Before Classic Superstars, There Were The Legends Of Professional Wrestling

Just a few weeks ago it was announced that Figures Toy Company would be producing a line of Ring of Honor action figures.  Speculation abound as to which wrestlers would be made in the line, what size the figures would be, and their price point.  Figures Toy Company has been making many waves in the action figure scene over the last few years by recreating the iconic World's Greatest Superhero figures of the 1970's, as well as other figure lines produced by the long-defunct Mego company.  However, this isn't the company's first foray into the wrestling action figure world.  Years before Jakks would introduce the legendary WWE Classic Superstars line to the world, Figures Toy Company would produce The Legends of Professional Wrestling.

It was the wrestling "boom period" spurned by the "Attitude Era" and the "Monday Night Wars."  Every wrestling company including WWF, WCW, and ECW had a figure line that were relatively interchangeable at around six inches tall.  One of my main issues with the era is that the history of the business was all but forgotten.  There was suddenly no room for the wrestlers of yesteryear.  These men, who were portrayed as either good or evil, were no longer welcome in a wrestling world where even the "good guys" didn't really fight with good intentions.  Thankfully, as WWE became the steward of wrestling history as the 2000s went on, the past began to be "rediscovered."  In the meantime, we had this collection of twenty-three wrestling legends made of plastic.

Figures Toy Company and parent company Figures Inc. frequently advertised in the many wrestling magazines of the era and began the line with ads for "The Walking Condominium" himself, King Kong Bundy.  Each figure was around six inches tall (like the other wrestling figures of the day) and offered in both regular and "bloody" versions.  The blood was painted on rather generously and most of these figures also had slightly different colored attire as well.  For unknown reasons, Chief Jay Strongbow had two different color variations as opposed to a "bloody" version.  The first four figures (Bundy, Abdullah the Butcher, Killer Kowalski, and Ivan Putski) were also offered completely molded in a glow-in-the-dark plastic.

Each wrestler was it's own "Series" and eventually there were twenty-four series in all.  The only wrestler to be repeated was Bruno Sammartino, as he was offered in both his 1970's look and a "young" representation.  This is still the only version of Sammartino to include his infamous '70s perm hairdo.  Until the Classic Superstars line was released, this was the only time that many of these men had been immortalized in plastic.  As of this writing, the only figures to ever be released of Wahoo McDaniel, Eddie Gilbert, and Ox Baker are in this line.

Starting with Series 14 (Captain Lou Albano), the figures were released in completely enclosed boxes rather than carded.  Two-pack re-releases of figures were produced but are rather scarce.  Also beginning with Series 14, the heads of the wrestlers were actually interchangeable.  This led to FTC releasing a pack with all of the Series 14-24 heads, generic heads and bodies, as well as staff jackets and accessories as a "Create Your Own" set.

A few years later, FTC. tried to revive their line with the addition of Andre the Giant.  Two figures of the Eighth Wonder of the World were released, one in yellow and the other in the black strap.  They were made similar to the bodies of action figures produced by the aforementioned Mego company, and therefore they are out of scale with the other LOPW figures.  The figures were released in Mego-like packaging, as well.  The two are in-scale with the more recent Andre figures by Jakks and Mattel, and have risen in value in recent years.

Some collectors dismissed the line since the initial offerings were overproduced and often clearanced out very cheap.  Others preferred the longer lasting Classic Superstars line.  Both lines can be collected and enjoyed separately, especially since they are a completely different scale.  In addition to the great likenesses of Wahoo and '70s Bruno, the facial sculpts of Ivan Koloff, Baron Von Raschke, and Ox Baker are second-to-none.  Abdullah the Butcher had his best figure release here as well.

In a way, the line hearkens back to the Remco AWA figure collection of 1985-86.  They work as great companion pieces, especially since many of the names here popped up in the AWA.  The Legends of Professional Wrestling line might best be described as a celebration of the wrestling territories.  Men who made their name not only in the WWF, but the various NWA territories such as Mid-Atlantic and Georgia Championship Wrestling.

With twenty-three different characters, a collector could even cook up a heckuva fantasy card with these names alone.  My lineup?  Ricky Steamboat versus Bob Orton, Abdullah the Butcher versus The Sheik, Kamala versus Eddie Gilbert, Wahoo McDaniel versus Greg Valentine, Bruno Sammartino & Jay Strongbow versus Ivan Koloff & Jimmy Valiant (Managed By Lou Albano), Killer Kowalski versus Ox Baker, Superstar Billy Graham versus Tony Atlas, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff versus Tito Santana & Ivan Putski, and King Kong Bundy versus Baron Von Raschke.  Now that's a supercard!

We'll have to wait and see just what success FTC will have with ROH.  Will wrestling collectors connect with the offerings and FTC's online-only distribution?  Will high price points and kids unfamiliarity with the ROH roster hurt their chances?  Time will tell.  In the meantime, the LOPW line continues to gain back popularity.  Secondary market value of the later series figures has begun to rise.  It's time that this under-appreciated wrestling line takes its rightful, and legendary, place in collections everywhere.  Some of us have already treasured them for years.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Newsstand Nostalgia

Figures, cards, and videos are all great collectibles. Promotional photos, original ring worn items, and belts are incredible items as well. For me, though, it all comes back to magazines.

That isn't to say that I'm ready to get rid of everything but the mags. Quite the contrary as I've always prided myself on being able to collect a little bit (okay...maybe a medium bit) of everything that's out there. In my case it may have started out with a couple of action figures, but there's just something about holding a thirty-year-old magazine in your hand with that musty smell and great black and white photography. The whole package encapsulates whichever era in wrestling that the magazine is from.

Even though figures and cards became the predominate wrestling collectibles by the 1980's, great wrestling publications are still sprouting up to this day. Add that to the fact that many classic vintage magazines and programs are obtainable at extremely affordable prices might make them the premiere pieces of wrestling memorabilia to collect.

Whether or not you collect them yourself or just want to see what the old boxes of magazines in your basement may be worth, you know by now that these MarketWatch entries attempt to help on both counts. Let's take a look at some recent online auction results.

*We'll start off with an item that should appeal to most audiences, that being the program for the 1988 Survivor Series. As opposed to the plain black cover on the 1987 edition, the 1988 program looks right at home in the colorful late '80s WWF. A huge photo of the Mega Powers over shadows pictures of the rest of the '88 team co-captains. WWF pay-per-view program interest can best be described as fickle. The same publication can sell for $40 one week and go unsold the next at $10. This is the best way to illustrate the fact that items truly don't have a set "value." It's all up to what the collectors are currently willing to pay. Recently, this program (unsigned) sold for $30.

*Next is an item that could be described as a cross-collectible. The 1985 Wrestling All Stars Trading Card magazine was the only way to obtain the 54-card set. Featuring such stars as Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Exotic Adrian Street, and many others, the cards are perforated and included as pages in the magazine. Examples including all 54 cards still attached have just recently sold for between $80-$100. Don't expect the interest or price to wane anytime soon.

*While the WWF originally had WWWF Wrestling Action Magazine and then Victory Magazine, the first official WWF Magazine is the April/May 1984 issue. Featuring Hulk Hogan with the "big green" belt around his waist, this issue has always seemingly commanded a high price. Most recently the issue has fetched $35 at auction. Depending on the "mood" of the market, adding or subtracting $15 or so dollars from that price is feasible.

*Jumping ahead about 13 years to the dawn of the "Attitude Era" brings us WWF Program #245. The program features an imposing head shot of Kane in one of his very first merchandising appearances. This era of WWF Programs show up a bit less at auction than late '80s-early '90s editions. This particular issue recently sold at auction for $15. With the popularity of the era, its stars, and the fact that many of these programs have awesome photos of those stars right on the cover, I would snap these up at $15 or under while you can. D-X and Hart Foundation covers from the same time are equally impressive visually.

*We wrap it up with what I would call my "best bet" for this edition of MarketWatch. While all territories had their own programs sold at live cards, the nicest may be the ones that came out of Georgia. The NWA Georgia Ringsider covered all the stars and events of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Ole Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Abdullah the Butcher, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Jack Brisco are just a few of the stars that were covered in these nicely published programs. Recently selling for between $30 and just $6.50, now is the time to pick these up. As we get closer to the NWA Wrestling Fanfest this August celebrating Georgia's wrestling history, prices and interest will undoubtedly rise. Many of GCW's top stars will be attending the event providing the opportunity to have many of these great Georgia Ringsider covers autographed.

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