Wrestling MarketWatch: Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Nearly forty years after the first issue, the title remains on newsstands. I often preach the fact that we need to enjoy the magazine while it lasts, as we all thought that a WWE-branded monthly would go on forever. Sadly that was not the case. Many modern stars will never see a magazine cover in their careers, so when an issue of PWI pops up with Charlotte Flair, Braun Strowman, or Kevin Owens featured, it feels like a tradition that still lasts. Fans may no longer live and die by the rankings, but there is still a lot to love in the pages once dominated by the likes of literary luminaries such as Matt Brock and Liz Hunter.

As always in MarketWatch entries, we're looking at a few examples of recent selling prices for items of a specific theme. This time, it's obviously PWI. We'll go back in time for a few issues, and check in with a more recent example, too, just to see how collectibility has held up with the title. As usual, prices featured are for unsigned items unless otherwise noted.

*There's no better place to start than where it all began. Probably one of the most featured magazine covers on this blog over the years, the September 1979 issue launched the title with Dusty Rhodes and Mil Mascaras most prominently featured. The two had been staples of the Stanley Weston wrestling magazines for a decade prior. "The American Dream" was in a singlet-wearing phase at this point, and we can't forget that Mascaras is editor Bill Apter's favorite wrestler. The selling price of the issue has had highs and lows over the years, but recently sold for $110.

*From Issue #1 you go to Issue #2. Another Weston magazine legend, The Living Legend himself, makes the first of several Pro Wrestling Illustrated cover appearances. Although I'm sure that the magazine tries to stick to current stars to appeal to younger fans, it would be nice if the next issue in 2018 featured Bruno Sammartino as a final tribute. As the magazine was still coming into its own, this November 1979 cover gives off a very Inside Wrestling feel. The issue recently sold for $23.

*Moving onto November 1983 we find a legend making one of his last cover appearances. In an extremely cool shot that just screams "wrestling," Harley Race holds the NWA World Heavyweight Championship proudly and regally. Many collectors love the covers that feature crisp photography of the many championship belts from the past. PWI would become known for these portrait-style covers featuring champions, especially those in the NWA. This issue recently sold for $40.

*September 1985 features another great portrait, this time sans belt. The subject is often said to have been in line for the aforementioned NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but due to his career-ending accident it was not meant to be. Still, Magnum T.A. holds a place in fans hearts to this day. Attend any autograph appearance of his, especially in the south, and you can still witness this popularity. Here, Magnum is positioned as a cross between Tom Selleck and James Dean. At least that's what I'm getting from it. Needless to say, both PWI and Jim Crockett Promotions knew to market Magnum to the female fans. This issue recently sold for $32.

*We can't forget about the more recent issues, even if this female spectacular is already a decade old. The November 2008 issue was the first "PWI Female 50," ranking the top fifty female wrestlers at the time. Featured on the cover are Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, "The Beautiful People" consisting of Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, and Awesome Kong. A stunning and talented group, for sure. Who would have guessed where these ladies, and the women's wrestling divisions, would be ten years later? This issue recently sold for $16.

My hope is that PWI lasts forever. In my opinion, there will always be room for some tangible, print media. Does the rest of the world agree with me? Not usually. But it's important that fans and the stars themselves have these items to pass down and remember. It's called memorabilia. On this blog, for nearly a decade, it's always been the name of the game.

Wrestling MarketWatch: WWE Hall of Fame 2017

WrestleMania weekend is upon us. The grandest stage of them all has become much more than just the show on Sunday, and has even stretched beyond the borders of WWE, for better or worse. Regardless if the main featured content is up your alley or not, there truly is something for everyone. For many of us, the highlight is the WWE Hall of Fame. There's enough debate elsewhere on whether or not the WWE Hall of Fame is "legit." Around these parts, we simply enjoy it for what it is: a celebration of the past.

This is not the first time that the WWE Hall of Fame and our recurring Wrestling MarketWatch feature have come together. The last time was in 2013 for the Hall of Fame ceremony that I had the honor of attending in person. I'm still biased toward that class, headlined by Bruno Sammartino, as being the best, but 2017 is very solid. The names include Kurt Angle, The Rock N Roll Express, Teddy Long, Diamond Dallas Page, Ravishing Rick Rude, and Beth Phoenix. All of the stars have plenty of memorabilia, and as always in MarketWatch we're about to take a look at the recent auction selling prices for some of those items.

*Holla Holla Holla! Teddy "Peanuthead" Long has had a long career in the business performing just about every duty aside from being an actual wrestler. I was always a fan of Long as a manager in WCW. When his run there came to an end, I never imagined that he would almost completely restart in WWE, but after a return to refereeing Long once again became a villainous manager. Arguably, Long's biggest fame came as the long-reigning general manager of Smackdown. His best piece of merchandise commemorates that run, in the form of a Mattel WWE Build-A-Figure. That figure, with all pieces included, has been selling for an average of $30.

*Another man who made his name in WCW and only later joined WWE is Diamond Dallas Page. A "late bloomer" in wrestling, Page became one of the most popular names in WCW during the "Monday Night Wars" and is fondly remembered by even casual fans to this day. More recently DDP has earned real-life kudos for helming his DDP Yoga wellness program and essentially helping to save the lives of many people including Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Scott Hall. DDP also holds the distinction of appearing on the cover of the final issue of WCW Magazine, cover dated May 2001. That edition recently sold for $15.

*When you're talking the tag team ranks, you have to mention Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson. The Rock N Roll Express have been thrilling fans for over three decades with no end in sight. If you haven't heard a pop for the "R N R X" with your own ears, what are you waiting for? Their battles with the Midnight Express are legendary, but it always seemed that manager Jim Cornette was their true nemesis. One of the biggest highlights of Mania weekend will be seeing, and hearing, Cornette induct Morton and Gibson into the Hall of Fame. As for merchandise, the Express saw loads of it. Their only action figures came under the Jakks WWE Classic Superstars banner. Notorious for having the boys hair colors swapped, the figures are still high in demand. A carded set recently sold for $140.

*Another highlight of the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will be the return of Kurt Angle to the company. Sure he's going into the hallowed Hall, but what will his future hold from here? A regular return to WWE programming? Maybe a match or three? Time will tell, but this fellow Pittsburgher is simply happy to see Angle back "home" where he belongs in WWE. Another star with endless merchandise, Angle should be receiving more in the coming months. Mattel figures from all eras of Angle? Yes, please. Angle is also a gracious signer, and a signed Impact Wrestling 8x10 promotional photo of the Olympic medalist recently sold for $20.

*A long time coming, the WWE Hall of Fame is about to get a Rude Awakening. Posthumously, Ravishing Rick Rude will be inducted this year by WCW nemesis Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Rude is still rather underrated in my book. Do enough searching and you can watch his work in and out of the ring get better and better as he floats from the territories, Jim Crockett Promotions, WWF, and WCW. His WWF-era promos were as believable as any wrestler to come along, despite the over-the-top gimmick. That gimmick has given way to a number of great action figures. Even though the first was more of a statue than a figure, it's part of the infamous WWF Wrestling Superstars '89 series, the last group of the legendary LJN line. That figure recently sold out of package for $87.

It's a stellar group of names that actually fills some gaps that fans have complaining about for awhile now. Will Cornette's return open the door for a Midnight Express induction in 2018? Will Angle make an impact on WWE's future? Will Theodore R. Long book a tag team match? There's only one way to find out, playa.

Squinkie Mania!

 Occasionally there is some wrestling memorabilia produced that leaves you shaking your head.  Sometimes, you're buying and enjoying those very items while still shaking your head.  It all comes with the territory of being a wrestling collector, especially in the days of a "PG" rated wrestling product that is partially marketed to children.  When a popular toy license such as WWE collides with a children's toy fad, the possibilities can be endless.  Behold...WWE Squinkies.

What the heck is a Squinkie?  Basically, it's a squishy rubber figure a little under an inch high that comes in a plastic bubble.  They're sort of like toys that you would get out of a machine at a store, but they remind me exactly of the "Power Ups" contained in bubbles in some of Nintendo's Mario Party games.  Instead of obtaining them in machines, they are purchased in packs of twelve with nine of the characters showing and three obscured in colored "mystery" bubbles.  Produced by Blip Toys of Minnetonka, Minnesota, the WWE Squinkies were all released in 2012.

The first three sets intrigued me upon their arrival in stores.  A mix of current stars and legends is rather odd for a toy basically aimed at kids, but I wasn't complaining.  At around $13 a pack, I originally had decided to hold out.  Recently, I picked up the first three sets for a mere $2.99 per pack.  I then discovered that two more sets were produced, with slightly different card art and all new characters.  Amazingly, these sets were also already being clearanced out.

If you were a child of the '80s, you may remember Coleco's "Mash'ems" toys.  These remind me of extremely scaled down WWE versions of those toys in that they're deformed figures that can be mashed down yet bounce back to their original shape.  The likenesses are very hit or miss, but most from the first three sets can be easily deciphered.  59 different characters in all have been produced (60 total, two versions of Rey Mysterio were made) and include Triple H, The Rock, John Cena, Sin Cara, Brodus Clay, Kevin Nash, Goldust, Big Boss Man, Yokozuna, Sgt. Slaughter, Kelly Kelly, CM Punk, and Hornswoggle just to name a few.

As mentioned above, each pack contains three "mystery" figures that are packaged in colored bubbles.  Seeing as that their names are listed on the back of the packages of the first three sets, I'm not sure what makes them such a mystery.  The mystery figures of Series 4 and 5 are a different story.  While "silhouettes" of the mystery figures are shown, the names are not.  Vickie Guerrero, Beth Phoenix, Alex Riley, and Jimmy Uso are fairly easy to figure out, but it took Blip Toys to confirm that the other two are indeed Dusty Rhodes and David Otunga.  It isn't obvious to figure out just by looking at them.

Although the first three series are very distinct as to who each Squinkie is supposed to represent, the same cannot be said for 4 and 5.  Since each Squinkie is basically a head, hands, and feet, very little shows of the body.  Most of the characters in those final series have dark hair, black shoes, and non-descript facial features.  Upon first glance I thought that The Shield were in one of the sets, but it turned out to be Tyler Reks, Justin Gabriel, and Mason Ryan.  The worst is undoubtedly The Great Khali who is wearing wrist tape and looks like "Prime Time" Brian Lee.  That being said, these last two series contain all four Divas in the collection and anything that includes Dusty is okay with me...even if it barely resembles "The Dream."

What I really like about these toys is the depth of the line.  Cena, Randy Orton, and Sheamus are on any kind of merchandise you can imagine, and rightly so.  When mid and under carders make merchandising, it makes me smile, as does the inclusion of Legends.  As a kid, I would be thrilled that the likes of Curt Hawkins and JTG were in this line.  Even Squinkies need to job to other Squinkies!

Though it seems that Squinkies started as primarily a girls toy property, other boy interests such as Marvel Super Heroes have been produced as well.  Further research shows that some cool toys that utilize the Squinkies while in their bubbles, such as claw machines and the like, are also available.  It's a shame that it looks as if no such add-ons will be produced for the WWE Squinkies, although it would be interesting to hear if any were ever on the drawing board.  There does seem to be some generically styled Squinkie peripherals available, one of which includes a small wrestling ring.  Perhaps some of those could be used to create a game with the WWE stars.

These little guys (and gals) are quirky and fun.  The likenesses, especially with the later examples, aren't always quite there, but you can't expect much from a figure that is under an inch tall.  Many collectors love any wrestling figures that are of odd scales and designs.  These sets would fit right in.  Now may be the time to snatch them up, as I'm sure they are hitting clearance in many areas just as I found them.  At full price I would most likely pass, but for a little over $20 for sixty figures, you can't go wrong.

"A Squinkie, A Squinkie, A Wonderful, Wonderful Toy!  Fun For A Girl And A Boy!"  Ok...so I stole that from Slinky, but hey, it's wrestling!

Wrestling Gifts Aplenty For Christmas 2012

The holidays seem to creep up faster each and every year.  I'm not complaining a bit.  The thirty or so days when people tend to act a bit more like they should.  Christmas music.  The hustle and bustle.  I love it all.  But what do you get for the wrestling fan on your list that has it all?  Maybe there's even a young "WWE Universe" member that's looking for a present from under your tree.  As seems to be the case every year, there's no shortage of gift ideas.

From watches to bedsheets to countless pieces of apparel, the WWE logo and its respective characters are plastered everywhere once again.  One licensee that seems to be going above and beyond is Mattel.  My continuing gripes regarding short packs of Divas and other special figures notwithstanding, Mattel seems to be getting their WWE line into any store that you can possibly think of.  From department stores like Kohl's and Sears to drug stores like Walgreens and Rite Aid and even at grocery store chain Aldi, it's hard not to run into the Mattel WWE product.

As is usually the case, Toys "R" Us was given some exclusive figures and series to spice up their holiday sales.  Coming off of the heels of the Michael Cole "Build-A-Figure" released through the chain this past Spring, Toys "R" Us now has a series of four WrestleMania XXVIII Elite figures that include the components to build none other than Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez.  CM Punk, The Big Show, The Miz, and Shawn Michaels (in referee attire) are the four figures which each contain pieces of Rodriguez along with his WWE microphone.  The likeness of Rodriguez is fantastic and as long as the "Build-A-Figure" entries are kept interesting and the figures required to complete it are nicely done, I'm all for this approach.

Toys "R" Us also has an exclusive series of four WrestleMania XXVIII Basic figures that each contain pieces of the WrestleMania announcers booth.  John Cena, Triple H, Sheamus, and The Rock (in a figure that, to me, looks more like a South Park version of Dwayne Johnson) are in the series that comes at a lower price point than the "Build-A-Figure" series.

Shoppers who found the figures early enough were treated to yet another exclusive from the store.  A special Elite "20-0" figure of The Undertaker was given to shoppers who purchased $30 or more worth of Mattel WWE items.  Although the promotion seems to be over, locations that have leftover figures have been selling them for $19.99.  This is the first figure of The Undertaker to feature his shaved head look which debuted at WrestleMania XXVIII.  The figure comes in special Elite packaging featuring a dramatic purple background.

As I mentioned earlier, Toys "R" Us is far from the only retailer carrying the line, and many figures of various styles and price points are popping up.  Mattel's Elite 18 series is beginning to show up in time for the holidays and includes a character never before released in the Mattel line: Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Much to the chagrin of many collectors, Mattel's WWE Legends line is now mostly confined to "Flashback" entries in their Elite collection.  The Elite 18 series contains two such "Flashback" figures, Lawler and The Undertaker from his biker era.  While the latter was a visually unimpressive figure to me (Jakks made several very nice "Biker 'Taker" figures that I feel can't be beat), figures of Lawler will always intrigue me.

When prototype photos of this figure of The King first surfaced, I didn't care for the facial likeness.  Upon seeing the figure in person at Ringside Fest, the figure looked more like Lawler to me.  Although this figure is labeled "Flashback," it's actually based on his appearance at WrestleMania XXVII.  The artists rendering on the front of the package would be based on photos of this appearance, as well.

Speaking of packaging, Mattel has begun a slight tweaking of the boxes and design for their entire WWE line.  A bit more red is going into the design and the "window" on the top of the Elite packaging has been eliminated.  The Elite packaging has grown on me as a whole and presents the figures with great visibility while not dwarfing them in the process.

This is first figure of The King to be released in about five years.  Since Lawler wore entrance attire based upon his Memphis days in the WrestleMania appearance on which this figure is based, you could argue that the attire doubles for "classic" Lawler as well.  The attire is all in one piece and is removable via a peg in the back of the belt.  Slide the piece off over the head and the figure is in the classic Lawler one-strap singlet.  His wrist bands with crown logo are a nice touch.  Lawler wore an elbow pad in the actual match, but the omission of it here is nothing to complain about.

The crown is well-made and resembles the one included with Jakks figures.  The headpiece fits perfectly on the head and does not look over-sized.  I prefer the figure holding it in the left hand, as Lawler frequently does.  The right hand is clenched and perfect for Lawler's signature fist drop.  For those wondering, articulation in the hips and legs makes the figure perfectly capable of performing Jerry's other signature maneuver, the piledriver, even if it is "banned" from WWE.

My main gripe with the prototype was the face.  I wasn't feeling "The King" when I looked at it.  In person, it definitely resembles the Jerry Lawler of today.  I'm not going to call it perfect, but it is very good and does nothing to detract from such a great figure.

For a bevy of reasons, I don't think that you'll be seeing this one warm the pegs.  It's a first time Mattel figure of an all-time great who still has a weekly television presence.  The recent attention stemming from his heart attack and subsequent recovery will only add to that.  And as if my reviews had any say, the fact that I would deem this a candidate for "Figure of the Year" only makes it a better bet that The King is one to grab.  Mattel has stated in the past that we could see future Lawler releases based on sales of this figure.  Long Live The King!

Figures aren't the only great item for the wrestling fan on your list, and are probably not even my favorite this year.  To say that I was excited when Topps announced a new 2012 WWE Heritage trading card set would be an understatement.  Considering that I've been publicly asking for one for years, the news elated me.  The product has hit, the legendary stars and designs are here, and coming soon on this blog, we'll be exploring the Heritage!