{"id":72492,"date":"2018-12-30T21:55:41","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T03:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=72492"},"modified":"2018-12-30T21:55:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T03:55:41","slug":"collectibles-column-leaf-ceo-brian-gray-shares-exclusive-details-on-new-wrestling-trading-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/30\/collectibles-column-leaf-ceo-brian-gray-shares-exclusive-details-on-new-wrestling-trading-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Leaf CEO Brian Gray Shares Exclusive Details on New Wrestling Trading Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4136319179\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><div class=\"m_5150591226370568862gmail_signature\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>As New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s popularity has grown in the U.S. over the last four years, collectors have been pining for NJPW trading cards. With 2018 Legends of Wrestling due in the first half of January 2019, Leaf Trading Cards is providing autographs of some of NJPW\u2019s top stars \u2013 and so much more.<\/p>\n<p>Leaf has announced some autographs for 2018 Legends, including Jesse Ventura, Kenny Omega, Penta El Zero M (Pentagon Jr.), Cody, Dynamite Kid, Larry Hennig and Rey Mysterio. While the full checklist hasn\u2019t been publicly disclosed, Leaf Trading Cards CEO Brian Gray shared some details of the new cards exclusively with the Torch. Many of the wrestlers in the top matches at Wrestle Kingdom 13 will have autographs in 2018 Legends, including Kota Ibushi and Will Ospreay. The set also will include autographs from current stars like PCO and Ricochet, along with legends like Dick Beyer (the Destroyer) and Jim Brunzell, just to name a few. There will also be plenty of unique dual autographs, including the first certified dual autograph trading card of Edge and Christian.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t a checklist where I think, \u2018This guy is the best and everyone else sucks,\u2019\u201d Gray said. \u201cSometimes that happens in a wrestling set, where you\u2019ll get three great names and a bunch of commons or filler. I think this set is just steady across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018The Culmination\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gray and company entered the wrestling card market about six years ago with 2012 Leaf Originals Wrestling, a nostalgia product made up mostly of stars from previous eras. Gray grew up a wrestling fan in Dallas watching the WWF and World Class Championship Wrestling, and used to read the newsstand magazines like <em>Pro Wrestling Illustrated<\/em> to find out what was going on in regions that he couldn\u2019t see on TV. His fandom at a young age helped shape Leaf\u2019s initial wrestling product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to create a product that reflected what I watched on television as a kid growing up,\u201d Gray said. \u201cAnd yes there would be a few newer guys in there, but I wanted the set to have such a great feel of names that I remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2012 Leaf Originals Wrestling product was followed by 2014 Leaf Originals Wrestling, 2016 Leaf Signature Series Wrestling and 2017 Leaf Buyback Wrestling. Each product added signatures from legends who weren\u2019t in the previous sets. With 2016 Signature Series, Leaf shook things up by also including autographs from modern day independent stars like the Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels, Mike Bennett and others.<\/p>\n<p>Leaf surprised collectors in 2017 by including autographs from Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Rocky Romero in its multi-sport Leaf Metal Sports Heroes product. The Omega autograph was arguably the hottest wrestling card of 2017.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3670541953\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhen we introduced Omega cards last year, everyone went crazy for them,\u201d Gray said. \u201cHe\u2019s the biggest name on the planet in wrestling right now, so that was huge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With 2018 Legends of Wrestling, Leaf is providing a deep mix of autographs from new legends, independent wrestling stars and top talent from NJPW.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is really the culmination,\u201d Gray said. \u201cWe threw in everything and the kitchen sink that we had at our disposal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>About 2018 Leaf Legends of Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Each box of 2018 Leaf Legends of Wrestling will include eight signed cards at a cost of about $135 per box. Leaf is producing just 125 cases with 12 boxes per case, or 1,500 total boxes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe negative to that is it might get bid up in the marketplace because there just isn\u2019t much,\u201d Gray said. \u201cBut at the same time, we see what happens in the marketplace when a product is overproduced. We don\u2019t want a situation where customers invest their hard-earned money into our products and because there\u2019s so much printed, the value is depleted. We don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Gray personally, Ventura brings the greatest appeal to the new product. He has signed for only a couple sets before, including 2005 Donruss Baseball Fans of the Game and 2009 Topps American Heritage. But this will be Ventura\u2019s first certified autograph in an actual wrestling product, and securing his signature wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is a headline name and for three or four sets in a row, every time we thought we had him, it just never seemed to work,\u201d Gray recalled. \u201cAt the last second the deal would fall apart or he would be in Mexico or whatever.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1975549687\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Gray recognizes that for current wrestling fans, wrestlers like Omega, Pentagon and the stars of NJPW may be the biggest draws.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe added more Japanese names because that segment is picking up steam; there\u2019s no doubt about it,\u201d Gray set. \u201cBut the legends aspect of this product is huge as well. Being able to bring in Ventura was huge, and having what could be some of the last certified autos of some legends that passed away recently in Dynamite and Hennig is huge as well. We just ended up being very fortunate in getting some names that could end up being one and done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Gray, Ventura autographs will fall two or more per case, on average. Pentagon will fall about one per case, and an estimated 80% of cases will have an Omega auto. Each box of cards is hand-packed by \u201ca wrestling guy on staff who knows the sport well, and he organizes the collation,\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recognize that wrestling is a sport that people truly collect,\u201d he explained. \u201cSome people open it just to flip it and make money, but there are a lot more true collectors. When you have true collectors, you\u2019ve got to make these good cards attainable. You can\u2019t make them impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the wrestlers in the set, 2018 Leaf Legends of Wrestling also includes autographs from four mixed martial arts stars: Fedor Emelianenko, Paige VanZant, Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe felt like it\u2019s a value add,\u201d Gray said of the MMA autos. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not a fan of them, if you\u2019re more wrestling than MMA, it gives you cards you can sell to buy more wrestling. Fedor is huge, Royce Gracie is huge, Paige is huge because she\u2019s gorgeous, and Sakuraba, you have a nice wrestling tie-in also.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very interested to see how wrestling collectors deal with the MMA cards. I\u2019m very interested to see if they\u2019re going to collect those, if they\u2019re going to sell those. The MMA market is dying for more unique stuff. Wrestling fans aren\u2019t necessarily the same as MMA fans, but there is enough of a crossover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gray said he hopes that wrestling collectors will understand that the MMA autos are more of a bonus and not simply filler cards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like we replaced Kenny Omega with a weaker MMA guy,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re putting in great MMA names that are not even replacing a wrestler; it\u2019s just more value. On average, those cards cost us more per autograph than most of the wrestlers did. My mindset on it was that even if people don\u2019t care for MMA that much and Fedor\u2019s not their guy, Fedor is still a value add that enough people will want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Future of Leaf Wrestling Cards<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gray\u2019s formative years as a wrestling fan helped shape wrestling trading cards from Leaf. He recalled one experience as a preteen at a WWF event in the 1980s when he mouthed off to Greg \u201cthe Hammer\u201d Valentine, who has since appeared in multiple Leaf products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember mouthing off to him and him hauling back like he was gonna hit me; I remember just sinking down in my seat just scared shitless,\u201d Gray said with a laugh. \u201cSo my whole life I\u2019ve remembered Greg Valentine scaring the crap out of me, and every time I see him it brings back memories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the thing about wrestling. You see these guys and you remember those interactions and it\u2019s different from other sports. It\u2019s different than watching Mike Trout hit a home run. It\u2019s different than watching Barry Sanders score a touchdown. The wrestlers have always been far more interactive with fans in the midst of doing what they do, and there\u2019s a different feeling that comes from that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gray has been open on social media that 2018 Leaf Legends of Wrestling could be the company\u2019s last wrestling product, depending on collectors\u2019 interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not saying this is definitely our last wrestling product,\u201d Gray explained. \u201cWe roll with demand. If people want it, we make it. If they\u2019re not passionate about it, we don\u2019t. This will be an interesting test to see if the market really wants another product besides the WWE products that are out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But even if the 2018 product turns out to be Leaf\u2019s final foray into wrestling sets, Gray emphasized that wrestlers will continue to appear in other Leaf products, such as Pop Century and Sports Heroes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWrestlers will always be a piece of our multisport portfolio,\u201d Gray said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a function of figuring out how deep in wrestling should Leaf really be. If fans on this product go crazy and really support it like mad, that\u2019s going to send a message to us that we can\u2019t leave that category. If fans are ho-hum about it, which you never know, then we\u2019ll make a different decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut in the interim, I can tell you because of my love for the sport, especially the old school part of it, I don\u2019t see a situation where we wouldn\u2019t include the best names in another product. Wrestling is such a big part of the sports culture, and so it needs to be represented the same way boxing, soccer, tennis, hockey and other sports are represented in Leaf products.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>More information on Leaf Trading cards and 2018 Leaf Legends of Wrestling can be found online at<a href=\"http:\/\/leaftradingcards.com\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/leaftradingcards.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1546145962758000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFM8mtYqi7BR6I1lO39DNcSv5TWjA\">leaftradingcards.com<\/a>. Follow Leaf on Twitter @Leaf_Cards.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THE PRIOR COLUMN:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/21\/collectibles-column-top-wrestling-figures-of-2018\/\">COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Top Wrestling Figures of 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>Michael Moore is a writer and collector living in Casper, WY. He has been a collector of sports cards and wrestling memorabilia since 1985. He has contributed articles on pro wrestling collectibles to PWTorch.com since 2011, and his work has also appeared in <\/i>Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Tuff Stuff Sports Collectibles, Beckett<i> sports publications and more. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter, or contact him at <a href=\"mailto:michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2170415022\"><div id=\"pwtor-3075354187\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>As New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s popularity has grown in the U.S. over the last four years, collectors have been pining for NJPW trading cards. With 2018 Legends of Wrestling due in the first half of <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/30\/collectibles-column-leaf-ceo-brian-gray-shares-exclusive-details-on-new-wrestling-trading-cards\/\" title=\"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Leaf CEO Brian Gray Shares Exclusive Details on New Wrestling Trading Cards\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,52,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-specialists_collectibles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2018\/12\/CollectiblesLeafLogo.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72494,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72492\/revisions\/72494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}