Well, I just acquired wrestling card #2, so my collection has now doubled in size!
Here it is:
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| 1991 Swanson WWF #12, Macho Man Randy Savage |
How do you even begin describing the '90s coolness factor with this one?
The first thing I notice is the shades. Wow. Then there's all the neon. And the hat. And the background that resembles the background from every single 1990s high school yearbook in existence.
Get past that, however, and you'll also see a classic menacing wrestler's pose. Just look. Those hands are ready to clamp down and grapple with you. Do you stand a chance? No. No you don't. (I wonder if Randy learned that pose from his father Angelo, who was a tremendous professional wrestler himself.)
In a funny way, the pose also reminds me of another wrestler. His name is The Crusher.
That's him on the right. (Don't worry. Bugs Bunny took care of him.)
Returning to the card, though, here's the back:
Notice how the information is printed in both English and French. That's because this card is from a set that was only available in Canada. And if the name Swanson sounds familiar, you're onto something. In 1991 you'd find two of these wrestling cards packed inside select Swanson TV dinners (available in your grocer's freezer).
Here's the complete 12-card checklist:
1 Jake The Snake Roberts
2 Bret Hit Man Hart
3 Bushwhackers
4 The Mountie
5 Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
6 Ultimate Warrior
7 Hulk Hogan
8 Texas Tornado
9 Rockers
10 Legion of Doom
11 Big Boss Man
12 Macho Man Randy Savage
So, if you grew up in Canada back then and really liked the WWF, you may have begged your mom or dad to buy Swanson TV dinners every week until you had the complete set. Or at least until you found your favorite wrestler.
I'm happy to have this card in my collection now, along with the Hulkster. Talk about two monuments of professional wrestling. To quote Randy Savage himself,
Oh yeaaaaaah!
I will raise my hand for exactly that - asking for Swansons as a kid because of the wrestling cards. Accordingly, I have the full 12 card set in my collection - probably the first complete set I ever owned.
ReplyDeleteCool! I hope this post brought back a lot of good memories for you.
DeleteOh man! Cool card. I'm not much of a wrestling guy, but it was hard not to enjoy some of the characters as a kid in the late '80s/early '90s. I might have to track down a Jake the Snake Roberts!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! What a bunch of characters they were.
DeleteI do remember Swanson's TV dinners - and the Macho Man, though I never got into wrestling. Now I'm kind of interested to see The Mountie.
ReplyDeleteSame here. Along with The Mountie, there are a few other names on that checklist that I don't remember at all. (Texas Tornado? Rockers?)
DeleteWow. Awesome card. Never seen or heard of this set... but I like the design and love seeing the old WWF logo on the front. It's just a shame that Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat isn't on the checklist.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fuji! These cards were new to me, as well. I do wonder why certain popular wrestlers were left out, like Steamboat, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, or Rowdy Roddy Piper, for example. Maybe it was a contractual or licensing thing.
DeleteNow that you've got the Mega Powers in your collection, you should really thing about getting a Miss Elizabeth card to complete the trifecta.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't be very impressive to keep it as a two-card collection, would it?
DeleteUsed to have Swanson TV dinners a lot as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm remembering right, they made some specifically for kids, didn't they?
DeleteMy sis and I spent our dollars in the mid-80s for ring-side seats. Rock n Roll Express and the Fantastics were our faves. We liked the Von Erichs too. We always rooted for the good guys. I don't know where those years go.
ReplyDeleteRingside seats, wow. Nice work there, Julie and sis!
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