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.
2002 Fleer WWF All Access Box Breakdown:
Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Total cards: 190
Cards in set: 100
Singles: 99
Doubles: 77
Triples+: 3
Inserts: 11
- 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)
- Off the Mat Graphs: 0
