Wrestling MarketWatch: Back To The ‘80s!

I remember my early days of going to toy shows. You know, that great time before every single event labeled itself a “con.” When you could pull a loose “black card” LJN from a 75 cent box. The good old days, as it were. Anyway, I’d often see the same guy in those peaceful morning shopping moments. Physically he wasn’t always the same person, though sometimes he was. It was more of his style, if you can call it that. It was men in their 60s or 70s. Always hunting items from old sci-fi entities like “Forbidden Planet” and discussing the nuances of “Robbie the Robot.” Loudly, for everyone to hear. Always slicked back silver hair, drenched in a half bottle of Aqua Velva and, sadly, just the picture of loneliness from top to bottom. I didn’t pity these men. I guess, in my mind, I sort of applauded them for putting themselves out there and thinking nothing of it. Those types don’t show up much anymore. They’re either, sadly, gone, or are just no longer interested. Have us fans of ‘80s entertainment and pop culture replaced them? In a sense, I guess. But I’m not lonely, I don’t use Aqua Velva and I cannot stand hair product. I guess I have those three things going for me.

In any case, this blog is certainly a place where we celebrate those who love the past, so this time in MarketWatch we’re goin’ “Back to the ‘80s!” It’s been a year since we last tackled the topic in MarketWatch and we’ll even check in on an item that we looked at back then, too. Did the price go up? Did the price go down? My lips are sealed. Well, until we look at that item, that is. As always, prices listed are for non-autographed examples unless noted.

*You might say that the ‘80s were beyond the heyday of Bob Roop, but he was still tearing up rings in Florida and Kentucky among other places. Long known for his legitimate wrestling skills (find the film of him “stretching” wrestling hopefuls under the watch of Eddie Graham), Roop is an excellent story teller as well if you engage him on social media or have the chance to meet him at an event. He’s particularly proud of his tours of Japan and has quite the memory of his career. He was included in one of the coveted Wrestling All-Stars trading card sets that have gotten a lot of attention over the past decade. His card has been recently selling at auction for an average of $40.

*One man who definitely had his best moments in the 1980s, despite starting the decade prior, was Don Muraco. The Magnificent One was a headliner virtually everywhere he went and owes his immortality to being a memorable face during the early WWF “expansion” years. While he ended his WWF career as a babyface in late 1988, Muraco was a pure heel. His antics with Mr. Fuji are the stuff of legend but I still think that eating a sandwich while demolishing a hapless enhancement talent sums up Magnificent Muraco just perfectly. He didn’t have too many magazine covers, oddly enough, but the May 1983 issue of Sports Review Wrestling, featuring Muraco with the classic WWF Intercontinental Belt, has long been considered a favorite by many. The issue recently sold for the very attractive price of just $12.

*Back in the ‘80s you had VHS, BETA and Laserdisc to preserve wrestling viewing for the future. Amazingly, the lesser of the three as far as quality, VHS, ultimately won out and would reign supreme until the late ‘90s. In the past nearly fifteen years of this blog we’ve talked about the Coliseum Video WWF Laserdisc collection a few times. There are only four titles and it’s a really fun set to have. The large covers/sleeves offer that same feel that records do. It’s why digital media will never truly replace physical for a lot of people. It’s sort of interesting that, when the autograph business (and if you don’t think it’s a business, check out the prices) is at a record high, some of the best items to be signed are on the downturn as far as being produced – that, again, being physical media. You can’t get the movie star to sign a digital copy of their latest film. Regardless, we have all the classic stuff and that’s what we’re celebrating here. The Laserdisc of the first WrestleMania recently sold for $75.

*One man who was a star in the ‘80s, but also the ‘70s and every decade since is Jerry “The King” Lawler. Whether it be as the absolute King of Memphis Wrestling, the cowardly heel wrestling/announcer in the WWF or as one of the most recognizable true legends of wrestling, The King reigns supreme no matter what he does. He even released music as you’ve no doubt seen on this very blog before. He likes to joke that his albums weren’t released, they escaped, but we know that The King has the talent for anything that he does. Though there was some sort of reprinting of his albums in recent years, nothing beats the originals. A copy of Jerry Lawler & The Nunnery Brothers Band recently sold for $40. Memphis music never sounded better. Well…

*Ah yes, the item we looked at one year ago! Who was bigger than The Hulk and The Hillbilly? Hillbilly Jim gets a lot of meaningless criticism from those who don’t realize that wrestling is a show. There’s a reason why he’s so remembered. He’s a mountain of a man, had a great character and a load of charisma. Don’t tell me “oh, but Jim Crockett wouldn’t have had him.” No, they had Hepatitis-plagued Boogie Woogie Man and crowds of 1,000 while Hillbilly Jim was “stinking up the joint” to electric audiences of 20,000. You know I’m kidding. You all know that I love JCP as much as anyone else. I’m just pointing out how silly it is to say one was better than the other. Anyway, I’m feeling as if the prices that surged in 2020 on most collectibles are finally coming down. They have to…who has any money? One year ago the LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars Hulk and Hillbilly tag set sold for $600. It’s now averaging half of that at $300.

And there you have another trip back to the ‘80s and maybe even a little social and wrestling commentary thrown in. Are us ‘80s fans REALLY replacing the previous nostalgia hunters? Eh. I think that some of us know how to keep it on a better level. Even still, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to be like them after all. What were they doing? Being themselves. If we had more people who weren’t afraid to be themselves perhaps the world would look a bit less clownish that it currently does. There you go. Some food for thought and reflection, as well.

Who says that you don’t get it all in the wrestling memorabilia blog?

Mattel Alters The Retro Game Again…

Just when you think you have the answers, Mattel changes the questions! In a collecting world, and world in general, where any little thing is offensive and causes an uproar, Mattel did it. In a toy manufacturing era where the companies claim to be cutting down on plastic for the environment (aka for their own financial bottom line), Mattel still did it. Am I upset about it? No, not exactly. It ultimately saves me money, though I’m still very surprised. What exactly is it? Let’s take a look at the latest Mattel WWE Retro figure set and find out.

In the latest roll out from Mattel Creations we have the newest four-pack of legends done in Hasbro, or “Retro,” style. The lineup contains the long-awaited (in this form) Jerry “The King” Lawler, Paul Bearer, Big Van Vader and The Undertaker. For the record, the “long-awaited” phrasing only applies to the first two listed and possibly Vader. This wasn’t really a pre-order as they became available on a Tuesday and were at many doorsteps by Thursday afternoon. These things were ready to go and, as of press time, are still available. The previous series is also still available although it appears that the set before that has finally sold out.

Jerry “The King” Lawler was always on the most wanted list for the Hasbro WWF line after he debuted in the company in late 1992. The problem was that seeing as he was mostly a commentator at the time he just didn’t get produced. For whatever undisclosed reason Hasbro never deviated from simply making active wrestlers in their original line. Although Lawler wrestled as well as commentated, the latter fact seemingly sealed his fate. Here we have the figure in this set that’s most like an original Hasbro item and you can see why just by looking at it. He has the “pullback punch” that you’ll remember from such vintage figures as Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Tito Santana. The crown not being removable is also a throwback to Hasbro figures such as Sgt. Slaughter and The Mountie. Do I wish that it came off? A bit. But it’s still the gem of the set.

Next up we have another long-desired figure in the Hasbro style, Paul Bearer. Another victim of Hasbro’s unspoken “wrestlers only” production policy, Bearer would’ve sold well back then. I even remember kids asking me where the Paul Bearer figure was when they saw me with the Hasbro release of The Undertaker. When the first Paul Bearer figure was eventually released with the JusToys Bend-ems ring it caused a commotion. Mattel has finally righted Hasbro’s wrong complete with a removable urn. The likeness is very Hasbro-like and Bearer comes complete with an action where he can either raise the urn or have it come crashing down onto the back of The Undertaker’s head, cementing the death of their long relationship. How did ol’ Paul get to be so popular? He urn’d it. Thanks, Brain. Anyway…

Vader is up next and would’ve been in the Hasbro line for certain had it extended about three more years. His likeness always lends itself well to figures even if the final execution isn’t that great. While you certainly get the feeling that it’s “Vader Time” while looking at this one, I would’ve preferred a different design. The old Akeem “belly bump” style action just isn’t what I wanted with Vader. “The Mastadon” should’ve had one of the various power slamming moves or Mattel should have finally brought back something similar to the mechanism that Earthquake, Typhoon and Bam Bam Bigelow had back in the ‘90s. This is how most customizers always envisioned a Vader in this style and thus the final product here is a tad disappointing.

We wrap up this fearsome foursome with yet another version of The Undertaker. I don’t think that ol’ Taker has ever been mentioned, much less reviewed, twice just a few weeks apart in the nearly fifteen year history of this blog. He’s just not a personal favorite of mine and I’m honestly pretty sick of his figures. It makes sense to have him in a set with Bearer and I know that countless fans are enamored with “The Deadman,” he just does zilch for me at this point. At least this is a different look. This time around “The Phenom” is depicted wearing the face mask that came about after King Mabel and Yokozuna “crushed” his face. Did I need this? No. Did I want this? No. But to get the other ones you have to buy it. Here it is and there’s truly nothing wrong with the figure whatsoever. 

What about that change that was mentioned above? The wait is over. Similar to how the Micro Brawlers mini figure line is now packaged, Mattel has changed the retro line to have the bubble as part of a full plastic “shell” that covers the complete front of the card back. There’s no sealing here as tabs hold the plastic in place and you can basically remove and replace the figure as much as you desire. It’s interesting that a change like this would happen so late in the line and especially in the era (see first paragraph) in that we’re in now with toy packaging. Some collectors will argue that you don’t truly have a mint figure anymore unless it’s still sealed in the cardboard box that all four figures are bundled in. Others will complain that this and sets going forward no longer “fit” with the previous releases. Interestingly, despite Lawler being one I’ve always wanted and, thus, autographed, this was the first retro set that I did not buy two of. Due to health issues Lawler is currently not making signing appearances. As this change was not disclosed I’m not sure how I’d have felt had I indeed purchased two. Seeing as that there won’t truly ever be any “mint on card” examples of these, I can simply throw Lawler back into the bubble and get the card back signed should “The King” make a return to appearances. I’m sure that Mattel had their reasons, yet to me it feels like they ultimately left money on the table. We know toy manufacturers absolutely dread that.

Overall I’d have to say that this is my least favorite of the retro four-pack bundles thus far to be released. As long-awaited as Lawler was for me, the others didn’t suit my personal wants quite as much. Bearer is welcomed but not when we’re still waiting on Bobby Heenan, Brother Love, Miss Elizabeth, Sensational Sherri or so many other classic managers in this style. My personal jury is still out on the packaging change, although money saved in my wallet always makes me happy. A big middle of the road rating for this retro installment. The next set is scheduled to contain Hulk Hogan, Big John Studd, Muhammad Ali and Wendi Richter in the first WWF/WWE Hasbro/Mattel “retro” female figure. Girls are sure to have some fun with this one, when the working day is done, of course.

We’re keeping it retro next time as a LONG awaited figure is finally done in this style and Jerry may just have a challenger to his throne! Stay tuned!

From The Musty Yellowed Pages—NWA Wrestling Magazine Vol. 1 No. 1

After nearly fifteen years of maintaining this blog, at times I forget everything that I have, or haven’t, covered. I felt for certain that we’d taken a voyage through the debut, and only, issue of the NWA Wrestling Magazine. Aside from some mentions here and there, as well as plenty on its sister publications, I don’t think that it’s been done. Wait no longer, NWA fans, the time to revisit an era when the territories were king, Terry Funk was champion and Jesse Ventura was “The Great” instead of “The Body” has finally arrived.

Yes, this publication had just the one issue. Could you think of a better cover for just one issue of the NWA Wrestling publication? I can’t. If it reminds you of the WWWF Wrestling Action and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling magazines it probably should. It was done by the same artist, Cal Byers, and wrestling renaissance man Les Thatcher was at the helm of all of them. Wrestling, broadcasting, training, promoting and publishing. He did it all and has the stories to tell about it. I’ve had input from him while covering the aforementioned publications here on the blog and I still remember how surprised he was to see a copy of this one when he signed it awhile back.

More familiar names come about when looking at the list of contributors from then-NWA President Eddie Graham to Gordon Solie, Freddie Miller, Paul Boesch, Larry Matysik, Jeff Walton and Gene Gordon. The magazine covered all of the NWA wrestling hotbeds of the era and seemed to want to devote adequate press to all of the big territories. Even NWA members in other countries were not to be excluded. After all, this was the only publication to be “sanctioned” by the National Wrestling Alliance!

Though he was still relatively new to the game that he would eventually become the dirtiest player of, it’s telling that Ric Flair is the topic of one of the first features of the issue. The Crockett’s knew what they had and that’s why he was proudly displayed as the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. You’ll note the famed Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling logo adorns the article here. As noted with all of the Thatcher publications, the art direction was second-to-none. There are logos for most, if not all, of the NWA territories featured within. In the late ‘70s this isn’t something that I would expect in a wrestling magazine at all, but here it is.

More familiar names pop up with looks at Georgia Championship Wrestling and Gulas Wrestling Enterprises Inc, the latter of which being the fabled Memphis wrestling territory. We have great color photos of Dick Slater, Mr. Wrestling II and Jerry “The King” Lawler. We also get a printing of one of my favorite Memphis photos displaying Jackie Fargo, Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yamamoto and…George Gulas. Ok, so three out of four isn’t bad as far as levels of greatness. Still, I’ve always liked that photo ever since I saw it grace the cover of an “NWA East” edition of “The Wrestling News,” probably around the same time.

A very different Terry Funk than the version many are familiar with today graces the centerfold of the first and only NWA issue. This isn’t the “middle aged and crazy” Funker that’s so beloved today, but rather a tad more serious NWA World Champion who was continuing on the family’s championship legacy. I often talk about how much I admire wrestlers who are able to successfully reinvent themselves during the course of their careers. Terry Funk may own everyone else when it comes to that. I could picture the later Funker taking a flaming branding iron to the attire he’s wearing here. From champion to legend, that’s for sure.

One of my favorite pages in the issue has always been the feature on Chavo Guerrero. Talking about his famous exploits in the rings of California, it gives you an idea that Chavo may be one of the more underrated stars of the decade. I feel that his popularity was of the type that you really had to be around for to experience. I also think that, through no fault of his own, the popularity of brother Eddy may have overshadowed Chavo’s legacy. Still, ask most any wrestler who was around at that point and they’ll tell you what a huge star Chavo was in the business. A family photo here really tickles me as we get to see young Chavito, who we all got to know better many years later. Pepe was not invited to participate in the photo.

“The Great Ventura?” What? Yes, before he was “The Body,” Jesse was just “The Great.” I think we can all agree that “The Body” fit and rolled off the tongue much better. He has a short blurb in the magazine right alongside the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Jimmy Snuka. It’s amazing to think how many bonafide all-time greats came from wrestling in the ‘70s. I truly believe that the territorial system helped in that regard and would’ve been beneficial to many wrestlers in the past twenty years who seemed destined for greatness. In the old system you could try different things, work plenty of different opponents and move along when things got stale. Sadly, many of the newer generation stars had virtually “one and done” shots thus robbing us of quite a few talents who could’ve made it to superstardom.

Speaking of “one and done,” those are just some highlights of this, the only issue of NWA Wrestling Magazine. There are more photos and articles to peruse and you can see several of them on our Instagram account right here! Despite their age and rarity, copies of this magazine do show up available but almost always at a price. You never know, some shrewd searching may yield one for your collection. It’s certainly worthy as a collection centerpiece for any fan of the NWA, Terry Funk or just the last great wild west era of wrestling – the ‘70s!

Two Kings, A Dream, A Texas Bronco & A Living Legend

I feel like whether they’re alive or dead, a lot of my top ten favorite wrestlers of all-time have been on the minds of many fans as of late. Seeing as that my top ten is made up of ten wrestlers who make many such lists worldwide, it isn’t too much of a surprise. Still, a lot has to do with the time of year. We’re hitting the fifth anniversary of the passing of Bruno Sammartino, what would’ve been the 80^th birthday of Harley Race and I don’t even have to tell you why everybody’s been talking about the patriarch of wrestling’s other royal family. Of course Jerry Lawler has been in the news with a health scare, The Hulkster pops up everywhere and The Nature Boy never knows when to shut up. All things considered, I thought it would be fun to write about my top ten again. Over the next two weeks, in no particular order, we’ll take a look at an item from each. Some you may own, others may be new to you, but it’s never a dull moment when looking at the memorabilia of the all-time greats.

I still remember where I was when I’d heard that Bruno Sammartino had died. As big of a deal as it was worldwide, it hit especially hard here in Pittsburgh where Sammartino made his home for most of his life. It was hard to believe that there would ever be a time when Bruno wouldn’t be out making appearances around the Greater Pittsburgh area. It was just five years later when I, along with thousands of other fans, got to see him take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame right in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden. “The Living Legend” was physically gone but, I’d said back then, in many ways he was immortal. News broke of the passing of “Number One” Paul Jones on the same day. Once a huge star in the Carolinas, many fans my age more remember Jones as a manager. In an odd coincidence, both Sammartino and Jones shared the cover of the February 1977 issue of The Wrestler. Nikolai Volkoff is the victim of a Bruno armbar in the cover photo. Sadly he would also pass away later in 2018.

Jerry “The King” Lawler thankfully seems to be on the mend from a recent stroke. He appeared, via videotape, at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this year as part of the induction of Andy Kaufman. I spoke to him just last year when he signed an amazing poster that I’d picked up. It was a celebration of all those great Monday night shows at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Lawler himself had drawn the poster back in 1994. We discussed the stars depicted and who was still around and who wasn’t. Since that discussion we’ve lost Jerry Jarrett. Thankfully, The King has pulled through once again. Long Live The King!

Speaking of royalty, this month would’ve marked the 80^th birthday of Harley Race. For as gruff, rough and brutal as he was in the ring, Race certainly seemed to enjoy and treasure the fans. I can even recall him excusing himself to the restroom during an autograph signing but assuring the fans that he’d be right back, in case they were concerned that they wouldn’t get to meet one of the all-time legends of the ring. He continued to make appearances well into his battle of the illness which took his life. When I think of a real, hard fought wrestling match that could make anyone a wrestling fan for the sheer realism alone, it’s a Race match that I think of. He gave it his all. As we’d discussed here earlier in the year, The King is returning to the Mattel WWE line soon, but both the WWF and NWA versions of “The Greatest Wrestler on God’s Green Earth” have been represented well recently in the Micro Brawlers and Pint Size All Star mini figure lines, respectively.

Speaking of those grizzled old veterans, God bless Texas and God bless Terry Funk. If there’s anyone out there with a negative story about The Funker I don’t think that it’s ever been told. If you’ve seen or heard him talk outside of “kayfabe,” that’s exactly how Funk is. No pretenses or falsehoods, Terry Funk is just a genuine person. Widely reported health issues have obviously slowed The Funker down into retirement, but rest and relaxation in his later years have certainly been well earned. We all hope that he can enjoy that retirement as best as possible. Funk reinvented himself so many times over the years that it’s often hard to pick your favorite “version” of the legend. He was certainly immensely popular in Japan where he had the moniker of “Texas Bronco.” In that country I’m sure he signed many of what you see here: a shikishi board. Hugely popular in Japan, these boards are used for art, calligraphy and collecting autographs.

From The Texas Bronco to a son of a plumber, who hasn’t been thinking about Dusty Rhodes as of late? From the trials and tribulations of his son Cody in WWE to the recent A&E Biography, The American Dream does indeed still last. Anyone who knows me knows that it’s hard for me to narrow it down to just any one Dusty item. They all have that individual quality of Stardust magic. No, not the more recent Stardust. We’re talking about that common man from Austin, Texas who was chasing the end of that lightning bolt and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. One of the biggest moments in that chase was on August 3, 1980 in Tampa, FL. In fact, it was billed as “The Last Tangle In Tampa.” Rhodes challenged Race in a match that ended in a sixty minute time limit draw. Someone back then may have shown their support with the bumper sticker that you see here. Wrestling in the territorial days had a lot of bumper stickers. They were cheap to produce and fans ate them up. I’ve always wondered if there was a Harley counterpart sticker…

In the next entry we’ll visit with five more legends and five more pieces of memorabilia created in their images. Iconic, fun and desirable, would you expect any less from the legends of wrestling?

The Immortal King

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since we were reflecting on the life and career of Jerry “The King” Lawler here on the blog. Lawler had just suffered his heart attack following a match on WWE Raw and while the news was encouraging it was still a scary situation that hasn’t been forgotten to this day. The King is in my top ten of all-time for a multitude of reasons. Now in 2022 he’s not only celebrating a decade of survival following that terrible incident but also his 52^nd year in the wrestling business! 

Jerry Lawler was the fifth star that I met in the wrestling business. He was also the name that finally drew me to attend an indy show. I didn’t regret it then and the countless times that I’ve encountered him since have been just as pleasurable. Upon meeting him you can tell that The King simply loves life. He truly seems to enjoy attending the never-ending amount of shows that he is booked for and always leaves fans with a good memory. Have I mentioned that he has one of the nicest signatures in wrestling? Actually, I’ve done an entire blog entry or two on it. The artist in Lawler absolutely shines in his penmanship. From picking up items signed decades ago, it’s obvious that the signature has been that nice throughout his career. 

The first action figure release of The King was a huge deal to me. When he was first released as part of Jakks WWF Bad Boys series in 1997, many were most excited for the first figure of Stone Cold Steve Austin or even Hunter Hearst Helmsley. While I enjoyed the entire series, the crown jewel of the lineup for me was The King. Though it was the beginning of “The Attitude Era,” my mind was on the fact that the scale of the figure worked very well with the Remco AWA figures of a decade earlier. Finally classic matches pitting The King against Nick Bockwinkel and Curt Hennig among others could be recreated! Jakks would periodically release Lawler as their WWF/WWE license continued over the years, but they did a true glowing tribute to Memphis Wrestling in the legendary Classic Superstars line when Andy Kaufman was produced to battle The King. Released as both a single figure and in a two-pack with Lawler, Kaufman was a deep dive that continues to help cement the line’s legacy as one of the greatest. 

Mattel has been very generous with Lawler releases. While the company was somewhat wishy-washy on the inclusion of legends up until around four or five years ago, we’ve seen a total of four releases from the company with at least one more on the way. The first, a representation of modern Lawler, may still remain my favorite. The second was a WWE Hall of Fame figure release which featured the same entrance gear as the first figure but looked similar to the Jakks Classic Superstars releases. The most recent Elite release features Lawler in the look that he wore for his first few years in the WWF. It’s a style that will be duplicated in the upcoming Mattel Retro figure of The King that will allow collectors to add him to their Hasbro-sized worlds at long last. A modern commentator version has also been done and there are plenty more looks to choose from should we be lucky enough to get more. The WWE Superstars line is designed to reflect the aforementioned Remco AWA figures of the ‘80s. While I still love the similarly-scaled Jakks release of a quarter century ago, Jerry Lawler needs to become part of this line, too. 

The King isn’t just a toy. He’s a singer, too! He’s told me on multiple occasions that his records weren’t released, they escaped, but don’t listen to the legend! The King’s records are among my favorite collectibles of him and from the Memphis territory itself. Not only does he have his own LPs and 45 singles, but he also did the artwork for the original release of Jimmy Hart’s Outrageous Conduct album. Looking at the albums, didn’t Lawler even look like a musical star from the ‘70s? That great goatee certainly sells it! I recall talk of The King’s musical work being re-released some time ago but haven’t heard anything since. The albums do come up for auction now and then. 

For as big a star as he was for decades, The King doesn’t have as many magazine cover appearances as he probably deserved. Inside those magazines, however, he certainly got a ton of press. I can still remember a time when I had simply read a ton about Jerry “The King” Lawler and hadn’t ever actually seen him wrestle. Thanks to odd-hour wrestling shows and the magic of videotape that did eventually change and my fandom for The King only grew. He does have one legendary magazine cover that is popular to this day, the August 1984 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. It’s an amazing portrait of The King shown in his famous one-strap singlet donning, of course, that goatee. It even recently made a cameo in the Wonder Woman ’84 motion picture! That isn’t his only magazine cover, of course, with another fan favorite being from the WWF in July 1995 where The King of Memphis is joined by other royalty such as “Don King,” King Kong Bundy and even “The King of Rock & Roll!” 

While he may not have had as many magazine covers as a Ric Flair or a Dusty Rhodes, The King may beat them all out as far as program covers. It’s hard not to find a Memphis wrestling program that doesn’t feature The King (one was showcased on this blog just weeks ago!) and considering his multiple decades on top there it really isn’t a surprise. Copies of the Memphis promotion’s Action Ringside program featuring Lawler covers can regularly be found on eBay. Considering their age, most showcase great shots of The King in funky period fashions! Another popular appearance is on the cover of the AWA SuperClash III program where Lawler is facing off with Kerry Von Erich. This one unfortunately doesn’t show up all that often as I’ve found out with all of the offers that I receive any time that I feature it. It’s a treasure for sure. 

The crown (originally borrowed from Bobby Shane!). The goatee. The signature. The strap. The piledriver. All reasons to love The King. He’s entertained us for over half a century with no end in sight. AWA, WWF, USWA or Memphis, he was royalty in all. Teaming or feuding with the likes of Jackie Fargo, Bill Dundee, Randy Savage and even Bret Hart, he always brought his best to the table and drew money wherever he was working. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Most smart wrestlers would tell you that. Me? I think it’s more those records, figures, and programs…

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--Memphis Action Ringside Program 11/9/1977

Just like the existing promotions of today, each wrestling territory had its own flavor. I’ve always considered myself a lucky wrestling fan in that I can really find something to like in any style of the sport we love. Watching classic wrestling I can flip from show to show, promotion to promotion, style to style without a second thought. One area that has always stood out to me was Memphis. It was almost the perfect blend. You had great stars, a wild fanbase, hard-hitting wrestling and even a solid dose of what we would now call “sports entertainment.” Some of the content may not have held up as is the case in many other promotions, yet simultaneously a lot of the product was ahead of its time. I’ve also been very fortunate to have met many of the key players from the glory days of the promotion. Jerry Lawler, Jackie Fargo, Lance Russell, Jerry Jarrett. The list goes on and on. Now, if you want a true history lesson in Memphis wrestling you’ll take some advice that I’ve given before on this blog and head over to MarkJamesBooks.com. In addition to being a great guy (and Hall of Famer!), Mark is the absolute authority on Memphis and its many wrestling greats. In fact, he has co-authored many of their autobiographies!

Today we’re going more for some fun nostalgia than a history lesson. There were various types of programs published by the Memphis promotion over the years from the digest-sized “Slam-O-Gram” to the “Action Ringside” programs. It’s an example of the latter that we’re paging through here. On the Action Ringside covers you’ll often see one of the iconic names of the promotion in a black and white photo. On this example we have Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Valiant, Superstar Bill Dundee, Norvell Austin, Dennis Condrey and Phil Hickerson. The date? Nearly forty-five years ago on November 9, 1977. The location? Evansville, IN. Always the trooper, it appears that The King was doing double-duty in our huge Double Main Event. One match was slated to be Lawler and Dundee taking on Jimmy and Johnny Valiant while Lawler would also team with Norvell Austin to go against Phil Hickerson and Dennis Condrey. Midnight Express fans would take interest in the latter as the match features pioneering members of the team on opposing sides. The card was also set to feature The Great Mephisto against Scott Casey, Mr. Wrestling against Ken Dillenger and Terry Gordie against David Shultz. The spelling was a bit off but that last listed match obviously features Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy (at just sixteen years of age) against “Dr. D” David Schultz. If that was an opener you get the feeling that it did its job in getting the crowd going. 

This is one of the thinner Memphis programs that I’ve come across. Really it’s a total of six pages if you include the front and back cover. Still, the promotion smartly used every bit of space on each page. Interestingly, the program only advertises and promotes the wrestling stars, shows and other inter-promotional interests. There aren’t any ads for local sponsors such as restaurants, retail stores or insurance agencies as you’d often see in other territorial programs. The Jarrett-Welch promotion wanted to promote one thing: wrestling. It certainly shows here. I’d definitely be interested in locating some of the materials from the Dundee-Lawler Fan Club that is advertised. If the quality of the membership card was anything like that of Jimmy Valiant’s (which is almost vinyl and still shines), there very well could be some sitting around in a dusty Tennessee attic. The other Samoan tag team of the ‘70s, Tio and Tapu, are shown here as well. 

The next two pages are chalk full of photos and interesting bits. David “Shultz” is shown along with Mike Stark. The duo was said to be forming a team. Territorial wrestler Bill Howard is shown as “Ratamyas.” Most interesting is the half-page ad announcing that The Gentry’s would be “coming here soon” in concert with special guest Jerry Lawler. It isn’t truly clear if they’d be coming to Evansville or not, but we all know where this would end up. As prominently shown, Jimmy Hart was a member of the group best remembered for their hit “Keep On Dancin.” The rest is history. At nearly 80, Jimmy Hart is still one of the hardest working men in pro wrestling. He makes countless appearances and in addition to being one of the nicest people in the business always makes sure that fans walk away with a smile on their face. He’s gotten a huge kick out of the many Memphis items that I’ve brought to signings over the years. I could definitely do several entries just on “The Merchandise of The Mouth,” and in fact I already have. We finish off this section with the written word of “Kangaroo” Al Costello seemingly telling us that wrestlers are not bigoted. Costello managed the team of Condrey and Hickerson on this night. 

We close the book with a photographic look at four “Fan Favorites” as the page proudly proclaims. Fresh-faced youngsters are featured, to be sure. We’ve got Scott Casey, Bill Dundee, Robert Gibson and our teenaged sensation Terry Gordie. Dundee, likely the oldest of the bunch here in his 30s, definitely looks to be channeling Elvis here as he often did, just months after the passing of “The King of Rock n’ Roll.” Robert Gibson, mustache and all, is definitely doing his best to be the number one heartthrob in the territory here, years before The Rock N’ Roll Express would be born in this exact promotion. Casey is mainly remembered for his work in Texas and his WWF run (highlighted by his 1988 Survivor Series appearance) but he’s missing his familiar mustache here. Perhaps Gibson borrowed it? Last but not least we have the man who would become a Freebird in a few years. Honestly, he looks like a thicker Bryan Danielson here! Terry Gordy was a young prodigy of the mat game, for sure. 

It appears that Lawler and Dundee bested The Valiant Brothers that night while Lawler and Austin lost to Hickerson and Condrey. It also seems that Schultz did double duty just like Lawler and defeated both Scott Casey and Terry Gordy, individually. Finally, Mr. Wrestling beat Ken Dillenger. From anything that I could find it seems that this was indeed Tim Woods under the mask. You can never be too careful with identities in these “wild west” days of a notoriously carny industry. These results (and the substitution) are all what was noted by the original fan who owned this program, so it may not be spot on. Sounds like a fun show, though! Where do I buy my ticket?

Back To The '90s With The King

The new releases keep coming. I used to hate to do back-to-back entries of simply new figure reviews, but why not? Mattel has truly been pumping out the product and nothing going on in the world this year has seemingly caused much of an impact on it. I foresee the month of December being loaded with new product reviews, which as always will focus on the legends. Does it get more legendary than our star for this entry? The King is certainly near the top of the list, no matter what.

Jerry Lawler makes his fourth total appearance in the Mattel WWE line in the Elite 82 series. While there are other very worthy figures in the set, most notably the Elite debut of Keith Lee, for this series I decided just to review "The King." After all, no one wants a Rob Gronkowski review. Regardless, this is the second Elite series to bear the new packaging gimmick of the "Certified Authentic" seal. I'm still unsure as to what we're certifying, but I noticed this time around that the colors are a vast improvement over the packaging revisions of a year ago. The red is much more understated which is somewhat pleasing to my eye. I have nothing against the color red, I just have never gravitated toward it as far as wrestling figure packaging. 

Also pleasing is that for once a "legend" or "flashback" figure is actually part of the series rather than a "Collector's Edition" meant to spur a "fun" chase for the toy. Well, no five dollar profit for the Cheeto-fingered neckbeard scalper this time, The King is part of the regular lineup along with Alexa Bliss, John Morrison, Finn Balor, and the aforementioned Lee and Gronkowski. Maybe this could be a trend? Maybe we could get a 50/50 ratio of legends to current stars? We can bargain, Mattel. As if you care. Again, it's not that I don't like a lot of the current stars, but with lines like "Top Picks" around to re-release figures that no one wants like Seth Rollins, that should leave plenty of room for the all-time greats.

For a legend who's had as many assorted colorful looks as The King has, most of those styles have remained unrepresented in the figure world. This latest figure features a look that's absolutely never been done before. It's a design that easily takes you back to the days when Jerry Lawler showing up on WWF television was absolutely shocking. For years The King of Memphis denounced the company and all it stood for, yet here he was. It appeared that Hell had frozen over until around six months later when Jim Cornette appeared on Monday Night Raw and things really got crazy as far as what we thought we knew about pro wrestling, but we're getting off-topic. The matter at hand is that we finally have Jerry Lawler as he appeared when he was simultaneously a heel commentator nationwide and a local hero in Memphis. The magazines had a ball with that one.

While the body is the same as previous Elite Lawler figures, everything else is new. We've got a newly sculpted crown and a beautiful soft-goods cape. Honestly, this cape shows the fine effort that does go into the design and production of a lot of these figures. As much grief as myself and other collectors give Mattel for their often asinine practices, figures like this one, Superstar Billy Graham, WALTER, and other releases this year more than make up for it. A lot of companies would not have paid the elbow pad the attention that it deserved by including the regal detail on it, but there it is.

The facial likeness is new as well and is the first of Lawler to be done in the "True FX" style. While it does look good from multiple angles, there is something just a tad off when looking at the figure dead in the eyes. The look they were going for was Lawler's "unimpressed" expression that he shot so many times both in the ring and in promos, but it came off as looking somewhat tired. Still, it should be noted that all four Mattel Jerry Lawler figures have had different head sculpts. There's really something to be said about that and just as with the design on the costume it's much appreciated.

In another year this would be a top Figure of the Year candidate. With so many other options I'm not sure that it quite makes the cut, but it is still a great figure that any fan of Lawler or the classics absolutely needs. The King seems to pop up in the Mattel line every few years just like Dusty Rhodes. Both men also have a plethora of looks to choose from. But can you easily find any of their past figures now? Exactly. Grab it when you see it or order it when you have the chance, which is always a great rule of thumb when it comes to the Mattel WWE line. There isn't time to dawdle.

The next entry hits on Turkey Day! It's an American made topic for a real American holiday. Ironically, it's an item that I dawdled on for years but finally decided to go for. After you check in with us on your favorite gut-busting holiday, you may decide to take the plunge as well, brother.

10 Years...

I still remember typing up that first blog entry. Little did I know where it would all lead. Who would have thought that a weekly blog about wrestling memorabilia would take off? When no one else is tackling the same sort of thing, readership will grow. Even with interest in the wrestling business at a fairly low point at the time, people came to read. Maybe it was because a huge chunk of the content was nostalgia. Either way, if you've read this blog at any point in the last decade, thank you! And before I continue, I apologize for this anniversary entry being stream of consciousness to an extent, but it just feels right in this case.

I always tried to keep the same mission: to enlighten and entertain using wrestling memorabilia. Though I did occasionally stray discussing other topics within wrestling, I constantly attempted to tie it into at least some collectibles. I also did my best to keep the content positive. It's easy to write negatively and sadly there are a lot of negatives in the wrestling business to write about. Did I stray? Sure. But you all enjoyed my infamous New York City encounter with A.J. Lee. I'm told that even Jay Lethal mentioned it in a shoot interview. Even with a little bad came some good.

It was interesting to see the highs and lows of readership from week to week depending on the content. As a rule wrestling action figures always attracted more readers. Looks through musty old magazines did far less. But as far as feedback, the latter always seemed to attract more. How does that work? Even I don't know. The posts covering the excitement around Greg Price's Charlotte Fanfests were usually well-received also. While they weren't 100% memorabilia related, I always had demand for more meet-and-greet stories. While many of those tales are being preserved for different avenues in the future, I couldn't ever resist spilling a few of them.

Dusty, Bruno, The King, and Piper are just a few names who I feel were written about more than others around here. I never thought that I would be writing memorial entries for The Dream and Hot Rod back in 2009, but time marches on. Autographs have also always been a staple, considering I myself am a huge collector of them. I know that doesn't ring true for every collector, but I appreciate you staying on if it's not your thing. While I don't think that every single piece of memorabilia needs signed, more often than not I will purchase an item if I think that it has autographing potential.

In case you missed the last entry of 2018 and haven't been keeping up with this years offerings, the blog is no longer weekly. For one thing, so much of what I've wanted to cover initially has been done. Another reason is that my time doesn't allow me the pleasure of getting an entry in weekly. If a writer is truly enjoying the content, the output will be that much better. If I'm rushing through to get an entry done just for the sake of getting one done, it isn't going to be good. For another truth to be revealed, my personal interest in the current product is at an all-time low. I have not seen a weekly program in well over a year and no longer regularly watch the monthly pay-per-views. While I love so much of the current talent, the presentation is nearly the complete opposite of what I want to see. Therefore, my coverage of current memorabilia suffers.

With all of that being said, we're nowhere near being over. When I have a great topic it's still just as fun as it always was to maintain this blog and continue the journey. I have several ideas lined up for the near future and still maintain all of the branches of the blog on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While the tales of wrestling memorabilia are now told in various ways outside of the blog that you're reading, it's a sincere hope of mine that you all still have a big spot in your heart for the original. You may not have a Thursday evening destination any longer, but remember to visit now and then.

In another decade we'll be reflecting on twenty years right here. Mark my words.