The Memories Make The Memorabilia

A few weeks ago my friends over at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway asked me to share my memories of Dusty Rhodes and his Jim Crockett Promotions-era memorabilia. Knowing that he is my all-time favorite wrestler and that I had the honor of meeting him a number of times, they knew that I would have some interesting stories. I'd say it's hard to find any piece of memorabilia in any collection that doesn't have some sort of story attached to it.

Maybe it's how you obtained it. You suddenly came upon it in a store without even knowing it was in existence. Perhaps it's who bought it for you. A long departed loved one? A friend who has come and gone from your life? Even still, it could simply be where you were at that time of your life. Very often an item will have extra significance to a collector if it's a treasure from their childhood. Or maybe it was a special gift from the person who ended up becoming your significant other.

My parents were always very toy-savvy. They knew what was new in stores and what wasn't. When my mom noticed the Hasbro WWF Earthquake figure on the shelves during a 1992 shopping trip, she decided to surprise me with it. After school that day, as I innocently held a "Royal Rumble" with my Hasbro and Galoob figures, my mom began to loudly read some of the new "names" from the back of the card and asked my opinions on them. Although it intrigued me, it apparently wasn't enough to tear me away from the Rumble at hand. When my dad arrived home later that afternoon, they let me have my new "Natural Disaster." You can imagine who came out victorious in the Rumble that day.

The first pay-per-view that I attended was the 1995 SummerSlam. Although many regard it as a low point in WWF history due to the era in which it took place, many of us who were there are biased. The WWF really did take over the town at the time with a lot of promotions and activity. I even met the two then-World Champions, Diesel and Alundra Blayze, the day before. Though we bought the program at the event, my dad really wanted me to have one of the promotional posters for the show. Later in the evening, returning from a restroom break, my dad surprised me with a laminated version of the poster that had to have been for sale.

But what about firsts? Where it all began. For me, the very first item in my collection was a Hulk Hogan's Rock N' Wrestling Coloring Book. I don't have many memories of watching the cartoon as a child for the same reason that I don't have many early memories of weekend morning wrestling. We always did family activities on weekends, so for wrestling I have much clearer early memories of Prime Time Wrestling and Saturday Night's Main Event. Nonetheless, you'd think that I would have known not to color Andre the Giant's hair green. Kids!

And for my first meeting/autograph? Sgt. Slaughter. Monroeville, Pennsylvania. 1988. I've discussed it here before, but any chance that I get to show off my stylish '80s duds is something that I jump at. Nearly thirty years later and "Sarge" is still one of the nicest guys that you would ever want to meet. The great "secret" of our first meeting? I was there more because of his association with G.I. Joe than the fact that he was a pro wrestler. But there I was, red pants and all, first in line for the legendary meeting...

Well, that was a fun little run through just a small sample of my wrestling and memorabilia memories. I hope that this inspires you to go back and think about what each figure, magazine, and autograph really means to you. It's often a value much more important than money.

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--1992 WWF Royal Rumble Program

Some call it the greatest Royal Rumble of all-time. In my opinion, they're right. It was a transitional time for the World Wrestling Federation with names who starred in various territories in the '80s finally calling the WWF their home. The biggest non-WWF star of the previous decade, Ric Flair, was among those wrestlers. Even before the event, it seemed obvious that the event was building to a Rumble win for "Naitch." After all, this was the first time when a Rumble win truly had meaning. The winner would become the undisputed WWF Champion. But what would happen after Flair came strolling out at number three? In an hour we would find out...

The program is a product of the time when the pay-per-view event programs featured unique covers and event pages, but also included the pages from the then-current monthly event program. The non-exclusive pages covered stars and angles pertinent to the time period. In this case, the imminent split of The Rockers and the reinstatement of "Macho Man" Randy Savage are among those featured. Great period ads, too. Who could forget all of the "Hulk Hogan Vitamins" jokes? I'd like to, but the ad is something that kids can look up to...and parents can trust.

Coverage of the event begins with an article mentioning all thirty scheduled participants. We've got Hogan, Flair, Savage, Jake Roberts, Sid Justice, The Undertaker, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, The Nasty Boys, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, IRS, Big Boss Man, Repo Man, Virgil, Ted DiBiase, El Matador, The Rockers, Skinner, Greg Valentine, The Barbarian, Jimmy Snuka, Rick Martel, Col. Mustafa, Texas Tornado, The Warlord, The British Bulldog, The Berzerker, and Hercules. Of course, we now know that Marty Jannetty and Brian Knobbs would be replaced by Haku and Nikolai Volkoff.

As was standard for the time, the WWF Merchandise Catalog makes an appearance next with the Spring/Summer lineup. Though the days of cameo appearances by Shane and Stephanie McMahon had long since passed (though Shane did referee at the Rumble itself), the catalog is still chock full of fun. I can still remember being extremely amused at the sight of The Undertaker modeling his own t-shirt. It just seemed so out of character and out of place, even in 1992. I also loved gazing at the photo of the mock WWF children's bedroom. I just had to make sure that there were no Hasbro figures shown that I was unaware of.

Next up is a feature on the scheduled WWF Intercontinental Championship match between Bret "The Hitman" Hart and The Mountie. In the days leading up to the Rumble, The Mountie took the Intercontinental Title from The Hitman at a house show where Bret was said to be ill. This would lead to Roddy Piper having his first taste of WWF championship gold when he dethroned The Mountie in a brief encounter at the Rumble. Though Hart and The Mountie did not do battle at this Rumble, they did in fact see action against each other two years earlier at the 1989 Royal Rumble in an opening six-man tag match.

The 1992 Rumble was filled out with three tag team matches. The opening tag greatly mirrored that of the previous year, especially in setting a great mood for the evening. 1991 saw The Orient Express battle The Rockers, while this year the Mr. Fuji-led team battled The New Foundation--Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart. The WWF Tag Team Titles were on the line when The Legion of Doom battled The Natural Disasters and finally The Bushwhackers took on The Beverly Brothers. These latter two tag matches did not amount to much. Earthquake and Typhoon would have been much greatly utilized as two more gargantuan threats in the Rumble match.

It's now been twenty-five years since the "best" Royal Rumble. The event not only featured the best-remembered Rumble match, but also the best commentary performance by the beloved team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The Rumble included arguably twenty men who were bona fide main eventers in the business and saw the "60 Minute Man" reign supreme in the WWF's most famous "60 Minute Match." With a tear in my eye, Royal Rumble '92 just won't ever be topped.

Put that cigarette out!

The COLORful World Of 1991 WWF

In Christmases of my youth, I always looked forward to stocking stuffers. In my family, we always opened the stocking last. It was a place for small, inexpensive gifts, but often times those presents were the best of all. I can even remember coloring books being stuffed inside. No matter the content, I enjoyed coloring. I always found difficulty staying inside the lines, but it didn't matter. Even my very first piece of wrestling memorabilia was a coloring book, covering the wide world of Hulk Hogan's Rock n Wrestling cartoon.

In the past few months, I've come to enjoy the trend that is "adult coloring." It might actually be more accurate to say that I've rediscovered coloring in general, as my status as an adult is questioned even in my own mind. As far as the "adult coloring books" that are on the market, I just don't like them. The "artistic" design of the drawings to color leave very little room unless you're using a thin colored pencil. No sir. Give me broad designs with a lot of room for me to smash my Crayolas into a colorful crescendo.

Going back to kiddie coloring books got me to thinking of just how wrestling translated to the medium. Of course, there were the aforementioned Rock 'n Wrestling books, but I knew that there were more. Recently, I stumbled upon a completed Jimmy Hart page colored by someone online. The picture was familiar to me, and I suddenly remembered a line of WWF coloring books from 1991. Upon an eBay search, I discovered two things. First, I was fairly sure that I have an unused example with an Ultimate Warrior cover packed away somewhere. Second, I may not be the only one looking for these to satisfy their "adult coloring" urges. The asking prices were rather high, no doubt drummed up by recent interest. Nonetheless, I made an offer for a very reasonably priced example, and in my hands a few days later was the WWF Tag Team Superstars Coloring Book.

Hawk and Animal, in their classic first WWF promo shot, may grace the cover of this "tag team" book, but it's really a showcase for a lot of 1991 WWF talent. Heck, even Andre the Giant shows up here in his wrestling gear. What I found the coolest was that some of the managers were included. In addition to the exact Jimmy Hart page that I had seen online, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Mr. Fuji, and Sensational Queen Sherri are here, too, in an era when the non-wrestlers just weren't marketed like the in-ring WWF Superstars.

WWE still releases coloring books, but aside from The Undertaker and Triple H, you aren't going to find many legends to color. Want to stylize the likes of Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and The Barbarian? Then you have to go old school. I truly believe in the well-touted relaxing effects of coloring as an adult. It can transport you to a much more comforting time in your life. Coloring the wrestling heroes and villains of my youth only accentuates that.

Coloring vintage wrestlers is a match made in Heaven for me. Since the wrestlers of the era had so many different outfits, not to mention color schemes, it leaves a lot of room for your own interpretations. Don't feel like you're above coloring...it's something that you have likely done since you were in the single digits. And keep that "Yellow-Orange" Crayola handy, it's perfect for the big boys of the era!

A SummerSlam Of New WWE Product From Mattel

For the past few years it's seemed as if there are two times of the year when you are guaranteed to see Mattel WWE product stuffing the shelves--WrestleMania season and Christmas time. With the recent rumors that WWE is wishing to transform SummerSlam into a "second WrestleMania" as far as hype, scope, and marquee matches, it's more than likely that merchandise will follow suit. Already, SummerSlam 2015 has been bumped up to a four-hour time slot. Does the recent surge in new product and retail store space reflect this?

Since July, most Target stores have devoted an endcap to the line. The centerpieces have been the exclusive Four Horsemen set as well as the "classic" blue barred steel cage accessory. Basic and Elite figures as well as entries from the newer "Create A WWE Superstar" line have also been featured. Wal Mart stores have received giant blue cardboard displays for Basic, Elite, and Battle Pack figures. Newer series seem to be shipped with the display, but older figures that have been peg-warming for Wal Mart are frequently mixed in. These cardboard displays are far from collector friendly, often smashing the product inside. While no special displays have been rolled out, Toys "R" Us has also seen an influx of newer product, with the "Build-A-Figure" Elite Corporate Kane series being a well-selling exclusive for the retailer.

But what about the figures themselves? Although my wallet can't say the same, I have been very impressed with Mattel's recent additions to the line. For once, the company seems to want to attempt to get everyone a figure, including Divas. The company was infamous for thinking that female figures would not sell in a line traditionally marketed to boys. I'm not sure where their surveying is done, but in my childhood days, the boys were just as excited to have female G.I. Joe figures as they were the males. The same should go for wrestling, especially with all of the "Divas Revolution" talk. Lana and Summer Rae, ironically currently embroiled in a WWE feud, are two of Mattel's newest additions.

One "first" doesn't involve new names, but rather a never-before-done concept in wrestling figure collecting. With the release of El Torito last year, collectors were able to hold the first match between little people when paired against Hornswoggle. Now both have been re-released in the first wrestling figure two-pack of little people. This Battle Pack represents the feud between the two that culminated in the epically entertaining "WeeLC" match. The set even includes a mini table and chair. Torito is featured in his red attire, while Hornswoggle is in his more recent look that, to me, is reminiscent of 70s-90s wrestler Little Louie. His hair is even removable so that he can "lose" a Hair vs Mask match. Even with Lana and Rusev and the first Mattel Legion of Doom two-pack also in the series, the little guys really stand out. A friend of mine has already deemed this Hornswoggle as his "Figure of the Year." I can completely understand why.

The Elite line, figures with accessories and additional articulation, has also seen new faces. Earthquake and Diamond Dallas Page have joined the "Flashback" collection of wrestlers of yesteryear. DDP is a re-release of the WWE Legends figure, while Earthquake is fully new and comes complete with Damien the snake and his bag for the big man to "squash." New faces in the line include Stardust and Bo Dallas, the latter with his "BOLIEVE" t-shirt. Both of these stars saw their first figures in the Basic line a few months earlier. My own personal rule of thumb is to wait for the Elite when this is knowingly the case, as the included accessories are often worth the extra money spent.

Finally, we have received what should be considered the first NXT figure. While we have seen figures of many who began their WWE careers on the NXT roster as well as the NXT Women's Championship being included with Paige, this is a different scenario. Sami Zayn is the first wrestler to have a figure released before an official WWE roster call-up. I'm sure that it will not be his last and the fact in itself will end up rather trivial, but this is indeed a first. As of now, Tyler Breeze and Bayley look to be next in line for figures while still fully part of NXT, but that can always change.

As the hot weather ends and the holidays fast approach, we're bound to see even more Mattel goodies pop up. Favorites such as Charlotte, Hideo Itami, The APA, Dean Malenko, and Randy Savage are all slated to debut or return, and you can be sure that most of them will pop up here. Mattel is continuing to give us reasons to care about their line, and that deserves our support. Happy hunting!

The 25th Anniversary of Hasbro WWF--Part 4

The Hasbro WWF line was a ton of fun to play with.  Growing up with them as I did, I ought to know.  The lack of non-wrestler figures in the collection was a bit frustrating, but Hasbro was likely looking at LJN sales records where some manager and announcer figures performed worse at retail compared to the wrestlers themselves.  Even without the extra characters, the Hasbro figures remain a favorite all of these years later, and here are five more of my own favorite products from the line...

*Macho Madness makes my list twice!  Although he was the "Macho King" for less than two years, it was a very cool extension of the Randy Savage character.  Coupled with Sensational Queen Sherri, the duo is well-remembered for their feuds with Dusty Rhodes, Sapphire, Miss Elizabeth, The Ultimate Warrior, and Roddy Piper.  Despite not being in the title scene of the time, Savage's matches with the aforementioned foes headlined cards around the country.  The Hasbro Macho King figure had a regal purple and gold color scheme and came complete with removable crown and a sceptre for bashing opponents ("Ding!"--Jesse Ventura).

*Earthquake and Typhoon weren't a couple of fat slobs, these were two gigantic and powerful men.  I was always a fan of the larger-than-life wrestlers, and the very first tag team match that I saw live pitted the Natural Disasters against Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter.  Just a few months later I was again thrilled when the Hasbro Natural Disasters hit the stores.  By this time, Hasbro was no longer producing tag team sets, so Earthquake and Typhoon were sold separately.  My parents were as watchful for new product as I was, and one afternoon my mother surprised me with Earthquake.  She even went as far as to suggest that I team him with Akeem until I could purchase Typhoon!  In case you were wondering, that extra large team never came to be.  A short time later I bought Typhoon at Children's Palace with some money from my grandparents.

*The Hot Rod!  Though the Hasbro version of Piper is wearing entrance gear, I.wouldn't have it any other way.  Roddy has always been among my favorites in the Hasbro line, and it's actually a version that we haven't seen since.  The red elbow pads indicate that Hasbro was trying to capture the look from early in his 1989 return.  I have also always appreciated the effort that was taken by combining his "pre-ring" kilt attire with a no-nonsense action pose.  And of course, this figure is perfect for recreating his 1992 Saturday Night's Main Event match with The Mountie.  You remember.  "Shock Proof!"

*As most companies do with major licenses like the WWF, Hasbro branched out.  None of the other toys were nearly as successful as the action figures, but a few were just as fun.  The Jake Roberts "Snake" toy is a cool spin-off, but it was released at a bad time.  To begin with, it was simply marketed as his "snake" as opposed to Damien or Lucifer.  Whether or not this had to do with the names themselves or the fact that it was designed/released around the time of the transition is anyone's guess.  Add that to the fact that Roberts himself was gone from the WWF not long after release ensured that the snake would have a short sales window.

*Who would've believed, even in 1992 when his first figure hit shelves, that The Undertaker would be one of the longest lasting creations to come from the company?  The aura of the character may only be matched by the likes of Andre the Giant.  The evolution of the character helped keep "The Deadman" alive for nearly a quarter of a century.  The original look and feel of The Undertaker, an old west mortician, was never better captured than in the Hasbro figure. In his second release, it was the inclusion of the cloth overcoat that truly made the figure fresh and unique.

Up next...my final five!

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--Survivor Series 1991 Program

Next year at WrestleMania XXX it is very possible that The Undertaker will extend his undefeated streak at the event to 22-0.  Although I think it could still effectively be ended, the company seems intent on keeping the record going as far as they can.  While The Undertaker has to wait until 2014 for that accomplishment, another "22" appears for him this very month.  It was twenty-two years ago, on November 27, 1991, that The Undertaker captured his first WWF Championship.  The event was a very controversial fifth installment of the Survivor Series that up until then had only featured eight and ten-man tag team elimination matches.  The Undertaker was the first ever to challenge for any championship at that particular pay-per-view, and here he was up against "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan.

The program for the 1991 Survivor Series follows a trend that didn't last very long: using pages from the basic WWF event programs of the time to "beef up" the content inside.  There's nothing wrong with it, but it is different from other years.  Even the 1991 merchandise catalog is present.  Gone are the days of young Shane and Stephanie McMahon modeling the merchandise, and beginning to be included are items that were already available outside of the WWF directly such as Tonka's Wrestling Buddies.

As was the norm, each match got its own individual photos and write-up.  As noted above, this Survivor Series featured the first time that a championship was on the line at the event.  I did not watch the event live, but can still remember my shock to hear that The Undertaker was the WWF Champion.  Keep in mind, no one at the time would have ever expected The Undertaker to go as far as he did in the industry.  Even though the finish was "screwy" and a set up for the WWF's experimental "Tuesday In Texas" pay-per-view the following week, The Undertaker as champion just didn't click with me.

As with most of the early Survivor Series events, substitutions were made for certain team members as the weeks went on.  In 1991, there were storyline excuses for some of the changes.  The first six-man tag team elimination match took place this year, although it is not reflected in the program.  Sid Justice, who was legitimately injured, and Jake Roberts, who had attacked Randy Savage with his cobra, were pulled from their respective teams with no replacements made.  The latter angle enabled Savage to be "reinstated" following his retirement at WrestleMania VII in order to avenge his wife Elizabeth from the terrorizing antics of Roberts.  It always struck me a bit odd that Roberts was going to have Earthquake, who had "squashed" Damien just a few months earlier, on his team, but I guess "baddies" stick together...

The opening match of the night featured an amazing bevy of talent in one ring pitting Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord against Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and...well...Virgil.  Seven out of eight isn't bad at all!  Despite the talent, the ending of the match kicked off what would be a night of odd endings and happenings.  Everyone remaining is disqualified or counted out or...whatever...for brawling and therefore Flair, the legal man in the ring who remained in the ring during the melee, is the sole survivor.

Another match full of replacements was the mid and undercarder battle that was set to include The Dragon, Texas Tornado, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Jim Neidhart against The Berzerker, Skinner, Big Bully Busick, and Colonel Mustafa.  Ricky Steamboat, in his brief 1991 run that produced more merchandise than memorable matches, left before the event and was replaced by the newly minted "El Matador," Tito Santana.  Neidhart was injured in an angle and replaced by Sgt. Slaughter, while Busick, who had also departed the company, was replaced by Hercules.

In yet another match that was ultimately forgettable, The Rockers and The Bushwhackers teamed to battle The Nasty Boys and The Beverly Brothers.  Gone were the days of the impressive twenty-man tags featuring all of the tag teams that the WWF could scrounge up.  Instead, we're left with a match that really only served to further the break-up of The Rockers. Including the then-WWF Tag Team Champions The Legion of Doom in this match would've probably been made it a bit more interesting.

The program ends with the "Keep An Eye On" feature that concluded the regular WWF programs of the time.  Savage is the only name featured that did much of note in the months following the publication.  And of course, no program of the era would be complete without an ad and order information for the Survivor Series 1991 Coliseum Video.

Though I'm usually partial to anything from this era or before, the fifth annual Survivor Series has never been one of my favorites.  Nearly everything is geared towards urging the viewer to purchase "Tuesday In Texas" the following Tuesday, and the content that isn't is ignored for more shameless promotion.  It was an experiment on many levels, and one that the consumer public didn't care for.  The following year, the event would take yet another turn and leave but one "traditional" Survivor Series match on the card.  The use of those matches has varied in years since, but with the deep WWE roster of today, there's certainly plenty of room to make a full elimination match card once again.  If you ask me...it's best for business.

Hockey Is Here...WWF Style!

 As all fans know by now, NHL hockey is back!  The lockout which caused fans to miss a half season worth of action, not to mention the always entertaining Winter Classic, is finally over.  Had it not, the superstars of the 1991 WWF could have easily come to your rescue, sticks in hand, ready for the rink!  And how does the former toy company Remco fit into all of this?

Remco is best known among wrestling fans for their mid-1980's line of AWA action figures.  Famous for a wide variety of characters and their primitive yet charming design, the AWA line is highly collectible to this day.  Although Curt Hennig and Rick Martel were both among the wrestlers featured in the line, both wrestlers as well as ten others would be produced by Remco in 1991.  This time for the WWF.

Before the Monday Night Wars/Attitude Era, there were two "boom" periods of WWF merchandise where the company and its characters were seemingly everywhere.  Those times were between 1985 and 1987 and 1990 and 1992.  Both periods were highlighted with popular action figure lines (LJN and Hasbro respectively) and everything from lunch boxes to pencils to bedsheets were produced.  One could argue that the first boom of merchandise is remembered in a better light due to the association with the Rock 'n Wrestling era, but many fans still fondly recall the second largely featuring the neon styles of the Ultimate Warrior and company.  It is the latter era that brought us Remco's WWF Superstars Shoot-Out tabletop hockey game.

Although there were other tabletop hockey games on the market at the time (including a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles version also manufactured by Remco and using very similar box art), there was no better toy for a fan of both the WWF and the NHL.  The game was mainly available in 1991 and 1992 with the design planned sometime in late 1990, based upon the characters and gimmicks.

One team consists of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Tugboat while their opponents are Sgt. Slaughter, "Macho King" Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, The Model, and Earthquake.  The figures of each are highly detailed and roughly two and a half inches tall.  Their sticks are individualized based upon each wrestler's gimmick.  Some of the sticks, such as Duggan's 2x4, Macho King's scepter, and Hogan's barbell would be the envy of any real hockey player while others such as Warrior's neon tassles, Tugboat's tow rope, and Damien are "stiffened" out to provide an adequate tool.

The 36" by 17" rink really makes it one of the biggest wrestling toys of the time.  The control mechanism is the same as most tabletop hockey games and all of the materials used to make the rink itself seem to have stood the test of time.  The same cannot be said for the many stickers included with the game.  The most often missing are stickers that were applied to the sticks of DiBiase, Perfect, and Earthquake.  The two pucks included also had stickers, those being of the WWF winged eagle championship design.

The game also has the distinction of including the only figure of Tugboat.  While Fred Ottman has appeared in figure form as both Typhoon and Shockmaster, this goalie figure of Tugboat is still the only ever released of the gimmick.  The Tugster was scheduled for release in the Hasbro figure line but was switched to Typhoon following television storylines.  Thankfully for us, Remco kept the original design.

I can recall the puck occasionally getting stuck under a stick and holding up play, but ultimately this toy was a blast.  I can only imagine how popular an item like this would be with today's stars, but I doubt that it would have the quality craftsmanship that went into this between the sturdy construction and character detail.

Examples do show up for sale, but a complete set would be fairly hard to build.  The aforementioned DiBiase, Perfect, and Earthquake stickers are often missing and I can recall the rink stickers occasionally being scuffed up by a particularly rough pass.

A classic era, a bevy of all-time greats, and one of the most entertaining toy concepts of the last century all bundled into one great piece of wrestling memorabilia.  Sounds like the ultimate wrestling hat trick to me!