I was very excited when I heard Topps had regained the license to produce WWE cards again. Fleer made a few great sets in the handful of years they carried the license, but their lack of creativity in their final sets had me ignoring them.
Ironically enough, 2006 Topps WWE Heritage Chrome is largely a shiny rehash of the WWE Heritage set put out just a few months earlier. So why do I like it so much? The Chrome treatment and all of its super shiny parallels are new to wrestling cards. Plus, an autograph should be in every box. That’s what really has me excited.
WWE Heritage Chrome begins with a 90-card base set. The checklist is much the same as WWE Heritage, however it has been updated to include a few more recent roster moves. The passing of Eddie Guerrero and the introduction of the worm-eating Boogeyman comes to mind. The design, photos and card backs are the same but Topps’ Chrome technology makes the difference with this set.
The cards are sturdier, shinier and the photos have a surprising amount of pop against the darker backgrounds. Again, different designs are offered for current superstars, divas and legends. With the Raw and Smackdown brands, I wouldn’t have minded a fourth design to differentiate between the two.
There aren’t a lot of inserts to be had with Heritage Chrome. There’s three levels of parallels – all of which look very different – and autographs. Nice, easy and simple.
Refractors have been around as long as Topps has used the Chrome technology. They employ an attractive rainbow finish that makes shiny super-shiny. Falling at four per box, Refractors pose a challenge but nothing too much for resourceful collectors and traders. A little tougher are the X-Fractors, which have a shiny square-like finish. Coming in at one-in-12 packs, they’re tougher to find, but still attainable.
The ultra chase comes with the Super-Fractors. The odds have them coming out in about every other case. Needless to say, I didn’t find one. Adding to their attractiveness is the fact they’re numbered to 25 copies.
I love autographs and Heritage Chrome has a lot of them.You should find one in every box. Like the base card checklist, there’s a mix of legends, divas and superstars. This marks the first set where Topps is using sticker autographs. Normally I can’t stand them, but here they fit the design of the card and work. They’re not ideal, but at least they’re integrated into the concept of the card. Some will likely be disappointed by the duplication found in the signers from this set compared to WWE Heritage. Personally, I don’t mind too much. The design is different and some of the toughest ones to find are now much more easily found.
My box went as expected: a base set, some doubles, four refractors, a pair of X-Fractors and an autograph – of the best manager of all-time, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, no less.
Topps does have to be careful in the future with regards to coming up with new sets rather than simply resting on what has worked for them in the past. They may be the only players in town right now, but I know I’ve become bored with Fleer’s products in the past and stopped buying. While I like Heritage and Heritage Chrome equally, I want to see new things done as well. How about a set dedicated to WWE Hall-of-Famers? Or maybe a now and then set showing superstars in their early years versus now? Wrestlemania’s greatest moments? None of these have been done and all seem interesting to me.
2006 Topps WWE Heritage Chrome Box Breakdown:
Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 5
Total cards:120
Cards in set: 90
Singles: 90
Doubles: 23
Triples+: 0
Inserts: 7
- Refractor (1:6): 4 (45. Chris Masters, 48. Rey Mysterio, 50. Tazz, 70. Melina)
- X-Fractor (1:12): 2 (59. Sharmell, 74. “Cowboy” Bob Orton)
- Autographs (1:24): 1 (Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)
