COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Where to Find Trading Cards of NXT’s Top Stars and New Recruits

The new 2018 Topps WWE trading card set includes first-time autographs of some of NXT’s current top stars. Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly all make their WWE trading card debuts, and each man also has his first certified WWE trading card in the new product. Kairi Sane’s debut WWE signature appears in 2018 Topps WWE as well, although she has appeared in other Japanese trading card sets.

But collectors who are looking for trading cards of some of NXT’s current stars and new recruits may have to do a little bit of digging. Fortunately, many of them have appeared in other wrestling, football and other trading card products.

Many of these cards can be found with a simple eBay search, but some others might require a little more scavenging. Be sure to check out sites such as huskerhavswrestlingcards.com and comc.com for more obscure wrestling trading cards.

Top Stars and Their Cards

Ricochet has been an international and indie favorite for many years, and has been appearing on various wrestling trading cards since at least 2014. He was featured in several New Japan Pro Wrestling King of Pro Wrestling (Kinpuro) gaming cards from Bushiroad from 2014 to 2016. More traditional trading cards of Ricochet can be found in the independently produced 2015 IPW and 2016 and 2017 Pro Wrestling Guerilla Battle of Los Angeles trading card sets. Ricochet’s trading cards have become increasingly more popular since his NXT debut at TakeOver: New Orleans. Some eBay sellers have inflated the prices of his Japanese Kinpuro cards and the IPW and PWG cards are practically impossible to find right now. Be patient and don’t overpay.

The returning EC3 will probably have plenty of Topps WWE trading cards before long, but right now has surprisingly few cards. His first card was included in the 2012 Topps WWE set as Derrick Bateman. This card can usually be found for $1 or $2, although several sellers are trying to capitalize on it as EC3’s rookie card with exorbitant prices. EC3 rose to prominence in TNA in 2014 and 2015, after TRISTAR had stopped making TNA trading cards. He does have one licensed Global Wrestling Force trading card that was distributed at a New York house show in 2017.

WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne is featured in the base set of 2018 Topps WWE, with several serial numbered colored parallels. His first card was released in 2016 as part of the PWG BOLA set. The PWG card has become nearly impossible to find, with one eBay seller offering a BGS 9 Mint graded card for $499.

Before he was the Velveteen Dream, Patrick Clark was an independent wrestler who competed on Tough Enough and then signed a developmental deal with NXT. His first trading card can be found in the European-exclusive 2017 Topps WWE Slam Attax. As the Velveteen Dream, he appeared in the Walmart-exclusive Roster Update subset from 2017 Topps WWE Then Now Forever. Each card should only cost you a couple bucks, but can sometimes be tough to find because of their scarce distribution.

Crossover Athletes

WWE recently announced the signings of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, effectively bringing MMA’s Four Horsewomen into the WWE fold, with Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler already established as top stars in WWE and NXT, respectively. While Shafir doesn’t have any licensed UFC cards, Duke appeared in a handful of Topps UFC sets. She has several certified autograph cards, the most commonly traded of which is her 2015 Topps UFC Champions Fighter Autographs card. This card can usually be picked up for less than $10.

Before he was known as Tino Sabbatelli, Sabby Piscitelli[was a 2006 second round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a part of a draft class that whipped collectors into a frenzy at the time, so there are plenty of his football cards out there. National Treasures was the top brand from Donruss/Playoff (now Panini) in 2006, so what can be considered his best rookie card is in that product. You can add a 2006 National Treasures rookie autograph of Piscitelli to your collection for less than $10.

Like Piscitelli, Brennan Williams was a high NFL draft pick, selected in the third round of the 2013 draft by the Houston Texans. Surprisingly, Brennan doesn’t have any licensed NFL trading cards. He does have one card, however: a certified autograph from 2009 Razor (now Leaf) U.S. Army All-American, a product that showcases high school football talent who are college-bound. The basic autographs can be tough to find. One seller is offering an unsigned press plate serial numbered 1/1 for $32.49 on eBay.

Independent Sets

There are several independent sets from the last few years that can still be purchased online and include cards of many NXT and WWE wrestlers.

The Pro Wrestling Guerilla Battle of Los Angeles cards by Brian Ubben have been the hottest non-WWE wrestling sets each of the last two years. Each of the sets features an astounding number of former BOLA competitors who are now top stars or hot prospects in WWE, NXT, New Japan or Ring of Honor. The 2016 set includes current WWE wrestlers like O’Reilly, Dunne, Ricochet, Jack Gallagher, Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno), Tommy End (Aleister Black) and Cedrick Alexander. The 2017 set included the likes of Ricochet, Keith Lee and Donovan Dijak; Candice LeRae was also included on a rare chase card that is not part of the regular 2017 set. These cards are very tough to find, and you can expect to pay $15 at the very least for most cards.

Independent wrestling promotion Ignite Wrestling produced a 52-card set in 2016 that included the likes of Martin Stone (Danny Burch) and Lio Rush, along with other current and former WWE personalities like Lince Dorado and Teddy Long. Full sets are still available for $25, and individual cards are being sold for just $1 each at ignitewrestling.com.

Filsinger Games, a game played with oversized cards, has been around for years and has included several past and present stars. A full checklist is available at filsingergames.com/find-your-favorite-wrestler.

SRG Universe is another gaming card company that has produced cards of several wrestlers. The company’s Independent Competitors set includes cards of current NXT wrestlers Lio Rush, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, EC3 and Drew Gulak, among others. Most basic cards are $15 each, and there are some autographs available for $40. More information can be found at Srguniverse.com.

If you know of any other recent independently produced, non-WWE trading cards, contact PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com or @MMooreWriter on Twitter.

PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter.