My Favorite Events--WWF King of the Ring 1998

I've often professed my feelings on the "Attitude Era." It simply doesn't hold up for me. I lived it. Either live or on television, I took in every moment as it happened. At the time, it was exciting. While selfish me wasn't exactly thrilled that everybody was watching wrestling again, it was good for the business. It also enabled me to be present at one of the most replayed and iconic moments in WWF history. I witnessed the infamous Hell in a Cell match between Mankind and The Undertaker. That's why King of the Ring 1998 falls under the category of one of "My Favorite Events."

The story for me begins at the March 1998 WWF house show at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. At the time, tickets for the next show would either go on sale before the show that night even started or at intermission. On this occasion, it was the latter, and I think it surprised me that King of the Ring tickets would be sold this far in advance. My dad was always big into getting tickets in advance, so he had no problem going by himself during intermission. When he got back, he'd missed Bradshaw defeat Barry Windham. Always a fan of "BW," I'd have been upset had I missed one of my few chances to see him live. Nonetheless, my fantastic father secured us tickets.

I recall that the promotional ads touted seeing "Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie" at the event, which got my hopes up that I'd get to see Terry Funk live and in person for the first time. This was long before I actively started meeting wrestlers regularly, so I was very much disappointed when "Card Subject To Change" rang true. Needless to say, the history that ended up going down that night made up for it.

This event happened during a period where I wasn't taking pictures during events. They never came out how I wanted them to and this was just a bit before digital photography hit it big. That being said, I can still replay my unique view of the famous match in my head. Our sets were just about roof-level with the Cell. The brawl on top of the enormous structure was something, but surely no one was coming off of the top of it. It would be teased, but it wouldn't actually happen.

Then, it happened.

As soon as Mankind crashed through the table and hit the floor, I was sure that the event would be ended. There was no way that he was okay or that this was planned. There wasn't a chance in Hell that Mick Foley was getting up from this. This show had to be over. Even Vince McMahon, at the height of his heeldom as Mr. McMahon, had come to ringside. This was serious. But as we all know now, it didn't end there. In fact, the worst of the two big bumps for Foley was yet to come, though my attention at that point was focused elsewhere. Terry Funk had shown up after all and took an Undertaker chokeslam for good measure.

As we all know, the show went on and the "main event" even went on which saw Kane close the night as World Wrestling Federation Champion. Two decades later and he's running for mayor of Knoxville, TN. His opponent for the evening, Stone Cold Steve Austin, is long retired. The Undertaker is hanging on, although for all intents and purposes should be retired. And the man who they said wouldn't be able to walk in a few years, Mick Foley, is very much still walking. He's still involved with WWE and even has an engagement tour celebrating the anniversary of this match. At the time, he was one of my favorite wrestlers. While that changed long ago, his work in the ring made a unique impact on the business and he would go on to be an inductee at another of "My Favorite Events," the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony.

Even though Ken Shamrock was crowned "King of the Ring" that night, it's but a footnote. The Hell in the Cell antics stole the show. While it's not a technical classic, it is one of the best remembered matches in WWF history. It's a historic wrestling moment that I have my own unique memory of. While I'd much rather be able to say that I was at "The Ultimate Challenge" or among the tens of thousands at the Pontiac Silverdome when it was all "Bigger, Better, Badder," I'm still proud to say that "I was there." Attitude and all.

The 25th Anniversary of Hasbro WWF--Part 2

While I owned some LJN WWF figures as a child, I best remember collecting and playing with the Hasbro line.  It was always exciting to see new product in stores.  It got easier to spot those new goodies when, in late 1993, Hasbro adopted a system to differentiate between the various series of figures.  The borders of the cardbacks began to be released in varying colors.  Yellow, red, purple, solid blue (red, white, and blue had been the original color scheme dating back to 1990) and finally green all made it into the lineup.  What could have followed will be speculated and debated forever, but it's time again to celebrate five more great items that we did see.

*For some reason, when I began collecting the Hasbro line in 1991 the first tag team set that I wanted was The Bushwhackers.  Though they were a pure comedy act for the duration of their stay in the WWF, Luke and Butch obviously "whacked" their way into the hearts of many fans.  As far as their figures went, a nearly undecipherable appearance (as far as their verbalizing was concerned) in the first Hasbro "tag team" commercial probably went a long way as far as cementing them into the collections of kids all over.  The team from Down Under even saw a repainted re-release on single cards complete with switched heads and "chewed" cap accessories in 1994.

*Most of the Hasbro body styles were reused time and time again, but Yokozuna was one of the few that stood alone.  The Samoan star, billed as a sumo wrestler, was pushed to the moon as an unstoppable villain between late-1992 and mid-1994.  If you weren't around for the "Bodyslam Challenge" on July 4th, 1993, you really don't understand just how unstoppable Yokozuna seemed.  There didn't seem to be any credible threats to his championship reign.  Even after Lex Luger executed the hiptoss heard 'round the world, many of us remained convinced that Yoko would remain on top for a long time.  The result was a popular figure that, like Andre the Giant in the first series, stood out among the rest.  Banzai!

*Few superstars remain as beloved as Randy Savage, but when the Hasbro line was initially designed in 1989, the Macho Man was fast becoming a hated heel.  By the time that the second series was planned, Savage was being billed as the "Macho King," but the first series included a figure that appeared much as he had since his WWF arrival in 1985.  A headband, sunglasses, and stars on the tights.  This is how so many of us will always remember the Macho Man.  This first Hasbro figure of Savage provided that simple yet effective look and while he would make more appearances in the line, many collectors consider this the ultimate version.

*For a "common man," his action figure was apparently anything but.  Although I had no problems finding Dusty Rhodes on the pegs back in the Hasbro heyday, it's become quite evident that a lot of collectors did. His carded figure has long commanded high prices on the secondary market.  Even "The American Dream" himself has a love for the figure, recently using it as his main Twitter photo.  Rarity or not, it is the very first figure of a wrestler who has been capturing the emotions of wrestling fans for nearly fifty years.  Intentional or not, that "Bionic Elbow" left arm seems to be loose on every version, even mine that came directly off of the card. 

*There were a few items in the Hasbro line that if you blinked, you missed them.  If you were lucky enough to see it on the shelf once and wanted it, you hopefully added it to your collection.  The King of the Ring ring was definitely one of those items.  Released in 1994, the ring was a reissue of the original Hasbro ring molded in yellow and red and including King of the Ring stickers.  It will always be my own personal speculation that this item was designed intended as a Hulk Hogan-themed ring.  When his brief 1993 return ended (at the same time that this item would've been planned), the colors were retained but King of the Ring stickers were included instead.  There is no shred of evidence to indicate this, but it certainly seems plausible.

It couldn't have been so many years since my Hasbro Dusty was battling the Galoob WCW Arn Anderson or Yokozuna was being slammed in the King of the Ring ring, but it has.  Time flies when you're having fun, and Hasbro certainly provided that.  Next week, five more in store!

The Night The Championship Changed Hands

Is there any greater thrill for a wrestling fan than seeing a championship change hands live before their very eyes?  The pin.  The pop.  The emotion.  It's one of the great concepts that makes professional wrestling the amazing spectacle that it is.  The big win is often the culmination of a long and arduous struggle.  Other times the win is completely out of the blue and shocks the fans as much as it thrills them.

The title change has also had many uses on the business end of pro wrestling.  Does a certain town need a shot in the arm?  Switch a title to prove that "anything can happen" and that the fans cannot afford to miss a single show.  Maybe a certain star needs a special moment to prove that they have what it takes to make it on top.

Regardless of the reasons, title changes are one aspect of the business that always make the proverbial "record books."  Whereas "wins" and "losses" weren't tabulated until fans began to do so a few years ago, some record was kept of most title changes.  In modern times, the images of these wins are the stuff that classic magazine covers are made of.  But what about a record from the night of the win. A printed listing of the match that would go on to make history.  That would be, of course, the program.

Wrestling event programs have become somewhat of a lost art.  What once existed at nearly every wrestling show in some way, shape, or form became a relic somewhere along the line.  As far as WWE goes, the company selling shows on the brand name rather than its stars often leaves paying fans wondering right up until belltime just exactly who will be on the show.  To its credit, the company does still sell a large, elegantly designed book at each event that is labeled a program, but it is usually devoid of match info.

The company has continued to produce an event-specific program each year for WrestleMania and has done similar efforts for a few select SummerSlam and Survivor Series shows of the past five years.  Of course, most pay-per-view event programs will contain a match where a championship changed hands, but none in recent memory were more grand than WrestleMania XXX.  Daniel Bryan's show-ending championship celebration was unlike most title wins seen in the modern era.  The fans wanted it, had rabidly followed the progression, and were absolutely ready to explode into their favorite one-word chant.

A month shy of thirty years prior to Bryan's thrilling win, another title change occurred that had roots tied both into real life and into the hearts of thousands of Texans.  The place?  Texas Stadium.  The title?  The NWA World Heavyweight Championship.  The man?  Kerry Von Erich.  Just a few months prior, David Von Erich, considered by many WCCW fans to be the next world champion, passed away suddenly.  At the first of several Parade of Champions events to honor David, Kerry went on to capture the title from "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.  The celebration is a video that needs to be seen in order to comprehend the fan reaction.  There's no doubt that many fans had program in-hand while celebrating.  The publication is a fun mix of modern and traditional wrestlng programs.  Like with much of what WCCW did, the program is ahead of its time by being oversized and printed on much nicer stock paper than was the norm at the time.  The then-recently deceased David is the focus of the cover, but the championship match and its participants are not forgotten.

Occasionally, it's the lineup sheet itself where the actual match info is located.  For many years, the WWF produced a program magazine sold at events that had the lineup sheet either attached or on an included piece of paper.  By 1998, the company had ceased producing the program publication and instead would print copies of their monthly magazine with a $5.00 price tag to be sold at events.  That is the case with King of the Ring 1998.  The event may be most remembered for two mind-blowing falls, but there was also a shocking WWF Championship change.  No one in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena or around the world expected Stone Cold Steve Austin to lose to Kane in the First Blood Match, but that was indeed the end of a shocking night in the Attitude Era.

Of course, the big switch doesn't always have to involve the main championship prize.  Tag team championships can be just as prized, and when you're talking decorated tandems, you have to mention The Midnight Express.  On the July 10, 1988 Great American Bash stop, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane took the United States tag team championship from one of their best rival teams, The Fantastics.  In this instance, the manager of the Midnight Express, Jim Cornette himself, was suspended above the ring in a small steel cage and confined to a straight jacket.  It was a match-of-the-night candidate to be sure, as was usually the case when these two teams met.  Two different programs were sold along the 1988 Bash tour, but the one sold that particular night featured these two teams right on the back cover.

Programs are among my favorite wrestling items to collect.  Pinpointing them to a great match or moment sets them aside from the newsstand magazines.  If the particular show is on video as all of the ones mentioned here are, it's fun to peer into the audience and maybe catching a glimpse of what is now a collectible.  If we only knew then what we know now...

Hasbro Keeps On Keepin' On

In keeping up with the trends in wrestling memorabilia collecting, it seems as if I'm writing about the Hasbro WWF figure line at least once a year.  The line, celebrating it's 22nd anniversary this year, is riding a tidal wave of popularity with no end in sight.  From collectors re-amassing their long lost childhood collections to new collectors discovering the line for the first time, there certainly is a lot to be on the hunt for...and write about.

As I've previously discussed, Hasbro is experiencing the same rediscovery period that the LJN WWF line went through about a decade ago.  While the Remco AWA and Galoob WCW collections have their unabashed fans, I would argue that those lines have never reached quite the same heights in popularity due to a lack of scope.  While they are great figures with an impressive array of names, Remco and Galoob's total of around 20-30 different characters is doubled by the lineups of LJN and Hasbro.

The Hasbro WWF figures do pack a lot of charm into a small package.  The likenesses are close to the wrestlers and the colorful look of the figures place them right into the 1990-1994 WWF time frame in which they were produced.  The "Real Wrestling Action" included in each of the figures is as welcomed by collectors today as it was by kids of the era, making moves "come to life" even if they did not always match the moves done by the respective wrestlers.

What has been interesting to watch is how secondary market values on many of the figures have changed.  Figures like Andre the Giant and Dusty Rhodes were deemed "rare" even while the line was still in production.  Carded examples of those figures still see high prices and have been joined by the likes of Ax, Smash, the second Brutus Beefcake (black, white, and red tights), the third Ultimate Warrior (purple), and more that were much more frequently found at retail than Andre and Rhodes yet still have climbed in demand.

The infamous final series, aka the "green carded" series, remains highly valued as well.  Not only did the series feature members of the WWF's "New Generation" which had been long awaited such as The 1-2-3 Kid and The Smoking Gunns, the series had just made it to Hills Department Stores and a few other regional retailers before the entire line ended.  The initial shipments included Kid, The Gunns, Ludvig Borga, and Adam Bomb with repaints of Yokozuna and Crush added a few weeks later.

Like with any toy line, collectors will often wonder, discuss, and debate just what could have been had the line lasted longer.  I've previously visited the long-standing and controversial rumor of an "orange carded" series that would've followed the "green cards."  Existing evidence validating that these figures were indeed in Hasbro's plans is talked about to this day but has yet to surface.  Fans have also continually speculated about the "canal" under the ring ropes of the Hasbro WWF ring toy.  Could this have been a future spot for a steel cage accessory?

My personal speculation begins and ends with the Hasbro King of the Ring ring that saw limited release in 1994.  The ring base is molded in yellow plastic while the ring posts are red.  While the colors aren't totally out of the King of the Ring theme under which they were released, I still tend to think that the item may have started out as a Hulk Hogan-themed ring.  Considering that the Hulkster was in the midst of his brief WWF title-winning return when this item would've been planned in 1993, the time frame matches up.  Again, this theory is only fact-fueled speculation on my behalf and no evidence has ever been presented to back it up.

The King of the Ring ring seemed to mark the end of Hasbro truly caring about the line.  With a wealth of non-action figure toys such as Damien the snake, dress-up kits, and the legendary Royal Rumble mini-ring being produced in the early years, Hasbro almost seemed to know that they would not have the license beyond 1994.  With the wrestling industry suffering as a whole, ending their WWF association was a business move that Hasbro most likely did not regret at the time.

With the trend of Hasbro collecting in full force, Mattel hinted last year about a new WWE line that would bring fans back to the days of past figures.  This, of course, turned out to be Mattel's WWE Brawlin' Buddie line.  The line, though heavily promoted by WWE, has been a disappointment to collectors due to being quite smaller than the real Tonka WWF Wrestling Buddies and because of wishful thinking for a new Hasbro-style line.

Will we ever see Hasbro-style WWE figures again?  I'd wager against it, although most wrestling fans know to never say never.  Just like in the actual wrestling business, nostalgia is usually delivered in small doses.  After the success of Jakks Classic Superstars line, I have a feeling that we will frequently see the "Legends" in merchandising for years to come.  To me, that is as comforting as it will get.

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What's red, yellow, Hasbro, and rare? Not The Hulkster...

In the last entry you were treated to the 2010 King of the Ring. This time, we take you back to 1994...


Although all of the vintage wrestling figure lines are popular and highly collectible, Hasbro hysteria has reigned supreme in recent years. From 1990 through 1994, Hasbro produced their legendary WWF figure collection. Each figure had an action feature and although many different characters were produced over the years, the line clearly lacks managers and other non-wrestler figures.

A classic blue ring was released with the first series of figures and highly marketed in commercials starring Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Including an American flag and figure-sized replica of the WWF Championship, features on the ring itself have long made fans wonder if perhaps more was originally intended.

A deep groove around the ring apron of the toy has led fans to speculate that a steel cage attachment (similar to one released with the Galoob WCW ring of the same era) was planned at some point. Although the ring was released in the United Kingdom with a soundbox attachment, no evidence of a cage toy has ever been found.

With the line growing and the WWF always changing, 1993 must have seemed like a good time to Hasbro for them to update their ring.

1993, you ask? I thought we were going back to 1994? While it is true that the ring hit the shelves in 1994, nearly every toy in those days took about a year to make it from production to retail. This is perhaps why this ring is styled after 1993's new WWF pay-per-view event, King of the Ring.

While the original 1990-released blue ring could still occasionally be found on shelves, the box was greatly outdated with pictures of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and Rick Rude. All of the aforementioned stars were either no longer in the main WWF spotlight or out of the company altogether.

While the style of the ring itself changed, most everything else was the same. The same style box and molds for the ring, posts, flag, and belt all remained the same. A dynamic artists rendering of Bret Hart literally punching Yokozuna out of the ring was an instant attention grabber.

Adorned with three King of the Ring logos, it is somewhat curious that the base is yellow with red posts and turnbuckles. One could go as far as to speculate that this may have originally been intended as a "Hulkamania" ring planned during Hogan's brief WWF return in 1993.

Other sticker changes include a WWF logo replacing the stars and stripes on the flag, as well as a different WWF Championship logo. Also of note is the sticker which is to be placed on the tv monitor molded to the base. While the original ring featured a sticker of The Hulkster, this version featured a blank white sticker. A look at the rarely seen instruction sheet reveals that a sticker of none other than Vince McMahon was originally intended here.

The instruction sheet also includes a listing of nearly every WWF figure produced by Hasbro at that point. If you were not fortunate enough to have been following wrestling at the time, believe me when I say that ANY reference to past WWF superstars was a shock in and of itself.

When the ring was finally released in 1994, it coincided most closely with the "red carded" series of figures. Yokozuna, Lex Luger, and Bam Bam Bigelow all made their Hasbro debuts in this series and were accompanied by re-paints of Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect. A re-released Undertaker including his trench coat rounded out the series of six.

Even in 1994, the ring did not last on shelves for very long. Production on the item was no doubt short thus leading to high collectibility. The box, instructions, flag, and stickers are least often found. The belt and ropes are exactly the same as the blue ring release and thus are replaceable. The two King of the Ring logo stickers on the side apron are most often lost as they did not completely attach to the ring due to the grooves in the apron mold. The ring is dated 1989, as the original ring mold was undoubtedly one of the earliest items designed by Hasbro (the initial line did not hit stores until mid-1990).

Even a stripped-down version of this item will sell from $50-$100, while examples with more of the original stickers and accessories can go for quite a bit more. Boxed examples would be correctly priced at several hundred dollars. It is one of the highest valued pieces in the entire Hasbro collection.

While many collectors want the item today for display, it all boils down to the fun originally had with the toy. Many King of the Ring tournaments were held in the ring with the WWF Hasbro line, but the most savvy young collectors knew that crazy cross-promotional matches could be had using figures available from years past.

All Hail The King!