It's rare that I pick up a whole series of figures. With an average of six figures per set, who can afford it? Sadly, the series are also usually filled with re-releases that are, except to completists, unnecessary. Mattel's WWE Elite 77 is one that even I jumped for. It had the perfect mix: three legends (which as you know by now are essential to me), one extremely hot brand new character, and two re-releases which aren't really bad at all. Saving frustration and gas money, the decision to pre-order was made.
In a cool twist, the Elite 77 packaging reflects SummerSlam not only with the logo of the event but also bright, shelf-jumping colors. Each character is also represented with a look that they appeared in at various SummerSlam events over the past three decades. Headlining the set we've got "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, Viscera, Ravishing Rick Rude, Miss Elizabeth, AJ Styles, and Ronda Rousey. It should be noted that there is a "chase" Rick Rude in different tights and Mattel's first release of Classy Freddie Blassie ships in the same case as a "collector's edition." The latter is not connected to the set in any way other than being randomly dispersed in the case.
Each figure includes a variety of accessories, most notably extra hands. When discussing the inside production of these figures, it's often noted how company budgets decide which characters will end up in each series. I don't know that there has been a wave of figures that displays this better. You've got a positively humongous figure like Viscera in the same set as petite Miss Elizabeth. You have the thicker Wyatt with all new "tooling" next to Styles who has been released time and time again. It's something that is often overlooked when discussing case assortments but sticks out like a sore thumb in this particular go around.
Looking at the re-releases first, I'll explain my bias. Yes, Elizabeth and Rude are re-releases, but they're legends or "Flashbacks" as Mattel prefers to call them. They don't have countless releases like Styles and Ronda, therefore I don't lump them all together. Styles happens to be one of my favorite modern wrestlers, so I never completely shy away from new figures of him. The gloved hands, shirt, and vest are all solid accessories. The journey of AJ's hair has been interesting to follow both in his WWE career as well as in his Mattel figures. Here we have what I can only describe as the "Marlo Thomas flip." If that's a meaningless reference to you, get off my lawn. Ronda is easily my least favorite figure in the set, but it isn't bad by any means. She has some face paint on here which makes her unique in my collection if not the whole line. I thought I was complete with her when the "Ultimate" figure was released, but one more won't hurt.
Two legends I will always buy are Rick Rude and Miss Elizabeth. They are directly from my era and these are two looks we've never seen in figure form, coming from the first two SummerSlam events. This is the first switchable hand Rude which means the open-palm meat hooks are here for hip-swivelin' and sweat flingin'. Using one of each of his hands, I had a flashback to one of the cards from the Classic brand WWF trading card set where he had the same perm and posed the figure as such. Liz is from the infamous main event of SummerSlam '88 where it was all but promised that she would strip down to a bikini. I used the word "infamous" since all she ended up doing was removing her skirt. As disappointing as it was for so many of her starry-eyed fans, in a way it continued to play up the innocence that the character was all about. Yes, the skirt is removable with the red bottoms underneath. She has a yellow painted "corset" on under the top if you really needed to know.
Many fans are seeing The Fiend as the star of the series, but my vote goes with Big Vis. Always a huge fan of Nelson Frazier, I will say that this is the definitive figure of Viscera if there ever was one. The figure easily wins the "LJN King Kong Bundy Award" for providing more-than-your-money's-worth. Not only is the figure massive with a picture-perfect likeness, but also included is the Hardcore Championship and three unique sets of hands including a pair posed in the "V" symbol. The Fiend is a winner, too, complete with the horrifying head lantern. I'll give Mattel one thing, they certainly don't shy away from content like many worried about when they took over the line. The body is also heavily tattooed and the scan of the mask looks great to me.
Wrestling figure sales are at an all-time high. Figures old and new alike are going for big bucks. My best advice is if something you want is up for pre-order at even a tad more than retail, jump on it. While The Fiend is the hottest figure in this set at press time, there's already word that he'll be an upcoming entry in the Ultimate series. With the popularity of the character I'm sure we'll also see Basic versions and additional Elites. After all, the level of his character is what the "Top Pick" Elite sets are meant to be for, so that the top characters are always available for new collectors. Personally I feel Viscera is the one to watch out for in the future. It's an absolutely amazing figure from a popular time in company history. Remember, we've still only seen one Mabel. While Big Daddy V may appear down the pike, get your figures of the big man now.
Another Elite set in the books and on the blog. I have a feeling that more will be here before summer's end. As much as I complain about Mattel, they're doing something right, and grabbing plenty of money from both you and me while they're at it.
In a cool twist, the Elite 77 packaging reflects SummerSlam not only with the logo of the event but also bright, shelf-jumping colors. Each character is also represented with a look that they appeared in at various SummerSlam events over the past three decades. Headlining the set we've got "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, Viscera, Ravishing Rick Rude, Miss Elizabeth, AJ Styles, and Ronda Rousey. It should be noted that there is a "chase" Rick Rude in different tights and Mattel's first release of Classy Freddie Blassie ships in the same case as a "collector's edition." The latter is not connected to the set in any way other than being randomly dispersed in the case.
Looking at the re-releases first, I'll explain my bias. Yes, Elizabeth and Rude are re-releases, but they're legends or "Flashbacks" as Mattel prefers to call them. They don't have countless releases like Styles and Ronda, therefore I don't lump them all together. Styles happens to be one of my favorite modern wrestlers, so I never completely shy away from new figures of him. The gloved hands, shirt, and vest are all solid accessories. The journey of AJ's hair has been interesting to follow both in his WWE career as well as in his Mattel figures. Here we have what I can only describe as the "Marlo Thomas flip." If that's a meaningless reference to you, get off my lawn. Ronda is easily my least favorite figure in the set, but it isn't bad by any means. She has some face paint on here which makes her unique in my collection if not the whole line. I thought I was complete with her when the "Ultimate" figure was released, but one more won't hurt.
Many fans are seeing The Fiend as the star of the series, but my vote goes with Big Vis. Always a huge fan of Nelson Frazier, I will say that this is the definitive figure of Viscera if there ever was one. The figure easily wins the "LJN King Kong Bundy Award" for providing more-than-your-money's-worth. Not only is the figure massive with a picture-perfect likeness, but also included is the Hardcore Championship and three unique sets of hands including a pair posed in the "V" symbol. The Fiend is a winner, too, complete with the horrifying head lantern. I'll give Mattel one thing, they certainly don't shy away from content like many worried about when they took over the line. The body is also heavily tattooed and the scan of the mask looks great to me.
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