels High Gear (4 cards per pack)
1- 2003 Press Pass Eclipse (4 cards per pack)
1- 2003 Press Pass Premium (4 cards per pack)
1- 2006 Press Pass Optima (4 cards per pack)
1- 2006 Press Pass (6 cards per pack)
1- 2004 Press Pass Stealth (4 cards per pack)
1- 2008 Press Pass Eclipse (4 cards per pack)
3- 2006 Press Pass Premium (4 cards per pack)
3- 2006 Press Pass Traks (4 cards per pack)
4- 2007 Press Pass Traks (5 cards per pack)
2- 2010 Wheels Main Event (5 cards per pack)
2- 2005 Press Pass Stealth (4 or 5 cards per pack) *1 had 5, the other 4
2- 2007 Press Pass Stealth (4 cards per pack)
3- 2007 Press Pass VIP (4 cards per pack)

Also got 1 2010 Press Pass Stealth card not in a pack but loose among the packages.  It was a "Tribute to Dale" card of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I'm not sure if the Tribute to Dale card was a bonus pack card that never made it into its pack or what, so whatever.  Also notice I got 34 packs in addition to the stray Jr. card.  I also believe those American Chopper packs I got were included in this because I'd never see a connection with it and wrestling.  So 36 or so packs instead of 30 is already a positive, throw in 2003 and 2004 packs, and I'm pretty happy.  Let's open some packs!

I have no rhyme or reason opening these, so I'm not holding any back to the end, its just how they showed up in the que, since I basically did the same thing when I opened them.

I liked some of the Wheels sets I've seen in the past and this set looks nice.  My sister was a big Tony Stewart fan, so being one of the first cards shown here is pretty cool.  I think Tony will be a common theme throughout these packs.  That card is my favorite from this pack.

2 packs and 2 Denny Hamlin cards... well, there can't always be positives.  For some reason I've never been a fan of his or Greg Biffle.  Let's hope not too many show up in these packs.  I also hope not to see too much airbrushing since there will be alcohol sponsors.  I'm not sure what my favorite card is in this pack, but Kyle Busch is my favorite driver among this pack, but I do like Sadler a bit too.

First sightings of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.  Never cared for JJ much, but I do admit I liked Gordon when he first came up in Winston Cup.  That being said, I like the Jimmie card most since its nice to see them off the track sometimes.

I have a lot of scans, so that's why I may not say much today.  At first you might think I got two Ron Hornaday cards.  Which I did, but the first one is actually the gold version, so that's a plus.  Dale Jarrett was one of my dad's favorite drivers, so I'm not mad getting two of his cards.  My favorite design in this pack is the replay card of Reed Sorenson, but my favorite card is the Johnny Sauter just because I like his firesuit.

I like the simple look of these cards.  I also like the Greg Biffle card.  I forgot about Robby Gordon, another driver I never cared for.  I don't think I remember Burney Lamar, but that might be my favorite card of this pack.

I did skip over a scan, which I'll show later because I remember it being one of the last packs I opened.  This pack though is pretty nice as well.  I finally got a Rusty Wallace card.  So far, shut out on Edwards though. Since I'm unfamiliar with many of these sets, I'm not sure what the odds are for insert cards and subset cards and which is which, but I am somewhat surprised that most packs have had some sort of card that might not have been base cards.  I like the Gordon card the most.

Not a fan of those Winston Cup Scene cards, but the Stewart and Jarrett cards make up for it.  The Jarrett card is my favorite.

Not bad, but I'm not the biggest fan of these cards.  I like the design, but not big on foil.  That said, I like the Johnson card best just because it shows him and his car on the front.

OOOOHHHHH!  I love this pack.  Actually it was one of the last ones I opened knowing I'd like it.  I believe this is the first Tim Richmond card I have and I'm so happy.  Also glad to get the Ken Schrader card.  I always liked him.  I need to see how cheap these are on ebay and maybe build this set one day.  Not too likely, but you never know.

Traks made some good looking cards.  Again, just because of the firesuit, I like the Jon Wood card best.  Though the Kenseth card has everything you'd want on the front of a NASCAR card.

More goodness.  The Newman card reminds me of Bubba Wallace.  During rain delays, he has been tossing a football into the grandstand and the fans throw it back to him.  Some of the other drivers have joined in too.  It's something fun to do until its time to race again.

Another good pack, with Ken Schrader and Dale Jarrett.  At this point I'm a bit curious why I haven't pulled any Carl Edwards cards and wonder if I will.  I can say that I'm sure that is the first Rick Crawford card I have. 

I promised more Tony Stewart, and here is a double dose.  I can't remember Kyle Busch driving for CarQuest, but I did take time away from watching for a while, and also spent a long time not being able to watch any series lower than Sprint/Nextel/whatever its called after it changed from Winston Cup.

I remember the Main Event cards, but not this design.  The Reutimann card I have some similar but they are smaller.  The Lap Leader card is from a game I have no idea about or care since it's long expired, so there's that.

More Tony Stewart, and Mark Martin.  Underrated by many as well as underrepresented in these packs so far.

This is an out there design, and I'm not sure if I like it.  That said, I do like that I got a John Andretti card, maybe my first but doubtful.  I've watched some older NASCAR races on Youtube this year and forgot how for a stretch he was a contender a few races.  These days its more fun just to watch the old races you forgot who won then try to find the channels for this weeks race.  Plus unless its on Network TV I can't watch, so might as well go back to my favorite years of racing around 88-02.  Sometimes earlier, sometimes newer, but that was the glory years for me.

Eh, I'm indifferent to them, but am glad they make cards for the drivers not in the main cup series.  I'd think every driver in the main 3 series should have cards each year, its not like there needs to be a ton of cards, maybe 200 or so, that includes room for other drivers to get multiple cards or maybe show some of the pit crews.  I'm not sure if Donruss does this, but I am thankful that Michael Annett gets cards each year now though he's in the "minor leagues".

I never look to see when a driver's "rookie card" is, but its nice to see this is apparently Paul Menard's.  Not a bad pack.  I remember some of the Maximum Access cards, so getting a Gordon is nice.

Still no Edwards.  Not even sure I've gotten a Jamie Mac yet.

This was the Salute To Dale card that was just thrown in.  I like the card, but was never the biggest Jr. fan.  That said, I've loved him in the commentary booth, he's done a great job.

CARL EDWARDS!  YES!  This was also my favorite car of his, loved him having Office Depot as the sponsor. 

I was surprised to find the Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs cards but was happy to pull them.  They are my two favorite cards of this pack.

Well another Gibbs card.  Since the packs were so random, that might be one of the only doubles I got, which is really nice.

Another Edwards!  I like the design of these, reminds me of the grid walk Michael Waltrip does.  However I liked it better before he got too goofy doing it.

I really like the Asphalt Jungle card of Gordon here.  Ir really stands out.  Might look to see what others were in that set.

Another nice pack.  I always like the color scheme of Waste Management, but not sure I'd want to be sponsored by them.

Another pack of Traks this with another Edwards card and a nice Bobby Allison card.  Makes me wish I could somehow pull an Davey Allison or Alan Kulwicki card.

I'm a bit surprised at how little Dale Earnhardt Jr. cards I've actually gotten in these packs.  I think I like the Michael Waltrip card the best in this pack.

Probably the first Fireball Roberts card I have.  Not a bad pack, also glad I got the Brian Vickers card as I am somewhat a fan of his.

The Bobby Labonte card is pretty cool.  At this point you wonder if you'll get a really cool autograph card or something.  I really don't expect to, but even if I don't I think there have been a ton of inserts so I can't complain one bit.

This might be the worst pack of the bunch, but even still, I like it.  The Flag Chaser card does nothing for me, but its still a nice looking design for an entry card.

I liked Sadler the best when he was sponsored by Best Buy.  I always like the car design.

I think the Sterling Marlin card is the first airbrushed card I've pulled.  At least on a major scale. I'm positive he didn't have his name painted across his firesuit like that, this was when he was driving for Coors.  That said, its not really a bad card.  Also noticed I got a "Double Dose of DeWalt".  Not that I'm mad.

The Kasey Kahne card on the bottom left is airbrushed.  He was sponsored by Budweiser.  Not a fan of it, but at least they didn't leave it blank.

You can't really tell, but the Truex card on the bottom is interesting.  It has a piece cut out that looks like maybe his home state, and the photo looks like it has pinhole spots in it so its really unique.  It was one of the best cards I pulled.  Probably the second best card.

So what did I save for the last scan and is the best card I pulled?

ELLIOTT SADLER!  Wait, nope... KASEY KAHNE (airbrushed again)... nope....

WHAT!! Is that a piece of sheetmetal on the Tony Stewart card?   DING DING DING!  I never expected to get an autograph or memorabilia card in any of these packs, but I was beyond excited to pull this card.  Its actually my first memorabilia card I've ever pulled from NASCAR.  While a white piece is a bit generic, I still am excited.  I didn't save the pack for the end because it weighed different or anything, it was like the 4th last pack I opened.  I just opened other packs I figured wouldn't be as good.  In fact maybe only the Traks packs were opened after and killed any excitedness I had for them at the time.

Overall, I think I did really good with these packs.  I wonder what packs were bonus since I got extras and curious if that last pack maybe would have been excluded.  At any rate, I got 30 packs (30+) for 20 bucks, and I actually used a gift card so I wasn't out any money.  The question is, would I buy this again?  I probably shouldn't and wouldn't expect to get another card like the sheetmetal card, but I think with all the other inserts, the age of the packs, and the fun I had, I probably would.  It would depend on how dedicated I am to building my NASCAR collection.  I really have no plans to, but I can't deny that opening these packs were worth every penny.  Much more value and fun than I got from opening the wrestling ones.

So that wraps it up for today, thanks everyone for reading, I hoped you enjoyed it, and hope everyone has a great day!

Wrestling with Walmart

A couple months ago the big rage was buying packs of baseball cards from Walmart's website.  On my last post I mentioned I ended up joining in on the craze but with a twist.  Instead of baseball cards, I bought some wrestling cards and racing.  Today I thought I'd show the wrestling packs I ended up with.  Since its been a while I believe it was supposed to be 30 packs for either 15 or 20 bucks.  Let's see how I did.

So the majority of these packs came in plastic clamshell packaging, with only the Heritage cards being the outlier.

So after sorting, this is what I came up with.  Uh-oh, a lot of Rumble packs and Ultimate Rivals.  I wasn't a fan of the Ultimate Rivals cards, so from the start I was a little concerned.  The stack of packs on the left is some of the racing I'll show at a later date.  So what was the pack breakdown?  Here it is as I made a list for the TCDB so others could get an idea.

5- 2015 Topps WWE Heritage (3 cards per pack)
1- 2008 Topps WWE Heritage III Chrome (5 cards per pack)
1- 2007 Topps WWE Heritage II Chrome (5 cards per pack)
1- 2009 Topps WWE Heritage IV (5 cards + 1 stick sealed gum)
2- 2010 Topps WWE (7 cards per pack)
1- 2008 Tristar TNA Impact (5 cards per pack)
2- 2007 Topps Action WWE (7 cards per pack)
1- 2010 Topps WWE Dog Tags Pyrotechno (1 dog tag + 1 card)
6- 2008 Topps WWE Ultimate Rivals (7 cards per pack)
1- 2008 Topps WWE Ultimate Rivals (Bonus Pack) (4 cards)
1- 2010 Topps WWE Slam Attax Mayhem (8 cards + instructions)
1- 2010 Topps WWE Slam Attax (8 cards + checklist)
7- 2010 Topps WWE Rumble Pack (6 cards per pack)

The Heritage packs were what kept my interest, so at worst, it wasn't a total bust as I'd get some value, but would the others make up the rest of the value?  Let's look.

Slam Attax doesn't interest me, so unless I got someone I really liked, I didn't care.  Aside from Eli Cottonwood, which I didn't see much of him, and the PPV card, I like the rest.  Ted Dibiase card I liked because he got his training from Harley Race and I probably had a chance to see him before he made it to WWE.  The foil Teddy Long card is my favorite though.  Teddy is going to be at a WLW show next month I think.  WLW is Harley Race's federation.  Mr. Race hasn't been doing well lately, so I hope for a speedy recovery. I guess I'll rate the packs with a +/- rating.  This gets a + just because I like more of them than not.

I like these Attax cards much better, but could have done without the Ring Bell card.  Another pretty good pack actually happy I got a Paul Burchill card, I thought WWE could have done more with him.  My favorite in this pack is Bam Bam Bigelow with Eve being a pretty distant second.  This pack gets a +.

I was a little excited to open this, as I had some of these before.  Once I opened it though was a bit disappointed.  Nothing against Yoshi Tatsu, but I think years ago when these came out, I actually had this one.  Plus, it would have been nice to get a bigger name.  I have to rate this a -.

I actually liked this TNA Impact set, and if I'm not mistaken, may be close to finishing it.  That said, I wasn't a fan of this pack.  I hated the Ink cards, and was never a fan of Homicide.  Brother Ray was okay, but I'm not his biggest fan.  So Jay Lethal was the only card I really liked in this pack and even the photo isn't the best.  But hey, at least its an action card.  Too bad we couldn't see who he was delivering the elbow drop to. This pack gets a -.

I remember these cards, but wasn't too big on them.  I will say before Topps started to make their base sets look like their baseball cards, they had some unique designs, for better or worse.  None of these cards do much for me aside from The Boogeyman card.  He's coming to get you!  At least these cards do provide action.  Its pretty close, but I give this a -.

Here was another pack.  Still not doing anything for me, but I do like these cards just a bit more.  Glad to get a Randy Orton and HBK cards.  Just because I don't hate them as much I'll be nice and give this a + rating.

Now we come to Ultimate Rivals.  These don't look like the ones I remember, but still not a fan of them too much. I don't really remember a lot of these feuds or rivals but maybe I'm just forgetting.  Kane and Undertaker and Cena and Edge stand out though.  Batista and Triple H finished their rivalry earlier this year at Wrestlemania.  CM Punk did not like Elijah Burke so that was an interesting card.  Since I know I'll hate the other Rivals cards, and since these are much better, I'll give this a +.

The reason I didn't care for these cards was the bordering.  I like the brick wall concept, but it doesn't work on just the bottom part of the card on two corners.  That said, pulling two Sgt. Slaughter cards in the same pack wasn't a plus either.  Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair had a great rivalry though, so that's a positive.  Overall though I give this a -.  Btw, nice to see Sgt. Slaughter, Pat Patterson, and Ric Flair on the Raw Reunion episode on Monday along with many other past greats.  Not sure why they didn't book Orton though.

This pack had doubles and the ones that weren't don't appeal to me.  I don't think I ever needed a Matt Striker card.  The motion card at the bottom though changes things.  I can't be negative pulling a card like that, so this somehow gets a + rating.

This pack gets a + rating for no other reason than Terry Funk.  Its crazy to think I've met both Terry Funk and Mick Foley and they are on the same card.  In fact I believe they were wearing almost the same clothes.  Another plus for this pack is the Jericho and Stephanie card.  While I'm not as big of a fan of Jericho in recent years, I loved them two going back and forth. I'm getting sad seeing all these Umaga cards.  I really like him and miss him.

Speaking of missing him, I miss Brian Pillman so much.  I miss him more than most people miss Eddie Guerrero (which I also miss). This pack has some good rivals on it aside from Kelly Kelly and Layla and maybe Cody and Holly.  Though it had another motion card so combining that with the Pillman/Austin card, this gets a huge +.

I like how this pack has some older rivalries like HBK and Bulldog (which I never like their rivalry because HBK always got the upper hand), and even an old WCW feud between Ron Simmons and Vader.  Another Bam Bam card, and happy to get any card with Maria on it so this pack gets a +.

Now its time for Rumble packs.  Targeted towards kids, I'm not the right demographic, but I'll be honest, if I was a kid, I'D LOVE THESE!  It reminds me of the old Topps Kids cards.  I didn't expect much from these, but with as many packs as I got, I could see myself building this set at some point.

This pack is definitely a +.

I really like the Shawn Michaels card. The cartoon cards reminds me of the newer Triple Play cards so I have no use for them, but again, I'm not the target audience.  Another +.

I should point out that even though I'm giving a lot of pluses, that doesn't mean overall it will be a plus.

After opening more than a couple of these, the coolness does seem to fade and you really wish better packs were included.  I have to give - on each of these though the first one with the Edge popout is pretty cool.

A couple more packs and I'm glad I'm done opening these.  I do like the Evan Bourne card on the bottom scan.  I have to give that pack a +.

Forgot I had another Ultimate Rivals pack I didn't show.  This one is a -, but the Mr. Kennedy card is really cool.

Time for the exciting stuff, Heritage!  Even though I'm not a fan of Chrome on any cards, I'm still excited to see what I get.  This pack is pretty solid.  Never disappointed to get a Dusty Rhodes card, nor an Undertaker.  I always liked Helms since I first saw him in WCW as a member of 3 Count, so that was a positive.  Overall, despite being a Chrome pack, this gets a +.

Another Chrome pack, but I'm not liking this one too much.  Not mad I got a Matt Hardy or Kane card, but the starpower isn't there, plus I don't care for the design on Chrome.  I wasn't too big on the design in the first place.  This gets a -.

2010 Topps wasn't a bad set, but I thought it could have been better.  My favorite card in this pack is the USA card of Jack Swagger.  I like The All-American American, and once his MMA career ends, wouldn't be mad to see him come back to wrestling.  Also cool to get the CM Punk card, as I liked him.  The Vance Archer card is interesting since I'm not sure how many cards he actually got.  So overall this pack is a +.

A Legends hot pack!  First and foremost, this pack gets a + just because I pulled a Harley Race card.  Besides that, I also got cards of Doink and the Iron Sheik.  How can I be upset?  The History of Regal card is cool as well as the Big Show.  Also I remember the Dude Busters, so I was not disappointed at all with this pack.  Dare I say, the best pack I opened.  +++++.

I had to laugh quite a bit when I opened this pack.  If it wasn't for the chuckle I might have gave this a minus.  However, the stick of gum on top of the Roddy Piper card makes this a +, ensuring that he never runs out of bubble gum while he's kicking ass.  The Batista magnet was also a plus, as it reminded me that I pulled a few of those cards when these came out, but don't think I ever got the Batista.  Its crazy to think that Zack Ryder is still in WWE after all these years, but I'm glad I got a card of him too.

One of the Heritage packs only had 3 cards, I guess a Dollar Tree pack?  I can't be mad at another Harley Race card as well as maybe my first Rocky Johnson card.  Also good to have a Bray Wyatt card.  Despite only being 3 cards, this gets a + as well.

Actually, maybe more of the packs had 3 cards in them.  Its been a while and I forgot.  If this was two packs or one, they still get a - vote.  I like Christian, but otherwise unless I'm set building, I didn't need any of the other cards.  Nice to get another Legend though even if it is Bob Orton.

Another Bam Bam Bigelow card? YES!  Also happy to get a Natalya card.  She is really hot and cold in WWE anymore, but I hope she beats Becky Lynch at Summerslam.  I really need to sort all my wrestling cards I have, not just these, but ALL and see how close I am on this set.  Maybe I'll work on it at some time.  I still have some COMC credit, but wrestling cards on there aren't too cheap.

So all in all, it was really fun opening packs, but overall I was left a little disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, I think it was a great value, I mean it was 50 cents or so a pack, and combine that with the fact I used gift cards for them, I'm not out anything.  I would recommend this to people that want to build a wrestling collection, or fans with kids that enjoy wrestling.  You can see their enjoyment and also teach them about some of the Legends.  I remember playing wrestling video games with my nephews and telling them all about the Legends on there.  After a while, they were using Kamala to beat up John Cena.  Good times.

If you're wondering if I would purchase this again in the future, the answer is maybe.  It wouldn't be until I finished organizing my wrestling collection I have now and see what I could gain from getting more cards like these.  Maybe if I waited a year or so, some newer packs would be included and that would help build those sets.  However I'm in no rush to buy more of these.

So that wraps it up for today, I had fun writing about this and hope to do the racing one soon.  Soon might be a month, but it should be one of my next blogs.  Thanks everyone for reading and have a great day.