1982-83 Wrestling All Stars PSA Graded Cards

[Dpeck100]

Here is the Wrestling News Championship Wrestling Magazine for the CWA where the Lawler photo was first published. This is a really cool supplement they did for this territory and it was Jim Cornette who took the photo and was responsible for the content submitted for publishing.

[Bored5000]

Cornette has always been super high on Lawler and his place in wrestling history. It's been a while since I have listened to Cornette talk about Lawler, but Cornette has made the case previously that Lawler should be top 10 all time in terms of drawing power based on Memphis. Cornette has talked in the past about Lawler's feud with Andy Kaufman being on the very short list of greatest wrestling angles in the history of the sport, and that David Letterman was not aware of what was going to happen when the pair appeared on his show.

It is unfortunate that an entire generation of fans know Lawler only for his cartoonish WWE work.

[Dpeck100]

As a kid growing up I used to head up to the newsstand and sit for hours reading the various wrestling magazines. I always saw pictures of Jerry Lawler and him ranked near the top of the wrestling world and always thought he was working in the minor leagues and if he was so great he would come wrestle in the WWF. Little did a young guy know that he was a ratings smash, a great worker, an awesome talker and a co owner making big bucks from the wrestling business. His commentary during the attitude era was simply amazing and he is a true asset to the wrestling business. He interacts with fans and you can tell he has devoted his entire adult life to wrestling and loves it. His card is lower pop in general and has really firmed up in price. One of the primary reasons I don't sell cards from my collection generally is I sold years ago a PSA 9 for $60 because I had a few others. Woops.

This is one of my favorite cards. It is a Pop 3 but only 2 exist as one was crossed over in 2010 to BGS. There is a non wrestling collector who owns the other one and he got it many years ago for $56. Score! I was fortunate enough to buyout another collector who was building sets on the registry and purchased mine from him years ago for $250.

[Bored5000]

When I was a kid, I always talked my mom into buying wrestling magazines every month when I would go shopping with her. Some of the guys I never got to see as a fan living in the Northeast seemed larger than life in the Apter mags. One guy that really stands out as an example is Mil Mascaras. When I finally did get to see Mascaras in person a couple times, it was a bit of a letdown compared to how he was portrayed in the Apter mags. Once I was an adult and the Internet became a thing, it was revealing to learn that Mascaras was portrayed in such a way in the Apter mags because Bill Apter was a fan of his.

It also surprised me at least somewhat how often I read online from people outside the Northeast how disappointed they were in seeing Bruno for the first time after reading about him for years in the magazines.

Conversely, I found Dusty Rhodes to be every bit as charismatic and entertaining as the magazines portrayed him to be.

[Dpeck100]

The Mascaras card is very tough to find centered. This is the best example I have ever seen and when it got listed I said I have to win this one. Thankfully I did.

[Dpeck100]

The Crusher just became a Pop 4 and it has to be a beautiful example. Hopefully it comes to market.


This card took me over seven years to land. Such a tough card.

[Dpeck100]

I only knew Bruiser Brody from the wrestling magazines, for a short stint in World Class on ESPN and then he was dead. As an adult thanks to YouTube I have had the privilege of watching his work and he was absolutely awesome. I am not sure how many I have but it is somewhere around 40 copies. Brody and Kerry Von Erich are either one or two of the wrestler I have the most cards of from the set.