It hasn’t even been one full year since the release of 2024 Upper Deck AEW wrestling cards, and 2025 Upper Deck AEW is officially available in stores and online. The street date of 2025 Upper Deck AEW was April 9, 2025, so at the time of this writing, the product has been available for over a month, but I admittedly missed the initial release, so when I received an email from Upper Deck that blaster boxes were now available, I immediately purchased one, so I could review it for Slam.
Trading cards typically come in a variety of configurations, and 2025 Upper Deck AEW is currently available in hobby boxes (twelve packs for about $110) and blaster boxes (four packs for about $25), so I opted for the more economic option this time, thinking that if I liked it, I could always order more.
I really liked 2024 Upper Deck AEW. In my opinion, it was possibly my favorite year for their flagship set, other than the sentimental favorite of their inaugural 2021 set, so I had high expectations for 2025, but the fact that it was released so early, compared to previous years, worried me a little that quality might dip.
Well, right away, from my first pack of cards, I could tell this was going to be another high quality set of AEW wrestling cards. My first card of the first pack was a Max Caster and Anthony Bowens tag team card. There was no mention of the Acclaimed anywhere on the card, which I thought was a little odd, but other than that, it was just a really sleek looking trading card, good enough for any sport. The next card was Bryan Danielson, and at this point, I realized all of the base cards would have a gold colored border at the bottom of the card, and not just gold parallels. Then I pulled a Harley Cameron base card, and an Ian Riccoboni gold parallel. Now I could see the difference between base cards and gold parallels is in the gold foil details, instead of silver. After this, I pulled a Taz pyro parallel card, and a pink pyro parallel numbered out of 79 of Big Bill, Bryan Keith, and Chris Jericho. To pull a numbered card less than 100 out of a blaster box is a pretty good pull, so I was happy with this card, and the pink foil really pops.
My second pack began with a base card of Riho, who I haven’t seen in a ring in quite some time, followed by a trios card of Penta, PAC, and Rey Fenix. The next card was a base card of Rey Fenix, so it seemed like this pack might feature a lot of talent no longer in AEW. After Fenix, I pulled base cards of Red Velvet and Taz, then a gold parallel of Christian Cage, and an orange dazzlers insert of Killswitch. I’ve liked the dazzlers inserts ever since they were first introduced, and this new design, which heightens the sort of disco aesthetic, is really strong, in my opinion. The orange dazzlers parallel is a blaster box exclusive, so that’s one benefit of purchasing different types of boxes. Next I pulled base cards of Bryan Keith and Kyle Fletcher, rocking a Protostar shirt but still with his mop of curly blonde hair, before he shaved it all off. Then I pulled a trios card of Nick Wayne, Christian Cage, and Killswitch, and a base card of Adam Cole, holding that cursed devil mask.
Pack three began with an MJF base card, then a trios card of the Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada, then base cards of Jay White and Thunder Rosa. Next I pulled a First UD card of Okada. This is the first time Upper Deck has included First UD cards for AEW, and it’s something people have been looking forward to. In short, Upper Deck decided from the start to not to mark any AEW cards as rookies, since so many of the wrestlers have had wrestling cards in other products or other promotions, so this year, they marked some talent as having their first Upper Deck card, although it’s specific to the flagship set, because Okada had AEW cards in other sets in 2024. After this, I pulled a base card of Saraya, then an awesome neon monikers insert of Okada, so this was an Okada heavy pack. Still, I love the look of this neon monikers insert, so this is an insert I hope to pull more of if I buy additional packs. Next, I pulled what I thought was a duplicate of the Saraya card, but on closer look, I noticed this was a diamond plate parallel of Saraya, which is another blaster box exclusive. Then I finished this pack with base cards of Penta El Zero M and Nyla Rose.
My fourth and final pack began with a base card of Julia Hart and a trios card of Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage, and Toa Liona, who I admittedly don’t remember being a trio. I followed that up with base cards of Action Andretti, Adam Copeland, the “dapper yapper” Justin Roberts, and a gold parallel of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens. Next I pulled an Upper Deck canvas insert of “Hangman” Adam Page. UD Canvas remains one of the more reliable inserts of Upper Deck releases, and even though they might not be exceptionally rare or valuable, they are a well regarded and handsome insert, and they’re a great card to get autographed. Next I pulled a First UD of Queen Aminata, and finished the pack with base cards of Powerhouse Hobbs, Juice Robinson and Jay White, Matt Menard, and Mox.
Overall, I pulled what one can usually expect from a blaster box, mostly base cards, with a few common inserts and parallels, but that’s why it’s a more affordable option, and typically found in retail stores like WalMart or Target. You don’t buy blaster boxes expecting hits, although the pink parallel numbered out of 79 was a nice card.
From the few packs I pulled, I would say 2025 Upper Deck AEW is on par with 2024, and another strong product from Upper Deck AEW. I haven’t seen enough yet to say there’s been any noticeable improvements, but I also wouldn’t say there’s any obvious reductions in quality. At this point, I think Upper Deck has found its stride, and if they continue to do what they’ve been doing, they should continue to produce a great set of wrestling cards for fans of AEW.
Upper Deck should have at least two more sets of AEW cards to release in 2025, the debut of Upper Deck SP Game Used AEW, which is another premium set of cards, like Spectrum or Black Diamond before it, and the long awaited return of Upper Deck AEW Skybox Metal Universe, which has been on hiatus since 2022, so if both of those sets are released within this calendar year, I predict AEW collectors will have a very good year.
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