Wrestling MarketWatch: The Figures of the Divas

Divas often make very collectible action figures. Oh, wait. We're not allowed to say "Divas" anymore. But in this case, we are looking at the era in which females in WWE were referred to as Divas. It was a long period that produced many superstar names. Whether the wrestling was good, bad, or even ugly, these women proved to be as big as the men at the box office as well as on the merchandise shelves. It's the latter of which, as usual, that we'll be exploring here. Most notably action figures of the WWF/WWE Divas. As always in the MarketWatch feature, we will take a look at recent auction prices of several items. Despite what is shown, prices are for carded, non-autographed figures unless otherwise noted.

*Kelly Kelly certainly personified being a WWE Diva. She was hired by the company for all of the wrong reasons, but left the position years later as a beloved member of the roster. Her in-ring performances may never have been the greatest, but something about her was simply endearing. She continues to thrill fans in convention appearances around the world, as well as continuing her modeling career. Heck, she even made an appearance on "Days of our Lives" in recent years! Kelly had several action figures from Jakks and Mattel, but her Elite figure is her best representation. It recently sold for $53.

*Molly Holly took a different approach to being a Diva, a combination of girl-next-door looks and great wrestling skill. Molly is a favorite to many, and the wholesomeness of her character was said to be an extension of real life. Molly also proved that she could play a sweet innocent girlfriend character or a conniving heel with the greatest of ease. Is it any wonder that we all still miss Molly? The buxom blonde had but only one figure during her long stint with the company, that being from Jakks. The figure recently sold for $20.

*Yet another blonde bombshell comes in the form of Maryse. Still starring on Monday Night Raw alongside husband The Miz, Maryse has been stellar in her performance since returning the night after WrestleMania 32. Although there are no true qualifications, Maryse has become WWE Hall of Fame material in her sneaky valet role. Though the lovely Frenchwoman has a few figures from Mattel, her first release from Jakks is in demand. A loose example recently sold for $14. Pourquoi?

*She's the original Diva according to WWE and in many ways will never be topped. Say what you want about Sunny, she was the most downloaded woman on AOL years ago. Many of those images have never left our minds. "What Sunny wants, Sunny gets!" was her motto, and I truly hope that she finds peace and happiness one day. While I'm not sure that we'll ever see a new Sunny figure on the horizon, we have plenty of past releases to enjoy. Her first release in the Jakks WWE Classic Superstars line recently sold for $40.

*And if we're mentioning troubles, we have to bring up Paige. The young British star was one of the top prospects for WWE superstardom just a few years ago. In 2017, her career and life seem to be in absolute limbo. Too much too soon can do that, as well as many other factors. The former Total Divas star saw her first figure released with both the NXT and Divas championship belts and looks great holding both. The figure recently commanded $25 at auction.

No matter what the overly-PC world wants, even in wrestling, the term Divas will always be out there. That word takes nothing away from the women who were labeled as such. Memorabilia like what we've just seen does not detract, either. Stars are stars and many shown here will continue to shine for years to come.

Topps Enters The Divas Revolution

Is it the "Divas Revolution" or "Women's Revolution?" Either way, the ladies are back with their own trading card collection thanks to Topps. Though I'd definitely consider this a new line for a new year, these cards actually started hitting shelves late last year. The set was initially thought to be a Wal Mart exclusive, but the blaster boxes have also been spotted at Toys "R" Us. Speaking of which, if you aren't a fan of blaster boxes you're out of luck. Thus far the 51-card boxes are the only way to get these cards at retail and it seems as if it will remain that way.

Opening a box will yield you a mix of fifty cards from the base and subsets as well as one relic or autograph. The cards are wrapped all together in one foil wrapper and, to be honest, look like a Chunky bar. You know..."what a chunk of chocolate!" But inside isn't candy of that sort. Instead it's Topps first set solely devoted to the female WWE superstars. Fleer did several "Divas" sets over a decade ago, but those focused only on the then-current females. Although there were some diamonds in the rough then, the stars were more for show than athleticism back then.

The base set contains the odd number of 43 cards. Perhaps Topps was looking to secure more names from the past? We see new WWE cards for Wendi Richter, Torrie Wilson, Ivory, and Kelly Kelly among others, but I must admit that I'm biased as far as my favorite. For the first time since 1986 there is a new WWE-licensed product of my friend Leilani Kai. The picture used is exactly the same as one of her cards from thirty years ago in the WWF O-Pee-Chee set, but it's still a cool thing to see.

There are also numerous subsets that largely mirror those in the regular Topps WWE subsets. Power Couples, Rivalries, and Champions are just several featured. It's never a bad thing when Miss Elizabeth and Sensational Sherri show up. I particularly like the Champions cards, showing the stars with the various incarnations of the title. Charlotte receives two cards in this subset, one featuring the Divas Championship and the other showing the current WWE Women's Championship. It's interesting that this set was still in development when the "Divas" tag was dropped, yet the term is still used as the title.

My pull? As usual, Alicia Fox. I love "Foxy" and feel that she's one of the more underutilized female stars. Still, I wish it had been an autograph rather than a boring relic. Interestingly, the mat relic is said to be from WrestleMania XXX back in 2014. I guess they have more pieces of mat lying around than they know what to do with. It's really time to update the most humdrum of relics, mat pieces. How about some ring rope tape? Locks of hair? Sweat on a paper towel? Anything!

What we have in Divas Revolution is a unique set that almost feels like a test. If the blaster boxes sell well this time around, will we see a wide-release sequel with packs and hobby boxes? There are enough female stars of the past and present to warrant it. Is the demand there? I would think so. No WWE trading card product, no matter how repetitive, ever seems to hang around long. If you see a blaster of Divas, pick it up and show your support! Even if you suffer, I mean, "luck out" and pull a mat relic, you'll get fifty other cards from a unique set filled with some great talent.

Wrestling Gifts Aplenty For Christmas 2012

The holidays seem to creep up faster each and every year.  I'm not complaining a bit.  The thirty or so days when people tend to act a bit more like they should.  Christmas music.  The hustle and bustle.  I love it all.  But what do you get for the wrestling fan on your list that has it all?  Maybe there's even a young "WWE Universe" member that's looking for a present from under your tree.  As seems to be the case every year, there's no shortage of gift ideas.

From watches to bedsheets to countless pieces of apparel, the WWE logo and its respective characters are plastered everywhere once again.  One licensee that seems to be going above and beyond is Mattel.  My continuing gripes regarding short packs of Divas and other special figures notwithstanding, Mattel seems to be getting their WWE line into any store that you can possibly think of.  From department stores like Kohl's and Sears to drug stores like Walgreens and Rite Aid and even at grocery store chain Aldi, it's hard not to run into the Mattel WWE product.

As is usually the case, Toys "R" Us was given some exclusive figures and series to spice up their holiday sales.  Coming off of the heels of the Michael Cole "Build-A-Figure" released through the chain this past Spring, Toys "R" Us now has a series of four WrestleMania XXVIII Elite figures that include the components to build none other than Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez.  CM Punk, The Big Show, The Miz, and Shawn Michaels (in referee attire) are the four figures which each contain pieces of Rodriguez along with his WWE microphone.  The likeness of Rodriguez is fantastic and as long as the "Build-A-Figure" entries are kept interesting and the figures required to complete it are nicely done, I'm all for this approach.

Toys "R" Us also has an exclusive series of four WrestleMania XXVIII Basic figures that each contain pieces of the WrestleMania announcers booth.  John Cena, Triple H, Sheamus, and The Rock (in a figure that, to me, looks more like a South Park version of Dwayne Johnson) are in the series that comes at a lower price point than the "Build-A-Figure" series.

Shoppers who found the figures early enough were treated to yet another exclusive from the store.  A special Elite "20-0" figure of The Undertaker was given to shoppers who purchased $30 or more worth of Mattel WWE items.  Although the promotion seems to be over, locations that have leftover figures have been selling them for $19.99.  This is the first figure of The Undertaker to feature his shaved head look which debuted at WrestleMania XXVIII.  The figure comes in special Elite packaging featuring a dramatic purple background.

As I mentioned earlier, Toys "R" Us is far from the only retailer carrying the line, and many figures of various styles and price points are popping up.  Mattel's Elite 18 series is beginning to show up in time for the holidays and includes a character never before released in the Mattel line: Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Much to the chagrin of many collectors, Mattel's WWE Legends line is now mostly confined to "Flashback" entries in their Elite collection.  The Elite 18 series contains two such "Flashback" figures, Lawler and The Undertaker from his biker era.  While the latter was a visually unimpressive figure to me (Jakks made several very nice "Biker 'Taker" figures that I feel can't be beat), figures of Lawler will always intrigue me.

When prototype photos of this figure of The King first surfaced, I didn't care for the facial likeness.  Upon seeing the figure in person at Ringside Fest, the figure looked more like Lawler to me.  Although this figure is labeled "Flashback," it's actually based on his appearance at WrestleMania XXVII.  The artists rendering on the front of the package would be based on photos of this appearance, as well.

Speaking of packaging, Mattel has begun a slight tweaking of the boxes and design for their entire WWE line.  A bit more red is going into the design and the "window" on the top of the Elite packaging has been eliminated.  The Elite packaging has grown on me as a whole and presents the figures with great visibility while not dwarfing them in the process.

This is first figure of The King to be released in about five years.  Since Lawler wore entrance attire based upon his Memphis days in the WrestleMania appearance on which this figure is based, you could argue that the attire doubles for "classic" Lawler as well.  The attire is all in one piece and is removable via a peg in the back of the belt.  Slide the piece off over the head and the figure is in the classic Lawler one-strap singlet.  His wrist bands with crown logo are a nice touch.  Lawler wore an elbow pad in the actual match, but the omission of it here is nothing to complain about.

The crown is well-made and resembles the one included with Jakks figures.  The headpiece fits perfectly on the head and does not look over-sized.  I prefer the figure holding it in the left hand, as Lawler frequently does.  The right hand is clenched and perfect for Lawler's signature fist drop.  For those wondering, articulation in the hips and legs makes the figure perfectly capable of performing Jerry's other signature maneuver, the piledriver, even if it is "banned" from WWE.

My main gripe with the prototype was the face.  I wasn't feeling "The King" when I looked at it.  In person, it definitely resembles the Jerry Lawler of today.  I'm not going to call it perfect, but it is very good and does nothing to detract from such a great figure.

For a bevy of reasons, I don't think that you'll be seeing this one warm the pegs.  It's a first time Mattel figure of an all-time great who still has a weekly television presence.  The recent attention stemming from his heart attack and subsequent recovery will only add to that.  And as if my reviews had any say, the fact that I would deem this a candidate for "Figure of the Year" only makes it a better bet that The King is one to grab.  Mattel has stated in the past that we could see future Lawler releases based on sales of this figure.  Long Live The King!

Figures aren't the only great item for the wrestling fan on your list, and are probably not even my favorite this year.  To say that I was excited when Topps announced a new 2012 WWE Heritage trading card set would be an understatement.  Considering that I've been publicly asking for one for years, the news elated me.  The product has hit, the legendary stars and designs are here, and coming soon on this blog, we'll be exploring the Heritage!