If I haven't already gone into it on these pages, I will now. I have a unique way of taking in the current product. While I appreciate so much of the talent that is out there, I really can't take the presentation in any way, shape or form. The one show that I did enjoy, NWA Powerrr, sadly seems to be all but done. Instead of wasting my time with the other weekly shows that are made up of either filler or the same formulaic patterns of the past two decades, I simply wait to hear about a particular star or match that I feel is worth going out of my way for. Then, via either WWE Network or other means of viewing, I pull up whatever I want, whenever I want. One of the stars who I became a fan of this way is WALTER. He's a true throwback yet has a dash of modern flavor. The best of both worlds.
I know that I wasn't the only one who found it peculiar that a WALTER figure wasn't announced at the various product unveilings this year. There seemed to be a bevy of NXT female talents getting figures who I had barely, if ever, heard about, yet no WALTER. A man who has made waves, captured a championship, and even has his own faction. Low and behold, WALTER was suddenly announced as the latest Ringside Collectibles exclusive. Any collector with half a brain will tell you that in 2020 a Ringside exclusive is a sigh of relief over any brick-and-mortar retail exclusive.
Shipping just in time for the holidays, WALTER's first figure is not only an exclusive but a very detailed Elite. The first thing to note is the seemingly new trend in exclusive packaging. The boxes truly are boxes. No J-hooks here and I don't think that's a bad thing at all. If the figures aren't going to be at retail, why bother? There are plenty of shelving options out there if display is your worry. The box reflects WALTER's WWE UK Champioship win at NXT TakeOver: New York and, just like the man himself, is a darkly toned package as far as hues and colors. As dark as it is, it still stands out and is one of the better efforts of the year.
WALTER is packed with plenty of accessories including the WWE UK Championship, an alternate set of "open" hands, and most importantly his si-gnature "Ring General" robe. The aforementioned logo appears on both the back of the robe and the trunks of the figure. I've seen some criticism that the belt is the "WWE" UK Championship and not the "NXT" UK Championship as it is now, but this figure is clearly reflecting when he won the title.
The figure is big and somewhat bulky just like the man himself. WALTER is no muscle guy, he's just big. The way an imposing wrestler should be. I think a big part of his appeal to me is that I could truly see this guy tearing AWA rings up were he a star in the '70s. WALTER vs Billy Robinson would've been a Helluva battle, if you ask me.
The likeness is spot on. The parts used to make the body are reused I'm fairly sure, but they work. That's all we can ask for. The robe is soft goods and looks great on the figure, though it is packaged to the side. Seeing as that it's soft goods it enables a variety of poses that the stiff rubber accessories do not. There is a time and a place for both, but the wise choice was made here.
I'm certain that we'll see more figures of WALTER down the line, but often there is a time clause when exclusives are involved. I could see him popping up in a Basic line before anything else. Why wait? In a year of a lot of nice figures this is certain a worthy modern-day entry into the running for Figure of the Year just as I thought it would be as soon as I saw it. Plus, no worries about finding it. Unlike Target and Wal Mart, Ringside has you covered. As diverse as wrestling is once again getting, it's still refreshing to see someone who isn't a jacked-up monster becoming a star. WALTER is that and more. So is his rookie figure entry.
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