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.

Hulkamania Turns 30

Thirty years to the night of press time, Hulkamania was born.  Yes, the term was used before January 23, 1984, but that was simply the seed being planted.  That night in MSG was when the term, concept, and phenomenon burst upon not just New York City, but the world.  Despite what any historian may want you to believe, nothing so immense had ever happened to the wrestling world.  Despite what some revisionist history may tell you, Austin 3:16 is but a close second.  Hulkamania is immortal.

Three decades later, Hulk Hogan is still as relevant in both wrestling and pop culture as ever.  He has adapted with the times, and despite negative press here and there, he is still the ultimate iconic American hero.  In my mind, I used to measure Hogan's mainstream visibility with one phrase: "Even grandmothers know who Hulk Hogan is!"  Take a poll.  I'd venture to guess that's still the case even opposed against wrestling megastars that have come and gone since. 

What exactly makes Hulkamania so irresistible?  It's a larger-than-life superhero who captivated an industry and the world watching it.  It's a character that stood for ideals that, thirty years ago especially, were still held in reverence by the public at large.  It's a brand that just goes on and on.  Wrestling, television, film, the toy store...both then and now, Hulkamania is omnipresent.

What child of the 1980's did not own the legendary Hulk Hogan LJN?  Though two later versions in the line were a tad more lifelike, the original shirtless, belt-wearing LJN of the Hulkster was owned by children who weren't even necessarily wrestling fans.  After all, here was eight inches of rubbery wrestler to bend, fling, and slam all over the house, playground, and lunch room.  Full cases of just Hogan figures shipped to stores to meet demand.  Sure, there were a plethora of heroes and villains for kids to choose from, but you absolutely needed Hulk to make your '80s "figure federation" complete.

WWE may be branching back into cartoons in the next few months, but their original animated adventure saw the Hulkster at the helm.  Hulk Hogan's "Rock n Wrestling" burst onto CBS just a bit under two years after the birth of Hulkamania.  Hogan, along with Andre the Giant, Wendi Richter, Roddy Piper, and Mean Gene Okerlund, among others, appeared in standard cartoon plot lines each week.  Slam City, what?  "Rock n Wrestling" is still as beloved to fans in their 30s today as it was during it's original run.

Naturally, film followed television fame for the Hulkster.  Although his acting and choice of projects may not have always been top quality, they're still remembered today.  After a pre-Hulkamania taste of celluloid in Rocky III, Hogan starred in 1989's No Holds Barred.  Battling Zeus just as he would on WWF shows during the release of the film, the Hulkster stars as "Rip."  The movie, which features cameos by Bill "Masked Superstar/Demolition Ax" Eadie and Stan Hansen, is set to be released on Blu-Ray in 2014.

Hulkamania knows no bounds and of course has also spilled over into WCW and TNA.  Though the Hulkster had a few memorable moments in both promotions, he has never really seemed "at home" as he does in WWE.  The Hulkster's transformation into the villainous "Hollywood" Hogan and leader of the nWo can easily be pointed to as the legend's biggest non-WWF/WWE moment.  When that character was attempted in the WWF, it failed.  The red and yellow Hulkster is synonymous with WWF/WWE.

What does the future hold for Hulkamania?  It's all but guaranteed that Hulk Hogan will be back in WWE at any time.  What role will he play?  Time will tell, but count me in with the group of fans that is all for one last match in the ring.  This is professional wrestling.  Anything can, and will, happen.  This form of sport does not hold the limitations that others do.  Instead of complaining that a "young talent" wouldn't have a spot on a show such as WrestleMania XXX because the Hulkster does should not even be an argument.  He's more than earned his spot on any wrestling show that he pleases.  Thirty years of Hulkamania.  Thirty years of WrestleMania.  Seems like a no-brainer to me, brother.

Whatcha Gonna Do When Cartoons Run Wild On You?

About a week ago the wrestling news community was abuzz about WWE's latest venture.  No, not the delayed WWE Network, next Marine film, or even 2013 Hall of Fame rumors.  The news that had everyone talking was the announcement that the next Scooby-Doo animated film would be set at WrestleMania!  Not only that, but WWE names such as Vince McMahon, John Cena, Brodus Clay, and (of course) A.J. would be providing their own voices for the show.  I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't excited over this news.  For all of the silliness in wrestling these days, this is the type of thing that works.  On our fanpage I went as far as to promise a review of the movie right here on the blog once it is released.

This isn't wrestling's first foray into Toon Town.  In 1985 the WWF was snatching up licensing partnerships left and right.  It was the dawn of Hulkamania and there was no better way to market that to children than partnering with DIC Entertainment and creating the "Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling" cartoon series.

Featuring a cast of top WWF stars like Hogan, Andre the Giant, Wendi Richter, Lou Albano, Junkyard Dog, Tito Santana, Hillbilly Jim, Roddy Piper, Big John Studd, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Mr. Fuji, Fabulous Moolah, Mean Gene Okerlund, and Bobby Heenan, one would think that the cartoon centered around wrestling.  Not really.  Instead, the "good" wrestlers were pitted against the "bad" wrestlers in traditional cartoon situations.  Robots, Amazonians, and cruise ships were just some of the tough topics tackled by the crazy cast from the squared circle.

Seeing as that each character was based on a real life persona, one would also think that the wrestlers would voice their respective 'toon.  Not quite.  The WWF's schedule at the time most likely prevented this from occuring.  Voice actors were instead used to provide the familiar tones of the WWF elite.  While some like Albano and JYD sounded very close to the real deal, others like Piper and Fuji weren't even close.  Giving life to the voice of the Hulkster was non other than Brad Garrett, who went on to play Robert on "Everybody Loves Raymond."  Other notables included Lewis Arquette (father of the many current Arquette actors) as Snuka and James Avery (Uncle Phil on "Fresh Prince" and the voice of Shredder in the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoons) as JYD.  The visual look of the wrestlers was what you'd expect from an '80s cartoon, although a peek at their early designs in the September/October 1985 issue of WWF Magazine shows that the characters were originally more realistic looking than the final product.

Probably one of the most attractive upsides to doing this cartoon was that a whole new line of merchandise was produced off of the show itself.  Games, coloring books, puzzles, bed sheets, backpacks, stickers, pins, and home videos were all produced under the banner of the cartoon. 

While no action figures, or "dolls" as they were frequently labeled then, were produced for the show there was a line of erasers which, in recent years, have become the most popular item to come from the cartoon show.  Regular figures were most likely not allowed due to WWF's agreement with LJN, but a company called Winston Toys nearly got around that.  Hogan, Piper, Snuka, Sheik, JYD, and Richter were the six characters used by Winston for their line of erasers.  Around 3 1/2 inches tall, the erasers were just a tad shorter than the LJN Bendies and are often mistaken as such.

Curiously, Sheik and both versions of Hogan and Snuka are almost shrunken down versions of their familiar LJN counterparts.  Piper and JYD are the only pieces in the line that actually look like their cartoon counterparts.  While both of them are very difficult to come by, it's actually the Richter eraser which seems to be the rarest of them all.  Not only is it the only figural representative of Richter ever produced, it is my speculation that had Richter stayed with the WWF and been produced as an LJN figure, the eraser is an example of what the finished product would have looked like.

The Richter eraser isn't the only female controversy to arise from the cartoon.  The infamous Mad Maxine was originally scheduled to be on the show as the "evil" opposition for Richter.  Although the fact that her run in the WWF was so short is probably the real reason for her omission, speculation has always been that Fabulous Moolah somehow had her removed from both the show and the promotion so that she herself could be featured on the cartoon.  Moolah did indeed end up appearing in the show, but her merchandising was relegated to a pin and an appearance in the card game.

The cartoon lasted two seasons for a total of twenty-six episodes.  Many of those episodes were released on VHS video over a period of many years.  Some were distributed by DIC during the cartoon's original run while WWE re-released many around a decade ago in new packaging.  With the release of Hogan's "No Holds Barred" film to DVD just weeks ago, it may be only a matter of time before WWE decides to once again revisit their original cartoon venture in the current media formats as well.

Although a cartoon show is exactly what many wrestling purists say is what was wrong with the WWF's national expansion, it's also what brought many, many fans into wrestling in the first place.  Who is to say that promoters from decades earlier wouldn't have jumped on producing a cartoon show given the opportunity?  Certainly the wrestlers involved in Rock 'n Wrestling cut their teeth in the territories.  Fans of those wrestlers, as well as the cartoon, can take comfort in the fact that their favorite stars received much more merchandising money from ventures like these.  Wrestling was, and still is, a business.  The Rock 'n Wrestling cartoon is something, like the new Scooby-Doo/WWE team-up, that we should just sit back and enjoy rather than bash.

While I cannot say that Rock 'n Wrestling started me on pro wrestling, the first wrestling collectible that I ever owned was spawned from the series.  The coloring book shown here in this entry holds the honor of being the first ever item in my collection.  I can still recall sitting in restaurants and coloring in my vast collection of coloring books based on various kid-friendly properties of the '70s and '80s.  My artistic skills?  Impeccable!  Did you know that Andre the Giant had green hair?

You do now!

Immortal Merchandising

Pro wrestlers are known for spinning yarns on just about any subject. Whether true or false, there's usually always an element of entertainment in these tales. I cannot count how many times, while having an item signed, I've heard of how much (or how little) the individual was paid for the particular item. One superstar that, without a doubt, made more money on merchandise than most of us will see in a lifetime is the one and only Hulk Hogan.

Countless words have been written about Hulk Hogan's contributions to the wrestling world. Like it or not, nearly thirty years after the birth of Hulkamania, Hogan is still the most recognized wrestler in the world. As much as it pains some detractors to admit that, it is undeniably the truth. As a child, I can remember thinking that even little old ladies knew who the Hulkster was. In my early high school years just before the "Attitude Era" hit, I can remember peers who no longer followed wrestling thinking that Hulk was still the WWF Champion. It's simply a fact that Hulk Hogan will always be synonymous with the mainstream idea of professional wrestling.

Is it any wonder that this is the case? Having a cartoon show, action figures, lunch boxes, shoelaces, bubble bath, vitamins, canned pasta, and charisma out the wazoo will do that for a person. While his out-of-the-ring exploits of the last few years have left some fans with a bad taste in their mouth, Hogan's successes benefited many. Not only have his legions of fans been provided with countless memorable wrestling moments, but the wrestlers he worked with also gained from association.

Stories of wrestlers wanting to work on the higher grossing Hogan-topped events have circulated for years. Many stars have told me that they were not only compensated for their likenesses appearing in the Rock n Wrestling cartoon show, but for their inclusion as an action figure in the LJN WWF line. It seems that, according to some stars, Hulkamania truly is where the power was.

There are still some who claim that Stone Cold Steve Austin holds the record for merchandise sales in wrestling. While there is no doubt that Austin and his merchandise had an amazing run, if every single officially licensed item between the two men could be counted, the winner would absolutely have to be Hogan. Not only were Hulk's highest grossing years over double in length of Austin's, but one only has to compare footage from their respective eras to see that the "yellow finger" outsold the "middle finger" by leaps and bounds. Let's not forget, THQ knew just who to demand be featured on the cover of their latest WWE video game despite being a current TNA talent. The red and yellow reigns supreme.

Regardless of who is truly the merchandise champion, both Hogan and Austin had amazing careers that defined the era in which they competed. It's Hogan, however, that transcended the mainstream and most likely propelled himself to the spot of the most well-known professional wrestler of all-time.

Maybe there should be some of award for this achievement...

The Hulky?