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Watching
Raw and Smackdown on TV every week, you get to know
the on-screen characters pretty good. The Undertaker is a bad
ass, The Rock is arrogant, The Hurricane is a wannabe superhero,
etc. Too many 'the's if you ask me.
But
what are the wrestlers like when they're not busy wrestling? That's
what Fleer's WWF All Access tries to get to the bottom of by giving
collectors a backstage pass of sorts.
The
100-card set is divided into three sections: All Access, Off the
Mat and Road to the Ring. All Access provide the standard wrestler
bios. Off the Mat does just that. It shows a more personal side
to the colorful characters and grumpy personas. Road to the Ring
highlights how the featured wrestlers became superstars.
Despite
the fact that there's lots of info to be had on these cards, I'm
not fond of the design. The large lettering and thick borders
make for a cluttered card front. I would have liked to have seen
more focus on the photos. The card backs are toned down a little
bit, which is definitely a step up from the fronts.
The inserts are a quirky mix of disappointing designs and out-there
concepts. The 12-card Famous Rides set sheds light on some of
the superstars' modes of transportation. Did you know The Big
Show drives a purple car? Did you care? Getting to a wrestler's
personal side is one thing, but this is a little too much info.
Match Makers is a bit of a head scratcher. I think the purpose
is to highlight some of 2001's best feuds. Or maybe it's just
an excuse to make yet another card of everybody's favorites such
as the Hardy Boys, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. My favorite
insert set is the 10-card Pay Per View Artwork series. All it
does is showcase the year's PPV poster art. Simple enough, but
it's a good reminder of the year gone by. Should this set continue
into a 2003 set, might I suggest the card back list all of the
event's results, not just the main event.
As in past Fleer WWF offerings, event-worn memorabilia and autographed
cards make more appearances. All Access Memorabilia is your basic
run-of-the-mill event-worn clothes cards. Match Malkers Memorabilia
offers up dual clothing cards. Off the Mat Graphs are the toughest
pull. Those lucky enough to get one of these puppies gets the
signature of some of the WWF's biggest stars. Each box of All
Access has a total of two event-worn memorabilia or autographed
cards.
My
box was a mix of good and bad. On the bad side was the frustrating
fact that I came up one card short of a single set. This despite
the fact that I got 77 doubles and three triples. Inserts ran
accordingly with four Famous Rides, four Match Makers and one
Pay Per View Artwork.
I fared well on the event-worn memorabilia end. First off was
a hot pink piece of Stacy Keibler's dress. Then came the big pull
(in my opinion at least. Don't know - nor do I care - if it's
all that rare): a Match Makers Memorabilia card with shirt pieces
from The Rock and Mick Foley. Both are all-time greats in my books.
The card is already a permanent part of my collection.
Inserts
- Famous
Rides (1:6):
4 (6.
Vince McMahon's Jet, 7. Big Show's Purple Car, 9. Jeff Hardy's
Motorcycle, 12. Al Snow's Lil' Racer)
- Match
Makers (1:6): 4 (6.
Edge and Christian, 8. Kurt Angle and Triple H, 12. Steve Austin
and the Undertaker, 14. Lita, Matt and Jeff Hardy)
- Pay
Per View Artwork (1:24): 1
(5.
Kurt Angle - No Way Out)
- All
Access Memorabilia (1:15): 1
(Stacy Kiebler Event-Worn Dress)
- Match
Makers Memorabilia (1:95):
1 (The Rock and Mick Foley Dual Event-Worn Shirts)
Card
Gallery
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Base
card
|
Off
the Mat subset
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Road
to the Ring subset
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All
Access Memorabilia
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Famous
Rides
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Match
Makers
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Match
Makers Dual Event-Used
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Pay
Per View Artwork
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Box
Breakdown
| Packs
per box: |
24
|
| Cards
per pack: |
8
|
| Total
cards: |
190
|
|
|
| Cards
in set: |
100
|
| Singles: |
99
|
| Doubles: |
77
|
| Triples+: |
3
|
|
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|
| Inserts |
11
|
| Famous
Rides: (1:6) |
4
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| Match
Makers (1:6): |
4
|
| Pay
Per View Artwork (1:24): |
1
|
| All
Access Memorabilia (1:15): |
1
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| Match
Makers Memorabilia (1:95): |
1
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| Off
the Mat Graphs: |
0
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