The American Dream 2025

I’m admittedly biased, but I still feel that Dusty Rhodes is underrepresented in the figure world. It’s certainly a lot better than it was when all we had was the infamous polka dot Hasbro, but for a man as big as he was to the wrestling business I still feel we should be seeing him more often. I’ve always felt that he missed what should have been his figure debut, alongside Ric Flair, in the Remco AWA line. Remember that some stars such as Flair, who weren’t necessarily AWA regulars, did in fact make the line.

The increasingly laughable brain trust at Mattel have done something to remedy that and made an unusual set of wise moves in doing so. In their WWE Superstars line, a homage to that forty-year-old Remco collection, The American Dream has finally made his debut. Packed alongside his son Cody, The Dream debuts in the first two-pack for this particular line. Mattel, in a nearly unheard of move, also made it painless to get these figures. While the normal WWE Superstars line is a complete nightmare to locate due to being exclusive to Walmart, Mattel released this two-pack on their Mattel Creations website. A few button clicks and no anger or worries. It’s a great thing and Mattel would be wise to just throw every exclusive onto the site. I’m sure that they’ve lost many collector dollars with their constant need to frustrate loyal customers.

It should be noted that the biggest difference between this set and the regular WWE Superstars line is the packaging. This two-pack is done in the slide-out clamshell packaging. While there is tape, baggies and other materials that end up in the garbage involved, you can return the figures themselves to the bubble without much being noticed. Still, it won’t be “mint on card” so if you insist on having it both ways you do have to purchase two sets. I’ll also take this time to make a prediction. I think that we will see a single carded Dusty, most likely in polka dots, in the WWE Superstars line. I have zero inside info. I’m not a bootlicking influencer so why would I? Simply an educated guess.

But how does Dusty match up? Is it the Remco figure we’ve yearned four decades for? I can’t recall if I’ve ever reviewed any of the previous WWE Superstars figures here on the blog before. In the event that you’re unfamiliar, the body types are sort of a modern upgrade to the original Remco AWA figures. If you’re familiar with the Masters of the Universe retro figures you’ll have an inkling. They fit in with the originals but possess more articulation, swappable hands and other modern “amenities.” True to the original Remco offerings the WWE Superstars are big on removable soft goods outfits and some accessories. When you can find the line at retail you certainly don’t feel ripped off. Many of the figures such as Andre the Giant, Earthquake and Brutus Beefcake are even “two-figures-in-one” with a few accessory changes. 

Dusty includes a smattering of different hands, a removable soft goods shirt and the classic NWA Championship belt. I saw some complaints on how “basic” the belt was when the figure was revealed. That showed me that those commenters had no business even collecting the line. The belt is a homage to the belts included with the Remco line. The plates are printed onto a rubber strap. While the Remco belt was a sticker on plastic it’s the same concept. It works perfectly and I wish that Mattel had done this with previous belts in the WWE Superstars line. The shirt is the same design that was released with an Elite figure several years ago. Cody also has some additional hands, a soft goods shirt and his trademark weight belt.

Traditionally the Remco AWA figures were either “ripped” or “fat” bodied. We have one of each here. Dusty has his splotch which, though I’m not sure the Remco would’ve had it, is subtler than on the modern figures of The Dream and fits the bill. The faces on both are very good and better than Remco would’ve done however that’s been the case with all of the WWE Superstars figures. The upcoming Remco/PowerTown line is going for the same look. I will best describe it as being a “modern homage.” I guess the basic head look from 1985 just wouldn’t sell today…except to me.

There aren’t any action features or high-level detailing here and those aren’t what this line is about. They aren’t for everyone but they certainly have proven to be popular. I again applaud Mattel for making Dusty accessible to everyone as all of the figures should be. The price is a tad higher than I think most would line but, again, I’m going to throw ease and convenience into the cost. I will always pay a bit more (on a retail level, not to jobless Cheeto fingers hunting at stores instead of working a real job) to save time and frustration. Not enough people understand that time is so much more important than money. You can always make more money. There are endless opportunities. When you’re out of time there’s nothing else. Think about that.

I truly thought that the aforementioned Remco PowerTown line would be among the first reviews here on the blog in 2025, but perhaps that was some very wishful thinking. I’m still hoping to do an entry on those, too, but as you can see with this type of figure there isn’t all that much to review. While I’m personally all but done with giving Mattel and most of these other manufacturers my frustration, this time they did a good thing. It’s a set that I recommend for most any collection and, once again, one that’s easily accessible. 

The definition of “The American Dream” has meant a lot of things to a lot of people. In the sense of the American people, in 2025 “The American Dream” is being sick of rich people, sick of money-grubbing companies and (most importantly?) sick of wrestling toy manufacturers, wannabe manufacturers and their absolutely piss poor treatment of the hard-working consumer. At least this set, in some small way, helped ease up that last one a bit.

Until my next pre-order gets cancelled, that is.

Some Legendary Returns…

What could possibly drag me out of the “indefinite hiatus” that the blog has been on? Maybe The Greatest Wrestler on God’s Green Earth? Ok, no maybe. Definitely. In the nearly six blogless months of 2024 we’ve seen a lot of great figures but something about a proper NWA Harley Race figure gave me a feeling that I haven’t felt since I was a kid. When the figure was announced I felt as I did when I’d walk into a store and see brand new Hasbros or, in an instance that we all can remember, when the “Undertake ‘Em All” figure ad hit WWF Magazine. It’s a figure that many of us have been waiting decades for and here it is along with three similarly themed friends.

In case you’ve been under a rock (and who could blame you in this world?), the new Harley Race is part of a Mattel Creations four pack called “Legends of the Territory Era.” The set also includes Superstar Billy Graham, Gorilla Monsoon and, once again, Muhammad Ali. The set shipped almost as soon as it went on sale and is still available as of press time. Kudos must be given whenever an exclusive figure (or any figure for that matter) is easily accessible to collectors. There’s no need for manufactured collectibles with a limited availability. None at all.

As most Mattel Creations WWE releases have been, the packaging is impressive. The figures reside in a double sided display inside two boxes with impressive artwork. I really appreciate the faux vintage posters used for the design on the inner box. They show that care was instilled during the creation of this. That being said, some of the verbiage used by the company later nearly nullified all of that, but we’ll discuss that in a bit. Although I’m sure you could somehow store the figures back in the trays, it’s the plastic ties that keep them standing so they may move around a bit while stored. If you’re tossing the plastic trays be sure to remove Graham’s sunglasses first. They tend to blend in to the background.

The Ali – Monsoon side is a tribute to their often-replayed confrontation that was part of the build to Ali’s Boxer vs Wrestler match against Antonio Inoki. Monsoon’s airplane spin on Ali has been replayed ad nauseum over the years so you’ve no doubt seen it. We’ve only ever had one wrestling gear version of Monsoon before and this one greatly improves on it. While it’s obvious whose parts are being recycled here, it really works. It truly looks like Monsoon standing there. It’s absolutely his shape, size and stature. No one asked for another Ali but here we are anyway. It does compliment the Monsoon well. The soft goods upper body clothes look a tad off at times but it was crucial that they were made this way for the recreation of the scene. Apparently we should be grateful for this figure. Again, we’ll discuss that in a bit. I absolutely love the watch accessory which I had overlooked in the preview pics. It fits on like the recent removable wrist bands do so you have to remove the hand for the watch to come off.

The Race – Graham duo is a tribute to the never-ending ‘70s struggle of the NWA versus the WWWF. It’s cool to think of how that was possible back then, even if the business-minded promoters could never agree to give us a definitive winner. Not even for a short while. No one could look better than the other. That being said, both sides look great here. While I already gushed over Harley, a lot of the talk has been the belts and rightfully so. This is the first time that the “domed globe” NWA Championship has been in the Mattel line (and one of few figure-sized versions anywhere) and we’ve never seen the ‘70s WWWF Championship released at all. As much as I love the former, it’s the latter that really sticks out to me here. It’s scary close to the real deal and, yes, it does have the WWWF lettering. To think that we have both of these titles in the line in 2024 is mind blowing. Coupled with the fact that we’re getting the UWF Championship later this summer makes you want to ask, “what’s going on here?” Remember when “rights” absolutely could not be worked out for these belts? I can’t speak for them all, but I highly suspect that it was finally realized that no one really WOULD hold the rights to this WWWF title. These were “trophy belts.” Some trophy maker, probably in a back alley shop in Brooklyn, cobbled this belt together with spare parts. It would be a long shot if anyone tried to sue over that “design.” I could be entirely wrong regarding rights and I’m sure that someone “official” will tell me that I am, but I’m going by the facts of how these original belts were produced.

The original Mattel Billy Graham release was perfect and this one only improves on that perfection. The new “Scott Steiner” biceps are used further hitting home Graham’s impressive physique. The shirt is the new style without the velcro so you simply remove the head and hands to slide it on and off. It fits like a glove just as it would in real life. The extra elbow articulation really helps with his poses. While you don’t get the ‘80s Billy Graham head as you did in the first release, you could pop it on here if you really wanted to. This version is to celebrate the ‘70s and its flamboyant champion who paved the way for Hogan, Ventura and even Steiner among many others.

Finally, we have Harley Race. Remember that while the Jakks Classic Superstars release was nice, he had no facial hair. The head was a simple repaint of their King Harley Race head. Facial hair could’ve easily been painted on but inexplicitly wasn’t. Here we’ve got completely molded mutton chops and an amazing head of curly hair. The figure is relatively similar to the Mattel King Harley but that works. With the wonders of modern figures you can even pop the Greatest Hits blonde Harley head onto this body for a really early version of Race, as he did have blonde hair early on. The color here is royal blue and it’s topped off with his robe that Jakks had also included. This time we get “Race” on the back which is a great detail. The belt fits nicely. I might say that the main plate is just a tad too big, but I’m not complaining. Belts are hard to get both looking great in appearance and looking appropriate when on the figure.

A lot of the “official word” on this set rubbed me the wrong way. When first announced this was said to be first in a “line,” as in we’d receive different sets down the pike. This was corrected to be a “one off.” I don’t know who to blame here. Did someone at Mattel claim this to be a line? It was the worthless goons, I mean, “influencers” who seemingly first used the word. Could they ALL have gotten it wrong? In the grand scheme of things it means nothing, but perhaps we’re kowtowing a bit too much to these folks, eh, Mattel? I know they’ve certainly never influenced me on anything. I don’t watch their videos or even follow them, I’m alerted by others when they have some interesting news since, again, that’s how Mattel and most of these toy companies feel the need to release “scoops,” as it were.

In addition to it not being a line, I was directed to where the voice of Mattel stated that it was a one off because there weren’t enough characters nor enough interest to support more. Wrong and wrong again. Off the top of my head I compiled a list of at least twenty names currently known to be “available” to Mattel who could fit into this line. What better does Mattel like than using what they already have? Especially since I’ve been told that the statement of “This set would not have seen the light of day without Ali” was made by the same official voice. That’s funny considering that this is the figure that most DIDN’T want and also the one that a lot collectors stated would be up for sale. I understand getting the most of a license but it’s already been proven that the crossover for Ali just didn’t translate with the Mattel releases. Am I happy to have him? Absolutely. Am I glad that he’s the reason, in Mattel’s mind, that we got these amazing Race, Graham and Monsoon figures? Most assuredly. But that shouldn’t have BEEN the reason. If PowerTown can give us names with much less marquee value in 2024 than these three then so can Mattel. Why would they not want to produce more versions of Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Bruno Sammartino and Terry Funk? Why do “The Legends of the Territory Era” have to be limited to the ‘70s? The time period lasted well into the ‘80s. Sounds like a team with limited knowledge of history to me and shortsightedness as far as consumer demand. Really, though, we have to keep in mind that toy companies aren’t in it for our collections nor our wants. They are in it to make money and, remember, it’s their job. They want to slap something together, present it to the bean counters and go home. For every loving detail like the ‘70s poster packaging we also get told that what we want doesn’t matter nor does the era that we know better than they do. Just remember that.

On the bright side, the Harley figure did make me remember something very positive. Twenty years ago this November I’d met Race for the very first time. With the help of this new figure I was able to recreate the first 8x10 that I’d ever had signed by him. It was a positive as this set, overall, is. When it was first announced I pretty much decided that I would do a one-off review for it, but then all of the issues in the last paragraph made me reconsider. After receiving the figures in-hand I knew that they had to be featured. If I may be your “influencer” for a second, go get yourself a set. Prove Mattel wrong and show that legends of all eras are what many of us want. If you’re reading this you probably feel the same. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I do have some ideas flowing. One may elaborate on a memory you just read about. I don’t want to limit my returns to amazing figure reviews, but if you want them I’ll try to oblige.

As always in the past fifteen years, thanks for reading and I’m sure that the best is yet to come…

 

Figure Of The Year 2023

It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time once again. What was the single best figure of 2023? Maybe I shouldn’t say single since, as far as this blog is concerned, there were two winners in 2022. There’s no denying that there are now more figures than ever to choose from since, for better or worse, there are now a multitude of manufacturers. Well, at least there are a handful of manufacturers and some kids playing dress up and trying to be manufacturers. Thinly veiled shade aside, more names than ever are immortalized in plastic and as long as they’re available to all it’s ultimately a better market. Let’s take a look at a few of the choices this year, some which were reviewed on this blog and some that weren’t.

You know him and you love him. Virgil was back in 2023 with a new figure from Mattel. This is only the second action figure of Virgil in his wrestling gear to be produced and just the fourth overall. For such a ubiquitous character in the glory days of the WWF it’s hard to believe, but at least he’s finally getting his due. I’m not sure why the choice was made to do this one as a Build-A-Figure as he would’ve been a hugely popular character in the Legends series, but there’s always room for that, too, just change it up to the look he had in the Hasbro figure. (George Foreman on Nutrisystem?) While we’re at it, why not a “Bodyguard Virgil” Retro figure?

Andre the Giant, as usual, saw a multitude of new releases but none stood out to me more than the suited version finally released in Mattel Elite Series 100. It’s a look that’s been ignored for decades and was finally done, complete with a variant. The big man was perfect for all of the “35^th Anniversary of WrestleMania IV” celebrations that were held worldwide (you weren’t invited to one? Where were you?) and filled a gap in collections everywhere. My one gripe with the figure was that the huge “paw” hands that were used on about two Andre figures and a Big Show release several years ago were not included and seem to be forgotten by Mattel altogether.

Figures Toy Company added some absolutely great names to their Legends line with the first ever figures of Dr. Tom Prichard, Brad Armstrong and Mr. Hughes among others. Many collectors sleep on these offerings and will be sorry when they’re no longer available. It’s the one line that I would absolutely guarantee a monetary value raise for once they’re no longer in production. The company has also recently announced that going forward there will be a brand new body type for all future released figures. This could be a game changer with some of the unique names that only FTC is seemingly willing to make. As the kids say, “I’m here for it.”

The Coliseum Collection gave us some nice possibilities with Ravishing Rick Rude and Jake “The Snake” Roberts as well as the Rowdy Roddy Piper and George “The Animal” Steele releases that you saw featured here last week. I honestly think that Steele could be my “First Runner-up” this year, if I had one, and I’ll reiterate a point that I made last week: availability is key. All of The Coliseum Collection releases are still available to order at press time. Remember, one of the factors in my choice of “Figure Of The Year” is availability. No one should be left in the cold buying what is nothing more than a children’s toy. Speaking of toys, George came with plenty including a turnbuckle and Mine!

No one could talk “Figure Of The Year” without mentioning the first six PowerTown Wrestling releases. Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, Verne Gagne, Kerry Von Erich, Lou Thesz and Magnum T.A. will forever be immortalized as the first figures in what will hopefully become one of the greatest lines of all-time. There were some hick-ups along the way and maybe a questionable marketing choice and tactic or two, but with the upcoming lineup announced I think we’re in for more FOTY possibilities in 2024. Let’s not forget their new “Remco” line, either! Dory Funk Jr, Wahoo McDaniel, Madusa, Junkyard Dog, Kamala and Jack Brisco will make up Ultras Series 2.

We can’t forget Mattel’s Mr. America, Gobbledy Gooker, Rhythm and Blues Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in both Elite and Retro formats as well as various entries from the Remco-styled WWE Superstars line. Perhaps the figures that could’ve caused another tie would have been Samu and Fatu. The Headshinkers were long overdo for a return to the action figure world. Nearly three decades, to be exact. While I got everything I needed from the releases I have to believe that some collectors didn’t end up with what I feel were the more desirable variants, The Samoan Swat Team versions. The boys had never before been done in this style as figures and it’s a shame to think that someone may not have been able to grab them. An honorable mention goes out to their manager, Paul E. Dangerously, who was released in the same series. It was “the mad scientist of wrestling’s” first figure in that look and name.

The winner? The 2023 Figure of The Year? From Junkshopdog it’s none other than Aja Kong. The Junkshopdog line should be familiar to anyone reading this. It’s a line based on the Japanese Popy wrestling figures of the early ‘80s. The fully licensed line has taken on names not only from the original era in which it replicates but also newer stars from around the world. You may recall their Bruiser Brody release reviewed right here on the blog several years ago. Recently the company was proud to announce that through a licensing deal with WWE they’re able to add Hulk Hogan to their lineup. This is especially fun since The Hulkster was indeed part of that original ine by Popy.

Aja Kong has long been one of my favorites. Her appearance in the line follows the release of fellow women’s wrestling star Bull Nakano who is equally amazingly captured. While I’d still like modern articulated releases of both of these ladies, the ability that the company had to take their unique likenesses and translate them perfectly to the Sofubi figure style is amazing. Another huge plus is that these figures come to you in one-hundred percent “collector friendly packaging.” This is a term used for decades which means that you can remove the figure from the packaging without damaging a single thing. Mattel has adopted this with their Retro line, but I’m not as fond of it there. In that line it’s a poor late-in-the-game change that disrupts the flow of the collection itself. Junkshopdog has been doing it since their first release. Best of all, while the company has had some sellouts on limited editions, most of their figures are available to purchase directly from them. No need to play the scalper game here. No “Biggin’” is buying his next bag of Cheetos off of the hard work of these guys, that’s for sure.

I’m looking forward to what 2024 brings us as far as wrestling figures. In my opinion Mattel has had disappointing “preview” showings and, aside from Virgil, the often bright lights of the Build-A-Figure sets have been huge letdowns. They’re also completely becoming slaves to retailer exclusives. Jazwares has seemingly lost as much steam with their AEW line as the wrestling company itself has. Why pre-order any of the figures when most characters are going to be clearance out at $4.99 by the end of year? Maybe it’s the smaller companies such as Junkshopdog that we should be looking to. The issue there is that for every Junkshopdog, which has proven itself to be a legitimate contender for your money, there are five or ten other little boys pretending to be toymakers with varying results. Caveat emptor.

We’ll be back next week to “wrap it up…”

The Mouths That Roared…And Chewed Turnbuckles

I may complain a lot, but I do try to be fair about it and admit when that complaining is unfounded. Initially, I complained about The Coliseum Collection. I don’t recall how public my complaining was, but I definitely groused a bit. “Here we go again.” “More expensive remakes of figures that we already have.” “The SAME Jake The Snake that we just got in the Legends line?” Well, I was wrong. Between the figures themselves, the packaging and the overall presentation I’ve really taken to the line. That’s why I was actually sad that the latest entry, Rowdy Roddy Piper vs George “The Animal” Steele, was met with a delay. In a few ways, which we’ll get to, these were actually the most anticipated Coliseum Collection entries to date for me, personally. No, we’re not seeing never before made names here. That’s not what The Coliseum Collection is about. We’re seeing top quality modern representations of the characters that made up the beloved LJN Wrestling Superstars line. It’s a true testament to that line that both of “the biggies” (Mattel WWE and Jazwares AEW) are paying homage in their own way at the same time. Let’s see the latest that Mattel brings to the table…and to the turnbuckle!

For as many Piper figures as have been produced I still feel that the longer haired look has been better represented than the short hair style. As far as Mattel goes, the short haired look was long due an upgrade. We were given a taste several years ago with the absolutely great “boxing” Piper figure and, thankfully, the head sculpt from that set is included here, as well. Steele is returning to the Mattel lineup for the first time in years altogether. Both of his previous releases were the same base figure. It was a nice figure but the torso was just a tad too thin for the bulky brawler. I always said that for your shirtless George Steele needs you’d go with the Jakks Classic Superstars version. Since the first Mattel release had a shirt, he was your “go to” for pre-match Animal. Now we’re hopefully getting definitive versions of both.

The packaging on these is grand. There’s no other way to put it. The sturdy and immense outer box featuring spectacular art of these legends opens up to house individual carded versions of the figures in packaging directly paying homage to LJN Wrestling Superstars. It’s a fun touch that the figures are even posed inside of the boxes the way that the old LJN figures were sculpted. The accessories are housed in the boxes below each figure which is were the old LJN posters would’ve been packaged. The Coliseum Collection is certainly growing, as evidenced by the back of the cards! Though he was shown on the back of the debut Coliseum Collection set, the SDCC exclusive Ultimate Edition Sgt. Slaughter is no longer shown on the back. It’s up to you to decide if he’s part of The Coliseum Collection or not, just as it is with the Hasbro LJN-styled figure on which this Slaughter is based. We know that The Hitman and The Anvil will be joining this card back next year. It should be noted that, unlike that SDCC Slaughter, the packaging since has not been 100% “collector friendly.” While you can certainly return these figures to look exactly the way that they came, several of those useless plastic restraints hold them into their individual bubbles.

You get plenty of accessories with these figures including a total of three heads for each and multiple hands. Piper has his shirt, microphone, belt and kilt while Steele includes his own shirt, turnbuckle and Mine. You don’t have to ask who Mine is, do you? Mine has long been a beloved (and pretty) face here on this blog and if you follow the blog on social media you just saw the real deal in an “ad” for this entry. Mattel was the first to bring Mine to the figure world (Jakks showed a bendy-styled prototype at a preview event, does ANYONE have that picture saved???) and it’s good to see him making his return here. The turnbuckle is from the Mattel New Generation Arena set but this one is cut at the top and includes removable “stuffing” for George to gnaw on. You’ll note the lack of red trim on Piper’s shirt and that is due to it being missing in the Piper LJN release. Prototypes of that figure showed the infamous Piper “panther face” shirt which will ultimately never be released. That shirt was white with no trim and LJN likely just replaced the panther with the “Hot Rod” logo thus bringing us what we got in the ‘80s and now on this tribute figure. Other figures in the Mattel line have had the on-screen Hot Rod shirt with trim included if you don’t already have it.

I like the array of heads and hands included. Since the two really aren’t far off in skin tone ultimately any hand here can be used on either figure. The hands that come attached to Steele in the package have only been released once before to my knowledge, with the NXT Cameron Grimes figure. For him they were used to grasp money. Here they’re perfect for George to clutch the turnbuckle. I love the new more pensive George Steele head sculpt, though I think we could’ve had our first no-tongue-showing head in the history of figures of “The Animal” had it been done a little different. Piper’s heads are great, too, especially the aforementioned one originally used in the boxing two-pack with Mr. T. This is exactly the face that you remember any time that Hot Rod was going off on a rant in Piper’s Pit.

I think we have the perfect George Steele here. It’s absolutely everything you’d want in “The Animal” and the body type is exactly right this time around. Does it make the original Steele releases useless? Not in my book. That one can represent ‘60s-‘70s Steele when he was making Bruno’s life a nightmare. As far as ‘80s “boom era” Steele ready to chew turnbuckles on Saturday Night’s Main Event and/or attempt to rescue Elizabeth from “The Not-so-Macho Man,” this is your Animal. Piper is great, too, and fits right in with the inaugural WrestleMania figures that we’ve seen over the past few years such as Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. As with most Piper figures I think it’s a tad too muscular, but with most wrestling figures your eyes will just overlook it. Picture Roddy running his mouth as only he could and a few extra bulges really don’t make much of a difference.

The Coliseum Collection has really become a highpoint of modern wrestling figure collecting for me. It isn’t so much the “Ultimate” body type. It’s the packaging presentation to the accessories to the availability. You know that with the latter I am a huge champion. Everyone should have a fair shot at getting everything introduced in a figure line. Even if it’s a short twenty-four hour window, in 2023 that’s enough time for anyone to pause and place an order on their phone. All three of the Coliseum Collection sets released thus far are available to purchase and that’s a great thing. If someone is just getting started with the line they should absolutely be able to go back from the beginning. With The Hart Foundation joining the ranks in 2024 it’s definitely a growing line. I would not even poo poo the idea of Mattel branching out to “What If’s” by including names who weren’t necessarily in the original Wrestling Superstars line but maybe could’ve been.

I also want a new Hillbilly Jim. Was there anyone more iconic in the original LJNs? Don’t go messin’ with my figure wants!

The Underrated Living Legend

Not that long ago I made what some would consider to be a controversial statement to my friend. No, I didn’t endorse a political candidate (they’re all awful!). I didn’t denounce Taylor Swift (although I don’t quite get it). I didn’t even say that classic wrestling is better than modern wrestling (though if you think otherwise I doubt you’d have been reading this particular blog for fifteen years). The declaration that I made was that, in the realm of two wrestlers who were very similar in a lot of ways and were also contemporaries, I prefer Larry Zbyszko to Tully Blanchard.

I don’t dislike Tully. Don’t take it that way at all. I’m a big fan! He should’ve had a longer run in his prime, but sadly his salad days and prime earning years collided. Still, even though they had little if any interaction despite being contemporaries, I think that Blanchard and Zbyszko are very similar in a lot of ways. Both had great careers but each left you wanting a bit more. Both had great singles runs but could tear it up in tag teams as well. Both were excellent tag team partners for “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson, each with their own comparative style, in teams that could’ve gone on longer! Tully was a founding member of The Four Horseman. Larry was a pillar of The Dangerous Alliance. They do size up quite nicely.

I will say that, in my opinion, Zbyszko is a tad underrated compared to Blanchard, especially when he had a comparatively longer career. “The Living Legend” celebrated his 72^nd birthday earlier this week and was still making the occasionally in-ring appearance less than a decade ago. I’m sure that many, like myself, would’ve enjoyed a WWF run during the national expansion. In my opinion he would’ve fit right in and probably been upper-mid-card as far as roster status, but it wasn’t meant to be. It could be a lack of a run there, something that Tully did have, albeit briefly, that gives him less of an edge in comparing the two. Another advantage of Tully’s, being part of the aforementioned best-remembered supergroup or faction, is something that I would’ve enjoyed seeing Zbyszko part of as well. 

That being said, Larry Z made his own impact. He was definitely of the more recognizable faces in the dying days of the AWA. He had video tapes, action figures and plenty of magazine covers. He was a frequent coverboy for the WWWF programs of the ‘70s and later into the very early ‘80s once his famous feud with mentor Bruno Sammartino shocked wrestling fans in the northeast. His too-brief run with Jim Crockett Promotions in the late ‘80s, between stints with the AWA, landed him several trading cards in the famous Wonderama set, including with The Western States Heritage Championship belt. He once told me that he had been signed by Jakks to be part of the Legends of the Ring figure series (part of their TNA line) and that the figure would include that particular belt. It didn’t end up happening, but Larry did finally get his due with a modern figure in the Mattel line around the time that he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Let’s not forget his several year stint as a WCW announcer, though he never seemed to have the top color commentator spot that he really deserved. With zero disrespect to Bobby Heenan, “The Brain” just wasn’t anything close to what he was in the WWF after he went to WCW. Zbyszko should’ve had the prime spot but, again, it just was not meant to be. The announcer position did lead to a few returns to the ring, but the thought of Larry being part of that great 1993 active WCW roster really brings some regret that it didn’t happen. Didn’t like the Paul Roma version of the Horsemen? Why not try Larry in there? Ultimately we did get that great feud with Lord Steven Regal, but I always felt underwhelmed when Larry feuded with “the new World odor.” Perhaps if Dusty had stepped into the ring during his brief nWo run we could’ve had an intriguing legends feud.

I enjoy seeing Larry at shows and conventions. He seems to be one who got out of the business with happiness and contentment. If he didn’t, he’s putting on an awfully good show. He doesn’t take it too seriously and is always up to talk to fans and reminisce about all of those GLORIOUS years. He truly is a star, that while underrated, made his mark in all of the biggest promotions of the day. He’s certainly memorable, still discussed to this day and best of all he lived to talk about and enjoy it. I don’t think that it gets more successful than that. Oh yeah, and like me, he’s a Pittsburgher! It doesn’t get much better than THAT, either!

The Greatest Hits Of The Legends

Four true blue wrestling legends on Thanksgiving? Sounds like a winning Survivor Series team to me! Instead of once again talking about the past glories of wrestling on Thanksgiving night, I thought it’d be fun to look back at four Mattel WWE Legends figures that are suddenly new again. It’s the Mattel WWE Legends Greatest Hits series. Exclusive to your favorite bullseyed retailer, the set started hitting stores earlier this month. And what about that phantom fifth figure? He’s still on the back! Grab some bread, Dukes mayo and either white or dark meat. It’s time for your first turkey sandwich of the night and a look at some toys!

While the initial Mattel WWE Greatest Hits line has already had several legends included, a retailer exclusive subset has now been introduced and is dedicated solely to the stars of yesteryear. The Greatest Hits concept itself brings previously released figures back to the line, almost always with some sort of upgrade. For the first set of Legends we’ve got The Ultimate Warrior, The Honky Tonk Man, Terry Funk and The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. The four are packaged in the Legends box design that we’re all quite familiar with. It will also likely be the last set to be in this particular box design as the next regular Legends set release is already known to be coming in brand new packaging. This set has been arriving to the stores in a “sidekick” (those cardboard displays that hang at the end of an aisle) featuring the same art as the individual boxes.

These four figures were originally released before three major design changes in the Mattel line: “True FX” facial scans, extra elbow jointing and removable hands. If you already have the four it’s up to you if picking up the new versions are worth the upgrade. Interestingly, Bruno Sammartino is still shown on the back of the box. The Living Legend was originally scheduled as the fifth figure in the series but was ultimately moved to a main line release in the Elite Series 110. Seeing as that this figure was, arguably, the best of the series, it may not be such a bad move. Bruno has only ever had one release in the Mattel line and that was a decade ago. This figure will seemingly have a greatly updated face thanks to the new technology and, for the first time as a figure anywhere, Bruno will be released in green trunks. It should be noted that while he remains on the packaging for this series, he was omitted from the store display art.

One of these figures is brand new to me, personally, and that would be Davey Boy Smith. This was the very first figure of the British Bulldog released by Mattel over a decade ago and, at the time, I simply wasn’t sold on the changeover from Jakks. I was basically buying figures such as Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage who Jakks hadn’t made or previously released characters with all-new looks from Mattel such as short-haired SummerSlam ’90 Rick Rude. For whatever reason, short-haired Hart Foundation Davey didn’t make my cut back then. Now he does. I’ll say that he isn’t quite bulky enough and maybe that put me off of the original release. We all remember how big Davey was at the time, albeit with tragic consequences. Still, I’m glad to finally get the figure and the soft goods Hart Foundation vest is great.

The Ultimate Warrior is always a favorite and a hot seller. This look has been done several times but the Elite version here was first available in a Flashback series that I reviewed here on the blog so many years ago. Included are the Macho King’s “breakaway” scepter (the plastic-y Royal Rumble ’91 version that was used to cost the Warrior the title while he was wearing this attire) and the WWF “winged eagle” championship belt on the never-before-released pinkish-purple strap. The inclusion of a “new” belt should cause this figure to be popular alone. While I have tons of fists from other figures, as I’m sure you do as well, I really feel a set should’ve been included here. The Warrior’s fists were always flying.

The Honky Tonk Man in his blue jumpsuit was a welcomed addition to this set by many. Not only is it an iconic look, but the original release has deteriorated in the eyes of many. This blue jumpsuit with The Honky Tonk Man caricature was originally included in the Retrofest line a few years ago which is best remembered for being packaged in cool arcade game cabinet-styled boxes. What the line is infamous for is that the blue jumpsuit has faded to a light purple for many collectors. Hopefully a different dye/material/whatever was used to prevent this for this re-release. The face is sort of neutral here and I wouldn’t say that it really looks EXACTLY like ol’ HTM, but it’s not someone completely different, either.

For a few reasons, the star of this set for me is The Funker. We may have just lost him, but we all knew that he’d live on. This version of Funk relives his reign as ECW Champion. The face looks pretty much identical to the original but it’s two other features that I enjoy. The first is the inclusion of taped fists. You know you’ve seen countless photos of The Funker posing with those legendary and lethal taped fists. The other feature, which is included with all of these figures, is that the head is removable. Because of this you can take one of the heads from the Terry Funk figure out of The Coliseum Collection and attach it to this body. While the tights are a tad more colorful here, this “mix” is very close to an ’89-era Funk look. I can feel the figure photography already.

This is a solid set. It would have been even better with Bruno, but at least we are eventually getting him. I predict good sales, too, as it’s hitting just as the holiday buying season is kicking in. That’s not to say that these guys will evade clearance completely, but you just don’t know. Grandma Mabel Bertha Ethel remembers these names and is sure that her grandson, Hunter Axel Liam, is going to want these under his tree. It’s also hard to say if stores will be getting shipments beyond what comes included in the sidekick display. Whatever the case may be, it’s a nice lineup to kick off the Legends Greatest Hits. Now go! Get outta here! Grab another sandwich or make your first leftover plate. Why not fire up a classic Survivor Series? To make it simple for you, I’ll suggest 1989. You know you want to hear Vince yelling the names.

“Gobble, gobble.”—Gorilla Monsoon

World Getting You Down? Escape To A Different One…

Ah, finally we’ve hit November! My favorite time of the year is upon us. I’ve never been a big Halloween guy. It’s ok, but get me to the week of Thanksgiving until Christmas Day and just put me in a never ending cycle of that thirty-odd-day span. Take a few days out for birthday depression (getting old…) and it would be utopia. “These are a few of my favorite things,” as it were. You know what else is one of my favorite things? Figure photography. It truly brings me happiness and I know that I’m not the only one. While I love wrestling memorabilia collecting as a whole, I think that there’s just something special about the art (oh yes, it’s art) of creating and/or recreating the moments we either loved or would like to have happened.

As I said a number of years ago on this blog, action figure photography is the adult way of playing with your toys. Best of all, you’re creating something that you can share. While there are a few ways to share that content, Instagram certainly seems to be the chosen method. I have a certain love for the Instagram account The_Figure_Arena (I wonder why…) and I’m thankful for everyone who has followed. That being said, I’d love to see a platform solely for figure/toy photography of all genres. There are certainly enough fans out there who partake. Instagram started out as a great thing, but now they can delete you at the drop of a hat. Meanwhile, teenagers being disgusting get a pass, but that’s the way of the world. Get off my lawn.

I think the real key is getting the most out of it with very little. What do I photograph with? My iPhone. Lighting? I was using battery operated desk lamps that cost around $5. While I still have one of those, there’s a great three pack of quarter-sized LED switch lights on everyone’s favorite A-Z online retailer that also costs around $5. How about that fog? A humidifier. It’s really smoke and mirrors at its finest, just like how the best movie special effects are done. Admittedly, the backgrounds that I use are costly. They’re nice, but overpriced. I just like the simplicity of not having to create my own. They’re easy enough to find in a search. I won’t plug the company as they’ve never been receptive to me in any form of social media. I guess my photography isn’t good enough for them. Hey, I like it!

I don’t need to tell you where to get the figures. Photograph whichever ones you want! If you’re reading this you probably already have a ton. While the modern day Mattel figures of the world may make the most realistic photos, the classic Hasbro line or any of the “Retro” sets that have been spawned since can be just as charming and appealing to look at. Honestly, one of the best pieces that can be used for figure photography is still the Mattel WWE New Generation entrance. I dare you to even try and take a “bad” pic with that thing in the mix. Sure, it’s not useful when trying to capture other eras, but I’ve seen people do real well by stretching it a bit. I’d never say no to seeing Dusty dance out under the neon!

To be perfectly honest it doesn’t take any real photography talent, either. I took a photography course or two in college, but I really don’t remember anything from it. I’ve gotten better by trial and error. “This lighting looks better for this era.” “What would it have looked like had these two had a match back in ’87?” “I could put this shirt on this figure and it makes it fit in with these figures.” I’m sure that I’m not the only one who hears these lines in their head. A sharp eye, an odd angle or two and twenty outtakes that will never see the light of day. After all that, you’ll have your shot. The best part? Thanks to digital those outtakes don’t cost you a cent anymore.

It’s a fun and cost-effective hobby. Nearly everyone has a smartphone. Some cheap lights as I’d said above. You can grab a basic ring for about $20. And as we all know, most modern figures go on clearance. This world is way too miserable and serious for us to take ourselves too seriously. My response? Let’s play with some toys. Speaking of playing with toys, I’m going to get preachy for a moment but it’s all in the name of goodwill at this time of year. If you have an Ollie’s nearby, why not grab some of the TONS of action figures that they’ve gotten in and make up a bag for Toys For Tots? It won’t break your bank and there are literally dozens of figures at most of their locations from which to choose from. It absolutely warms my heart to think of a child, not expecting a thing, getting a figure of Rey Mysterio or Grogu. It’s a small gesture that fits right in with the topic at hand. Grab yourself a new fig, grab three for the Tots.

Let’s get the Holiday mood going early here with fun and giving. The world needs it.