Wrestling MarketWatch: Hype Then. Hype Now. Hype Forever.

“Then. Now. Forever.” Is more than just the name of the figure set we looked at here last week. It’s more than just the company motto, too. It’s hype and that’s definitely something that WWE was built on. Sure, it’s good business, but to their credit the company has always known how to do it well. Ever since the famous WWF logo debuted they’ve plastered it on absolutely everything – and it’s worked! Heck, look closely at the picture to the left. At one point they were printing card lineups on envelopes! I can’t count the number of times that I’ve referenced the WWF marketing machine over the years here in the blog, especially since merchandise is the name of the game. In this latest edition of Wrestling MarketWatch we’re looking at several items that reflect the never ending push of the brand, concepts and top stars of the WWF as we knew it.

*We’ll start in 1995. The World Wrestling Federation is no longer the mainstream entertainment choice that it had been just a few years earlier, though the diehards are still rabid for the product. I wouldn’t quite call it a transitional period, either, as honestly a lot of it felt quite stagnate. That being said, I personally prefer it to a lot of what happened in just a few years time. Nonetheless, the WWF was still looking to get their name out there. What way better to do that than to plaster the WWF logo on an airship? Gliding into cities across America, the WWF blimp was wrestling’s answer to the more widely known Goodyear counterpart. It may not have lasted more than a few years but it did yield an inflatable replica that was available through the catalog and likely at live events as well. Recently selling for $110 this is down from $190 back in 2020.

*The WWF was not only a pioneer in hype but a groundbreaker in pay-per-view television as well. After the success of WrestleMania III the company knew that it needed a follow-up in much less than twelve months. Thus, The Survivor Series was born. While teams of five may have strived to survive, all eyes were on Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant. Unlike their one-on-one bout at WrestleMania, the two epic gladiators would instead lead their own teams into battle. Hogan led Bam Bam Bigelow, Ken Patera, Paul Orndorff and Don Muraco (replacing Superstar Billy Graham) into the Thanksgiving night war against Andre and his team consisting of King Kong Bundy, The One Man Gang, Ravishing Rick Rude and Butch Reed. Several Survivor Series-branded promotional photos came out of the hype including one featuring a Hogan-Andre stare down in an image recycled from the WM III media blitz. This photo recently sold for $166.

*Andre may have been Hulk’s greatest rival but as we all know it didn’t end there. Perhaps no one, over the span of years, had more ups and downs with The Hulkster than Randy “Macho Man” Savage. While the two teamed for the first SummerSlam they led opposing duos for the second edition of the event in 1989. The show, emanating from East Rutherford, NJ, saw Hogan and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake managed by Miss Elizabeth take on Savage and “Human Wrecking Machine” Zeus led by Sensational Sherri. It was one of several tie-ins to the “No Holds Barred” motion picture starring Hogan and Zeus, a film now considered by many to be a cult classic. The artwork promoting the event is a lot of fun and is featured in several outlets including a post card which recently sold for $18.

*1997 was most assuredly a transitional time for the company. Although the event was held in Chicago, WrestleMania that year always felt small to me. Many fans love the matches, however, and have fond memories of the show which honestly acts as a bridge between the “cartoon era” of yore and the “Attitude Era” about to be ushered in. For better or for worse (you know which way I vote), the company and the industry as a whole was about to rake in a whole lot of money. It looks like some sellers are trying to take in similar amounts of money for the promotional Burger King WrestleMania cup that was exclusive to the Chicagoland area. As usual, folks should be aware that those are the ASKING prices. The actual recent selling price is $15. We all know that prices go up and down on a whim. Always get in there when demand is low.

*Cable companies got into the act in those early days of pay-per-view as well. If you weren’t around then you may not know the lengths that fans often had to go to in order to see these events. While it eventually became a single phone call, the early days called for special receiver boxes and other gimmicks just to watch the show that you’re already paying extra for. It was the technology of the time. I can remember difficulties with cable boxes as late as the early 2000s. I’ve long since cut the cable, thankfully, and now it’s as simple as pulling up Peacock. More often than not it’s more entertaining to then go and watch a classic event than what’s streaming live, but I digress. We’ve shown a lot of WrestleMania IV love this year due to it being the 35^th anniversary. One item promoting the show was in fact provided by the WWF for individual cable companies to distribute. It’s a WrestleMania IV branded Hulk Hogan promotional photo complete with facsimile signature. The name of the cable company was added to the top of the photo which is on a far thinner paper stock than the traditional promo. While sellers, again, try to get way more for this photo, it recently sold for $15.

Are you hyped? I am! For the days when the hype was worthwhile, that is…

A Beefcake In The Oven For 35 Years

Yes, "The Barber" has had plenty of action figures. "Brutus Beefcake," however? One. LJN. 1986ish. Sure it was released a few times (original, Dream Team two-pack, and as "The Barber" on the black card), but every other figure of Beefcake has been as "The Barber" complete with shears and resembling his look post-WrestleMania III. Finally, in another nice surprise from Mattel's WWE Legends line, the strutting, cocky man of questionable profession from San Francisco returns to the figure world.

As is Mattel's calling card, WWE Legends Series 10 has had some odd distribution. Despite all four being available for a few minutes on pre-order day through Target's website and app, Big Van Vader and John Cena shipped first. Months early, actually. The two shipped to Target stores as well and if you weren't able to get them then you honestly weren't trying. I normally hate that kind of phrasing, but they were plentiful. Beefcake and Diamond Dallas Page were a different story. Shortly after the several minute pre-order window was over, Mattel announced that the latter two would be released months later. It then also came out that they would strictly be released online. This did two things: it automatically made collectors who missed out on the joke of a pre-sale very upset. It also automatically drove up the secondary market price upon the eventual release.

Adding to the upset is that Brutus Beefcake is the figure in the set with a chase variant. The tights are blue with a spotted design as opposed to the yellow and black stripes with the standard. It's hard to say so early into the release if one will truly be more desired than the other. Previously Legends line releases have seen instances where the standard and chase have seemingly been equal (Jake "The Snake" Roberts) and others where both have been a highly desired figure ("Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase). As this blog has always been on the side of collectors getting what they want, we'll hope that the former ends up being the rule.

The figure itself? I love the entire presentation. Nothing different in the packaging yet. I'm assuming that this will change eventually as there is said to be a revamp coming to the main line. Time will tell. I've never been a big fan of the entrance gear being packaged away from the figure and here we get the coat right on Beefcake. The tights are quite visible enough to tell which one you're getting and the colors are different enough to make it obvious. The belt is nicely positioned and the extra hands don't cause any distraction to the figure itself. I do like that the sunglasses are off in order to see the facial scan.

Speaking of that face...wow! This is one that is in my "look at it long enough and you feel like he's standing there" grouping. I don't know how many that I've included in this elite club (I know that it started with the Survivor Series Jeff Hardy of a few years ago) but Brutus really takes the...cake. Due to the hair this is an all new head and I really want to see it again. I'll get to that in a bit. The body is the same as the previous Mattel Beefcake figures and the thicker torso really works for him, especially when positioned near a Hulk Hogan figure. I've felt that some of the Mattel WWE figures have been a tad too slender since Day 1. We're not seeing that here.

You get a nice lot of accessories, too, including the coat, hands, sunglasses, bowtie and WWF Tag Team Championship belt. This is the first time that the silver colored tag team belt has ever been done in figure form. While it's not shiny vac-style, it looks great. The only question is who will we see another one with down the line? Do we still have the rights to Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda?

Now comes the hard part. This would be an instant Figure of the Year candidate for me...if it had better distribution. I lucked out on this one. I received one of each in two orders through two different accounts of two different people. I didn't cheat. I simply wanted one to open and one to keep carded. I certainly don't get these things handed to me like some unnamed blowhards that many of you love. I've been doing it the right way for 35 years. But just because I lucked out doesn't mean that the distribution on these is great. Thus far it's awful. Could this improve? Sure. If they're going to be Target online exclusives then make them available for days on end as Vader and Cena were. It's that simple.

And since you have this new head done, Mattel, how about a Beefcake-Valentine two-pack? Brutus in the black and yellow lighting motif and Valentine in purple. It can even be basic and include the silver titles. Too much of a dream, team?

The Story of a Warlord and a Barber...

With each passing year, Mattel gets closer and closer to surpassing previous WWE action figure lines. Not only has quality been excelling, but the depth of the line is coming close to that of Mattel's WWE predecessor Jakks. Helping that depth, especially important to collectors such as myself, is the inclusion of the legends. Early on, Mattel seemed to give up on including the stars of the past. With each review that I do, I become more a champion for the company and who they're choosing to include. With their Elite Series 49 and 50, Mattel finally adds Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and The Warlord.

While neither man is a stranger to action figure collections, it has been almost a decade since they have been immortalized in plastic. "The Barber" is based on his look from 1989 (per the back of the packaging), while The Warlord is featured in the gear that he wore from 1990 to 1992, though the back of the box pinpoints WrestleMania VII where he battled The British Bulldog. Both figures look great in the packaging and fill the "window" well. The annoying sign advertising the cardboard diorama gimmick is present with both. I did not even bother photographing either stand/backdrop, as there is nothing new that I can cover with the "bonus." I still don't care for it, and can't wait until Mattel feels that it has run its course.

Both of these men are wrestlers that I feel have been somewhat underrated in recent years. I often point out that Brutus Beefcake is one of the best-remembered stars by fans of my generation. Even casual fans fondly remember "The Barber," clipping shears and all. He was over with the fans and, while he may not have had the most classic in-ring style, he got the job done as far as WWF devotees were concerned.

When I first saw prototype pictures of Mattel's rendition of Beefcake, I wasn't convinced. In person, I've done a complete 180. This may be the best likeness of Brutus that we've seen to date. The wild look is there, as are the signature flowing locks. Beefcake is surprisingly tall in person and this figure does reflect that. The parts used match up well for "The Barber." I do wish that Mattel had used a different color jacket than Jakks had produced, but it still works. The bow tie is removable and the "titanium blades" look great for "struttin' and cuttin'."

The Warlord has never had a bad figure. From the LJN to the Hasbro (which is the last time that we saw this particular look) all the way to the two Jakks entries (the latter of which, in what had to have been a "happy accident," reflected The Warlord in his indy attire), the former Powers of Pain member just simply makes a great action figure. And though more credit for that tag team often goes to his partner The Barbarian, The Warlord has always been a solid hand. He was a big man with an intense look. Sometimes that's all you need. But if you check out his matches with Davey Boy Smith, such as the aforementioned WrestleMania VII encounter, you see that The Warlord could bring it in the ring.

Never have we seen a figure of the monster with so many accessories. The shoulder pads, belt, and mask are all removable. We also finally see the figure-sized debut of his "W" staff. While I don't recall that accessory ever coming into play during a match, it certainly stuck out while Howard Finkel would make his signature "Introducing...The Warrrrrlorrrrd" announcement. As with "The Barber," the facial likeness is spot-on and the choices for body type could not have been better. He's big. He's powerful. He's The Warlord.

With so many style choices for Beefcake, I can definitely see Mattel producing him again. A basic styled figure in the future seems like a no-brainer. The Warlord is a bit more puzzling. With his inclusion in a recent lawsuit against WWE, I'm surprised that we saw this figure at all. I don't see Mattel going the "Powers of Pain" route, either, though they have surprised me in the past. With a figure of another lawsuit member upcoming in the form of The Berzerker, it's hard to predict what all the future will hold. I'm just going to sit back and watch these great new figures roll in and take their rightful places in collections worldwide.

In 1995, The Main Event (In Trading Cards) Was WCW

Perspective is a very interesting thing.  Some WCW fans would mark 1995 as the beginning of the end for the company, while others would label it as just the beginning!  The old school World Championship Wrestling fans were seeing the end of the company that was born out of the ashes of the real NWA.  '90s fans were about to witness WCW rise to its greatest mainstream heights later in the year with Monday Nitro and into 1996 with the birth of the nWo.  Hulk Hogan's arrival in the promotion can be pinpointed as a key turning point.

With a name like Hogan, merchandise must follow.  Although 1990 saw a line of action figures, several trading card sets, and other WCW branded trinkets hit stores, by 1992 these items were all but clearanced out.  Upon Hogan's arrival, WCW's merchandise was rejuvenated.  The virtually unknown Original San Francisco Toymakers began a line of action figures and an equally mysterious company known as Cardz picked up the WCW trading card license.

A 99-card set was produced by Cardz most heavily featuring Hogan, Sting, and Randy Savage.  The cards came in packs of eight with the promise of randomly inserted autographs as well as coupons for a $5 discount on select WCW pay-per-view events.

I recently had the opportunity, and fun, of opening two sealed boxes.  Seeing as that the boxes are each filled with a hearty thirty-six packs, I was fairly sure that I would complete a base set or two.  In the back of my mind, I truly wanted to pull an autograph.  The box states that the chances of finding an autograph are 1 in 320 packs.  The box also states that "autographed cards are fun to collect but their value is subject to changing market conditions."  This statement is interesting beyond the original intent.

The autograph cards randomly included are not the autograph cards that collectors are familiar with pulling today.  These autographs were directly signed onto regular, unmarked, base cards.  There is no statement "certifying" their authenticity nor do they differ from regular cards beyond the autograph.  I've had cards from this set autographed personally, and for the most part these would not differ from autograph cards pulled.  The absence of a "certification" on the card would hurt the value of some of the autographs, but I don't think you could find a fan that wouldn't love to own a signed Gordon Solie card.

What makes the set so interesting is just who may have autographed cards to be randomly inserted.  The ever-useful resource WrestlingTradingCards.com lists autograph cards of Solie, Hulk Hogan, Marcus Bagwell, The Nasty Boys, Sting, Steve Austin, and Tony Schiavone as being either named on the wrapper or seen on the secondary market.  Randy Savage is also listed on the wrapper as a possibility.  Personally I know a fan who once pulled a Frank Andersson (everybody now..."Who?") autograph, while ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta once told me that he and Gordon Solie were among a group of talent that was once whisked into a room to autograph some of the cards for insertion.  Did I uncover another name to add to the list?  Opening those boxes, I was certainly hoping that would be the case.

The boxes are wrapped in cellophane marked with the Cardz brand logo.  When opened, the box pops up into a display featuring the Hulkster.  I developed another concern regarding the possibility of an autograph card once I dived into the packs.  The 17-year-old gloss on the cards had caused some of them to stick together.  Would an autograph even survive this?

Both boxes each yielded several 99-card base sets.  Cards #89 and #95 each have an alternate version.  #89 features either the Spring Stampede '94 or Uncensored '95 poster while #95 features the poster of either SuperBrawl IV or SuperBrawl V.  Despite this running change, the cardbacks describe the 1995 events on both examples.  Although neither are rarer than the other, my boxes both included the 1994 poster cards.

A pack in the first box included the advertised $5 coupon off of the purchase of a WCW pay-per-view event.  With the odds being 1 in 72 packs, I was fairly sure that I would get my hands on one.  For the record, the events that I could have redeemed the coupon for were the 1995 editions of Fall Brawl, Halloween Havoc, and Starrcade.  Unless we go back in time, the coupon is simply another fun element to the set.

The base cards themselves are very nice and feature the top stars, managers, announcers, and even mascot Wild Cat Willie.  Champions, Famous Holds, Adversaries, the aforementioned Pay-Per-View posters, and "Up & Comers" get special subsets as do Hogan, Sting, Savage, and Ric Flair.  According to the checklist, Nick Bockwinkel is in a class by himself.  While many of us already knew that, the checklist lists him under "Comisssioner" (mispelled on the checklist).  The Diamond Doll, aka Kimberly Page, also has her own category.  She was not grouped with the managers nor is she deemed a valet.  Instead, The Diamond Doll is "Miscellaneous."

Card #75, a part of the Randy Savage "Tributes" subset, is particularly interesting.  The Macho Man is seen at an autograph session with Jimmy Hart.  In the lower left corner of the card, an unknown pair of hands are pictured holding a KKLZ bumper sticker as well as several Hogan-Savage cards produced by Cardz to promote the the January 1995 Clash of the Champions.  Assuming that these cards ended up signed by Savage, who knows just where they may be today?

So did I, or didn't I?  With two packs and little hope left, I was drained seeing the endless parade of red and yellow in these cards.  The fun of seeing tiny photos of Ray Stevens, Verne Gagne, and Killer Kowalski on the Slamboree pay-per-view card had long passed.  Finally, in the 71st pack opened, I pulled an autograph.  The heel of the main event of Starrcade 1994 himself, Butcher.  No, not Brutus Beefcake.  Butcher.  While many fans would be disappointed by this, I was thrilled.  For one thing it's not one of the cards of the set that I've gotten signed personally, nor is it an autograph that I've obtained from Beefcake at all.  Although I'm sure he would sign the name upon request, I doubt many fans have asked for a "Butcher" autograph, but here it is.  Solie it wasn't, but pleasing it most certainly was.

Was this the biggest night in the history of trading cards?  No, but it was a great showing of where the big boys played back in 1995.  With all of the names we've mentioned and shown plus Harley Race, Sherri Martel, Bobby Heenan, Dustin Rhodes, Paul Orndorff, and even the rookie card of Steve Austin, it's a really fun card set worthy of any collection.  In my opinion this is the last great WCW card set.  The later offerings from Topps featuring the nWo era of the promotion are rather bland and unexciting.  For WCW cards, you may as well go all the way to the Main Event.

Fresh 1985 Cardboard...Hulkster Style!

I think it's un-American for a child to grow up without owning at least a few trading cards.  Baseball cards immediately come to mind (especially to this Pittsburgher who finally has a team to root for again) but wrestling cards will suffice just as well.  There are plenty of examples from the last three decades to choose from, produced by various companies for several promotions and featuring virtually every major (and not so major) wrestling star.

I've discussed before the fact that any card produced before the "glossy" era took over automatically ranks high in my book.  Not only do they have higher aesthetic appeal with that classic "cardboardy" look, but they're also a Helluva lot easier to get autographed!  No worries of bubbling or much smudging.  While there are occasionally new entries in the realm of cards with matte finish such as Topps Heritage, the oldies are still the best.

But how about some "new" oldies?  How about breathing that glorious mid-'80s air just once more?  How about procuring some 1985 Topps WWF cards that weren't stuffed away in some basement for years?  It has been achieved.

The 1985 Topps WWF Pro Wrestling Stars set isn't particularly rare.  Although occasionally a card or sticker will sell for a couple bucks to a collector who needs one or two to complete a set, the #1 card (Hulk Hogan) is the only one that will grab $10-$15.  A whole set, albeit of varying condition, will usually get $35 or so.  It was a set released during a huge boom period with millions of kids as the consumer so there are obviously plenty out there.  As with all aspects of collecting, fun and enjoyment should always prevail over "rare."

Though unopened packs are fairly common to come by, the cellophane-packaged "rack packs" are a bit tougher to find.  I can remember buying baseball rack packs in my youth since the packaging allowed you to know, in advance, a few of the cards that you were getting.  Here in 2012 I had several different WWF rack packs to choose from, but I decided to "go with the gold" and pick one with the Hulkster showing up twice in plain view.  Thumbing my nose at profit, I opened the 27-year-old relic with full knowledge that a rack pack with a Hulkster card "showing" recent sold for over $30.

I carefully cut open the first of three sections and pulled out the "fresh" cards.  1985 scents?  You bet.  MTV.  New Coke.  Blair Warner.  It was all captured in that cardboard-filled plastic package.  Did I sniff?  Of course.

13 fresh cards that, depending on Topps manufacturing practices at the time, had never before been touched.  No gum stains, either, thanks to it being a gum-devoid rack pack.  Some of my favorite cards of the 1985 set which simply featured a large individual photo of the star and their name poured out, as did some of the action shot cards.  Jesse "The Body" Ventura!  Chief Jay Strongbow!  The Iron Sheik!  A card which I had not previously owned, a shot of Captain Lou Albano dressed as Santa Claus (used in 1983 as a WWF Program cover), was my personal favorite.

The middle section of each rack pack contains three sticker cards.  As with many sticker subsets of the day, the cardboard backer of each sticker contained a piece to a puzzle that formed a larger photo.  While the Albano and Brutus Beefcake sticker backers were each a piece, the back of the Hulkster sticker actually shows what the puzzle looks like completed.  While they were not in this pack, my own favorite stickers from this set are an action shot of "The Flying Frenchman" Rene Goulet and one of Wendi Richter from Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" video.

As an aside, Topps 1985 Cyndi Lauper card series is actually a relatively unknown entry in the world of wrestling memorabilia.  Thanks to her contributions to the Rock 'n Wrestling Connection, several cards in the set feature wrestlers and wrestling shots.  My favorite from that set is a card showing Richter, Lauper, and manager David Wolff in the ring at Madison Square Garden.

Back to the opening of the rack pack, it was finally time to get a third "shot" of '80s air and more classic cards.  Another variety of portrait cards and action shots was overshadowed by what any fan, past or present, would want to find in a pack like this: a fresh and pristine example of Hulk Hogan #1.  While T206 Honus Wagner it ain't, a fresh and new version of an iconic card such as this is welcome in any collection.  After all it isn't his rookie card, but it is his WWF licensed rookie card and an image that many fans will always remember.  Another card found in this pocket, Wendi Richter's bikini shot, is another image that fans have never forgotten.

Topps WWF 1985 Pro Wrestling Stars may not hold the value of other cards, but other factors make it a must for any collection.  From various cards of some of the all-time greats to action shots like Hogan vs Antonio Inoki in Japan and Snuka leaping from Andre the Giant's shoulders to comedic "The Superstars Speak" cards, there's a lot to collect and enjoy. 

Collectors should note that there was an identical set produced in Canada by O-Pee-Chee who also released a second series.  Series 2 features shots from WrestleMania 2 as well as the only cards of one of my favorite wrestlers, Leilani Kai.  The Hogan #1 card was produced with both a beige and aqua green background however both are of equal value.

With the popularity of Topps Heritage sets in all sports, it saddens me that their WWE Heritage line halted at series IV aside from a few subsets in recent years.  With the relatively tired look of the company's recent WWE product, it would be refreshing to see a new Heritage set with past and present stars.  How about mimicking the look of '85?  "Topps Pro Entertainment Stars 2013." 

Make it happen!