Wrestling MarketWatch: WWF Hall of Fame 2021

Along with the Royal Rumble match, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is probably the last piece of fresh programming from the company that I truly enjoy. At this point even WrestleMania has completely lost my interest. For reasons that are no mystery to a single person on the planet, 2020 did not see a WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. While details are still sketchy, it appears that the 2020 class will finally get inducted alongside the class of 2021. Whether the class will be merged as one or if each will go down in history separately has yet to be seen. 

For 2020 we have the nWo (Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx), John Bradshaw Layfield, Jushin Thunder Liger, "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, The Bella Twins and Batista. As of press time the sole 2021 inductee to be announced is Molly Holly. In this edition of MarketWatch we're going to look at the recent selling prices of memorabilia from several of these names. As always prices quoted are for non-autographed items.

*Starting with our first 2021 inductee announced we visit the sole action figure of Molly Holly. It's always been an underrated figure and is still a highlight of the Jakks "TitanTron Live" style. Molly is one of the best female grapplers of the past two decades and is more than deserving of her Hall of Fame induction. The support shown by fans as well as her peers has been something to see. This is not the first time that this figure has been here on the blog in a MarkerWatch feature. Around three and a half years ago the figure was selling for $20. Still undervalued, it's recently been selling for an average of $15. Whether or not her Hall of Fame induction will yield her a second figure has yet to be seen.

*Always controversial, John Bradshaw Layfield was one of those superstars who was able to reinvent himself several times during his career. The "JBL" character, WWE's answer to J.R. Ewing, was without a doubt his best incarnation. At WrestleMania 21 back in 2005, JBL made a grand entrance with money falling from the sky. Those "JBL Bills" were scooped up and have landed in the collections of many fans worldwide. One example recently sold for $18.

*Some may say that The Bella Twins are undeserving of a Hall of Fame entry. The WWE Hall of Fame is full of inductees that you may or may not agree with. I will say that the duo has brought many extra eyes to the business, both male and female. Even my girlfriend is a fan of the twins thanks to their "Total Bellas" program. From figures to teddy bears, the twins have also had their fair share of memorabilia. It's a proven fact that authentic autograph cards of female wrestlers sell for a bit more on the secondary market than the male wrestler cards. Perhaps there are a lot of "lonely hearts" collecting? Nonetheless, Brie Bella's Topps WWE Heritage 2016 authentic autograph card recently sold for $28.

*One of my favorite inductees this year is Jushin Thunder Liger. The puroresu star who retired in 2020 has always been fascinating to his legions of fans, myself included. He recently received several modern wrestling figures thanks to a company called Storm Collectibles. You can see the first of those by clicking Liger's "label" at the bottom of this entry which will lead to a review of that figure from last year. That being said his older figures from Japan, while less poseable, are still in high demand. This New Japan Pro Wrestling figure recently sold for $51.

*Shortly after the creation of the New World Order, those in charge at WCW realized that the nWo was the more popular brand. This led to their logo being slapped on nearly every piece of merchandise that passed through the Atlanta-based wrestling company. Did you own a Bash Brick? It's a somewhat hard foam brick that you can "safely" bash your friends (or enemies) with. It really doesn't have much of a connection to wrestling other then the logos, but who's counting? One recently sold for $25.

There are always at least a few speeches to watch out for at the Hall of Fame ceremony. Who those will be and just how the ceremony itself will take place are still mysteries. I can tell you that Batista's will be a great pee break for me, even if I'm not watching live.

Sorry, Big Dave.

The Year of The Liger

I remember the first time that I saw Jushin Thunder Liger. Like many of you, it was during his first WCW run circa 1992. What moves! What a cool outfit! And maybe the greatest wrestling mask of all-time? He was unlike any other wrestler from any country. Charisma without ever seeing a single facial expression nor hearing a promo. Liger was, and is, something special. Like a few other foreign stars, I always felt that he deserved a modern day action figure. The Japanese wrestling figures made by various companies nearly twenty years ago have appeared on this blog many times, but an update for Liger was long overdue. Here it is.

As most fans know, Jushin Liger retired this past January. After a long career covering multiple decades and wrestling in nearly every promotion in the world, Liger's retirement is well-deserved. I would've liked to have seen a surprise entry in the 2020 Royal Rumble, but it wasn't meant to be. What we did get is a WWE Hall of Fame induction and a brand new action figure. The figure is produced by Storm Collectibles, a company that makes action figures for many Japanese-born properties but came to the attention of wrestling fans just a few years ago with a Hulk Hogan line.

Liger comes packaged in a window box, clad in entrance gear, and with a plethora of hands to choose from. Hands for use with various poses are a common trend in action figures these days, most notably to the readers of this blog with Mattel's WWE figures. Like with those figures, it's my opinion that hands floating around detract from the carded/boxed aesthetic of collecting. Though with a figure this great looking, who's keeping it boxed? The die-cut aspects of the box are well done and the packaging itself definitely makes it look like more of a Japanese product than something released domestically. It's also always fun to see the perpetually cool New Japan Pro Wrestling logo on a package.

As for the figure itself, I don't know if it gets any better than this. The sculpt is perfect. While some will argue that it's easier to capture the look of a mask than a face as far as a facial sculpt goes, who cares? This one is dead-on from the horns to the mesh on the eyes to the classic flow of the hair. The design of the bodysuit flows from front to back and is painted in the most recognizable Liger colors, red and white with black and gold trim. As of the time that this is being written there are two other color variants being produced, but most fans will want this version. The entrance gear is fairly easy to remove and replace (you have to bend the "hair" out of the way, but nothing extreme) and the soft goods cape has some light wiring inside for posing purposes.

The biggest question since this release was announced is how well it matches up to figures from other producers, specifically in scale. The most obvious question is how it will look with the Mattel Flashback Brian Pillman, considering the two had some mind-blowing matches over the years. If you're planning on buying this figure, find yourself a Pillman. I'll let that and an accompanying photo tell the story. Some may be turned off by the high price point on this figure, but at least that's the retail price and it's easily available for purchase. The same cannot be said for figures from another manufacturers where collectors are paying similar prices for items that retail for less than half, but I'll leave that argument for another day.

If I had any critiques they would lie in two small areas. The upper torso is produced in a much thinner plastic than the rest of the figure. This is for easier, more realistic posing. I only bring this up as I could see wear occurring with the figure if it were put up to heavy play should it be given to a youngster. The other small negative is that the paint, aside from that on the head, isn't quite as crisp and shiny as on other figures. It isn't bad by any stretch, it just doesn't quite pop like you may expect.

Fellow Liger fans, our wishes have been granted. It fits in with virtually any other wrestling figure line of the past twenty years and also looks great on its own. We may not have gotten that aforementioned Rumble appearance, but this figure more than makes up for it. Collectors are clamoring for more wrestlers from Storm Collectibles and I must say that I'm fully on board. They aren't the cheapest, but I feel fully satisfied with what I paid in terms of both quality and the ability to easily obtain the figure. Collecting isn't a fun "hunt" for people with real lives. Simplify and show me the means of obtaining the item and my business you will have. Make it a super-high quality item and you've done one better. This ticks both boxes.

Who Was That Masked Man?

It's that time of the year again. Pick out a mask and either ask for candy, pass out candy, or just go to a party. It's a long-standing tradition. For some in the wrestling business, a mask is part of their livelihood. From American stars like The Destroyer and The Masked Superstar, Japanese names like Tiger Mask and The Great Sasuke, to the many masked luchadores of Mexico, wearing a "hood" has helped create many a wrestling legend.

It's often been said that masked wrestlers have to work all the harder. After all, facial expressions cannot be seen outside of a mask. The masked wrestlers must utilize other ways of expressing themselves. The Masked Superstar is a great example of this. While many would say that his in-ring work spoke for him, no one can forget his intelligent yet calculating interviews. Bill Eadie worked hard to make what could have been a forgettable masked heel exactly the opposite. Before the matches even began, fans knew that Superstar's heroic opponent was in for a true battle. In the opposite direction, Mr. Wrestling II worked a similar way. Throughout most of his run, Wrestling II was able to capture the hearts of fans rather than strike fear into them. Famously captivating the mother of President Jimmy Carter as one of his biggest fans, the charismatic Mr. Wrestling II became a staple of southern-based wrestling promotions for over a decade.

Sometimes two is better than one, and in the case of The Assassins it meant double trouble. The familiar black and yellow masks were honestly a bit unsettling to begin with and their in-ring work backed up their villainy. There were a few wrestlers under the Assassin masks over the years, but Tom Renesto and Jody Hamilton are probably the most celebrated. Younger fans will remember Hamilton for his involvement with WCW as The Masked Assassin in the mid-1990s. Hamilton also released a great book about his many different roles in wrestling, including running a WWE developmental territory.

It's Mexican wrestling that is probably best known for masked stars. Lucha libre was built upon superhero-style grapplers who took to the mat and the air equally. It's hard to imagine in the United States, but several legendary luchadores became God-like in their popularity in Mexico. El Santo is one of those stars. Wearing his famous silver mask, El Santo ruled both lucha libre and Mexican pop culture for decades. Appearing in the ring and starring in many motion pictures, comic books, and other media, his popularity was so that his funeral in 1984 is said to have been comparable to a president or other top state figure. Both he and his legendary rival Blue Demon have had their masks handed down thus continuing their mysterious legacies.

Another masked luchador, Mil Mascaras, has seen popularity in Mexico, the United States, and Japan. While he garnered a reputation of being somewhat difficult to work with, it should not take away from his in-ring legacy. As has been discussed before on this very blog, Mascaras is the classic masked luchador who has been merchandised the most outside of Mexico. Thanks to an omnipresence on the covers of 1970's wrestling magazines and a glut of merchandise from Japan, the many masks of Mil Mascaras have been seen the world over with no end in sight.

Japan has created its own masked stars as well, with the look and style fitting well into the wrestling culture of the far east. Tiger Mask, in various incarnations, has been thrilling wrestling fans for over thirty years. As originally portrayed by Satoru Sayama, Tiger Mask toured around the world, perhaps most famously in matches against the equally agile Dynamite Kid. Jushin Liger, with his horned mask and long black hair, became another popular lightweight star and is still gaining fans such as in his recent NXT appearance. Both of these characters were ripped from the pages of Japanese manga books, thus instantly producing real life super heroes.

Of course, it was Rey Mysterio Jr. who carried the masked legacy into the modern day mainstream world of ECW, WCW, and WWE. Mysterio's underdog personality and fighting spirit made it easy for him to connect with fans. It could even be argued that Mysterio's lowest career point was a brief stint where he was unmasked. Once again, the mask became an irreplaceable part of a wrestling career and legacy, not to mention a huge cash cow for WWE once Mysterio was properly introduced by the company's legendary marketing machine.

WWE has not fared well in trying to recreate the Mysterio magic. Still, the popularity of Lucha Underground and other recent outlets prove that it can still be done in the United States. I would love to see the return of a Masked Superstar-style star. A masked villain who is as heelish as he is mysterious. It could be done, and would actually be a fresh idea after being on the shelf for so long.

Who were those masked men? Maybe you'll be inspired to hit the Halloween streets dressed in honor of one of them. After all, many wrestling masks were designed to instill fear in the hearts of opponents. Other wrestlers had faces that were designed perfectly to be right on masks themselves...

Happy Halloween, pencil-necked geeks!

Wrestling Figures From The Land Of The Rising Sun

A silent crowd, polite applause, perhaps a few crepe paper streamers, and some of the best in-ring action you'll ever see.  These were the glory days of puroresu aka professional wrestling in Japan.  Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, Mitsuharu Misawa, Tiger Mask, and even domestically known names like Stan Hansen, Andre the Giant, The Funk's, and Abdullah the Butcher dominated Japanese culture for years perhaps even more than the country's other sports and entertainment icons.

It's actually quite unimaginable in the United States as to just how big professional wrestling and its stars were in the Land of the Rising Sun.  While domestic wrestling has always had niche fans and "boom" periods of fad popularity, wrestling in Japan enjoyed mainstream popularity and coverage for several decades.

That is, of course, where the memorabilia comes into the picture.

Not only was Japan the birthplace of many gimmicks, moves, angles, and ideas in pro wrestling, but it was also the home country to the very first wrestling action figures.  A company called Popy, also manufacturer of the Tiger Mask action figure line (based on the cartoon from which the Tiger Mask character was born), created a small line of wrestling figures in the early 1980's.  This series, including Inoki, Andre, Hulk Hogan, and Harley Race among others, is very hard to find and valued highly to this day.

In the 1990's when the Japanese in-ring product was often regarded as the best in the world, several lines of quality figures began being produced.  Every promotion of the time including New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH and others got into the act with figures produced by a wide variety of companies such as Hyper Heroes, HAO, Character Product, and more.

Although figures were produced in several different sizes, the most popular would likely be the five inch figures which were made under each company's banner.  As much as the Jakks Classic Superstars line should be celebrated for including stars from so many different eras, these five inch Japanese figures cover eras, companies, and countries with stars ranging from Mil Mascaras and the Funk's to Jushin Liger and Ultimo Dragon.  Special outfits, accessories, and other "deluxe" features were included with many of the figures while others commemorated special matches or events based on their design.  Ring announcers, referees, managers, and even a pair of ring girls known as the "Break Bunnies" were produced into figures along with rings, belts, and even ring accessories such as barbed wire and (plastic) flames!

Nearly all of the five inch figures included a universal feature: removable arms.  For some of the figures this fact made no difference at all.  For others, like Jinsei Shinzaki/Hakushi, two pairs of arms were included with the figure to create different poses.  Others yet, like Satoru Sayama, included a different torso to transform the popular light heavyweight into his guise as the original Tiger Mask.

These figures hit the height of their popularity in the early 2000's which was a time when MMA was heavily crossing over with pro wrestling in Japan.  Many MMA figures were produced in the country by the same manufacturers and collections often include figures from both, especially of those who starred in both sports.  One notable example would be American "The Beast" Bob Sapp who was one of the biggest cultural stars in Japan at the time.

American collectors often wonder just how these figures measure up in size compared to popular lines from their country.  The main five inch Japanese figures fit perfectly with the Hasbro WWF and Galoob WCW lines making many dream matches...or displays...possible.

Of course the five inch figures were just one style.  Large figures, small figures, "big head" figures, and even 3 3/4 inch G.I. Joe-esque figures were released of stars from across the span of puroresu.  While some may argue that many of these pieces were more statues than figures, the attention to detail and quality craftsmanship place these at the top of any collection.

One interesting thing that I have come across in collecting Japanese figures is the reactions of the stars when seeing these pieces.  Dory Funk Jr. and Scott Norton were unaware that figures of themselves even existed.  Although the individual licensing rights are listed on the bottom of the back of the cards of many of the figures, perhaps the rights were attained in deals that the stars themselves were unaware of.

Over the past couple of years the figures have unfortunately ceased production.  With the popularity of wrestling on the decline in Japan, this did not come as much of a surprise.  When Jakks conceived their TNA line follow-up to the WWE Classic Superstars line, rights to New Japan Pro Wrestling figures were acquired.  The NJPW version of Hulk Hogan was ultimately the only figure to come from this deal, but at least the NJPW logo was included on the packaging.

As in America, action figures were just a tip of the iceberg as far as wrestling merchandise in Japan.  Publications chronicling wrestling far surpass those in other countries due to the aforementioned mainstream appreciation that the sport achieved there.  From newspaper coverage to the famous Weekly Gong magazine, Japanese wrestling publications are abundant and a lot of fun to collect.  Many of the magazines include coverage of American wrestling as well, often providing a different look at events well known to many of us.

Video games, trading cards, plush toys, and of course tons of recorded media are all just as treasured in puroresu collecting as action figures.  VHS tapes of Japanese wrestling shows were among the top traded wrestling shows of the 1990's due to quality of matches and talent involved.  Games like Fire Pro Wrestling are often considered the best wrestling video games which, like the action figure lines, included stars from a wide spectrum.

When it comes down to it, the figures remain king.  Prices for almost all of the figures have risen since their initial release and continue to be discovered by new collectors.  At the height of their release, some online stores would take pre-orders for some of the figures due to the process of importing the items.  While the prices were higher than domestic equivalents even then, in retrospect they seem rather low compared to the secondary market numbers now.

Here is only a small sample of this great, and often overlooked, aspect of wrestling action figure collecting.  I'm sure that we'll revisit the topic in the future on the blog, and to see many more of these figures and loads of other great memorabilia, "Like" and check out the galleries on our Facebook Fanpage.

Ichiban!

More Names, More Memories, More Memorabilia!

You guys asked for more "meet & greet" stories, therefore the name dropping continues! Between the last two entries and several stories I was asked to do for my friend Johngy on his great blog you've heard many tales of the wrestling convention scene. This past Saturday at the 12th Legends of the Ring show in New Jersey, even more memories were made and more memorabilia signed.

Just like at every other LOTR event there is a massive amount of wrestling talent, past and present, to meet. Two of the biggest for me personally were Joanie "Chyna" Laurer and Japanese legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger. In my many travels I had not yet had the opportunity to meet "The Ninth Wonder of the World" and North American appearances by any stars of the orient are few and far between.

Chyna's roller coaster life of the past few years may just be a thing of the past. Each and every fan who took the opportunity to meet the former Intercontinental Champion was more than pleasantly surprised. Ms. Laurer was humble, gracious, and attentive. Appearing nothing like the proverbial train wreck that has been covered by the media in recent years, Chyna will hopefully be another success story after falling from grace.

Presented by New Japan Pro Wrestling, Jushin "Thunder" Liger seemed as excited to be at LOTR as his fans were to meet him. It was truly an experience to see the mask recognizable to U.S. fans for his amazing WCW matches of the '90s. When the wrestlers exude the same enthusiasm as the fans, it makes the experience all the better.

Of course, these were not the only two names available to meet. Vader, Ken Shamrock, MVP, Carlito, Bill Eadie and Barry Darsow (Ax and Smash) in their Masked Superstar and Krusher Kruschev gimmicks, Maria Kanellis, Jim Ross, Johnny V, The Godwinns, Perry Saturn, Ron Simmons, Sunny, Tony Garea, DDP, Kurt Angle, Orlando Jordan, JJ Dillon, and Paul Bearer were just a few more.

A special mention goes out to former WCW announcer and current voice of TNA Mike Tenay. Mr. Tenay had to be one of the most personable wrestling personalities I have ever met. His own roots in wrestling as a fan showed greatly as he interacted with convention attendees and seemed mesmerized by all the great memorabilia presented not only for him to sign but for the other stars as well.

Be it the autographs, the photos, or simply getting to shake a hand and say "thank you," the experience of shows such as these is truly something that you cannot get anywhere else. Be it Legends of the Ring, Signamania, or NWA Fanfest, the true wrestling fan should attend at least one of these in their lifetime. It's no secret that time is running out. While there will always be stars for these shows to thrive, the old school talent is not getting any younger. The wrestling industry is not a forgiving one. Most fans realize that getting to meet the stars we grew up watching is a privilege. This is something that even fifteen years ago would be almost unfathomable due to the nature of the business. Not one fan could honestly tell me that back in 1992 they ever would've imagined sitting next to Big Van Vader, the monster who dominated Japan and decimated WCW's hero Sting. It simply did not fit into the "kayfabe" world of professional wrestling.

Everyone wins in events like these. Fans are able to meet the stars that defined the business and the wrestlers have brand new gigs. For some of the stars, though, I believe the true payoff is finally getting to know what an impact they had on so many lives. I can't imagine anything could soothe the pains of the wrestling business greater than that.