Mattel Declares For The Royal Rumble

Do they really do that? My joke in that title, that is. My modern viewing has been limited to putting the Rumble and parts of Mania on my iPad while I watch entertaining stuff on the real tv, but all I ever see in headlines is that such-and-such “declared” for the Royal Rumble. Do they come out and say “Well, I declare!”? It just seems so absurd to me.

So, anyway, Mattel has decided to attempt to make some thirty-plus-year-old dreams come true in their latest venture into the retro wrestling figure universe. A Hasbro-sized Royal Rumble ring? Brother Love? Sherri and Liz? All here. Shortly after I took it I texted several folks the “glamour shot” of the entire set that you see above. As a kid I truly had dreams of finding a lot of those items in stores. The Brother Love card back, in particular, is exactly how I’d always envisioned it using the same image. If we look at that picture and not much further, it truly is a dream come true. It’s also a company banking on nostalgia. I have no problem with that if it’s done right. Was it? Well, some of it.

Both sets are available at Mattel Creations. Brother Love and the ring clock in at $40 while the four-pack of Hulk Hogan as Rip, Zeus, Miss Elizabeth and Sensational Queen Sherri is priced at $60. There’s also a bundle option that saves you. Priced at $100 the bundle saves you from having to click twice to add both items to your cart. Yeah, that’s all that it saves you. Not even $5. I’ll tell you a pretty likely way to save more, if you don’t feel the need to jump the gun as I did, at the end of the entry. Are the bootlicker reviewers who are all the rage giving you tips like that? Of course they aren’t. That’s why their “influencing” is coveted by the companies and my true reviews are ignored in this day and age. Ah well, I had my moment. All of fifteen minutes.

Let’s take a look Brucie and the ring first. These are the items that mostly came out as closely as I imagined them had they existed in the Hasbro line. The ring is another reuse of the standard Mattel retro ring, but you know what you’re getting into here. Like last year’s WrestleMania ring release you can choose which sticker is in the middle of the mat the WWF logo (without the F, of course) or the Royal Rumble logo. Of course you’re choosing the latter. Unlike with the Mania ring, I don’t really understand the inclusion of the basic logo sticker. Because of the color the ring stands out and will like great with a “Rumble” going on, but there was a major change here from previous retro ring releases. The ropes are the “gummy” rubbery style that I last remember being included with the Mattel War Games set. They can, and will, snap. They’re absolutely terrible. If you’re going to display this thing for any amount of time I would recommend going to eBay and finding one of the various sellers who produce “replica” ring ropes for a retro ring. Not only do they look and feel better, but they won’t snap.

Brother Love himself, like the ring, is pretty much how we all imagined. The microphone (we’ve all seen plenty of jokes about its shape since its original release) and The Book of Love are reused from the Mattel Legends figure. Brucie boy doesn’t stand too well with the book in hand which is why he’s picture here without it. I was able to get him to stand elsewhere with it, so your mileage may vary. I’d read some early complaints about the face being too red. He looks fine to me but I will say with the way that I tint my photography it may appear darker here than it actually is.

Going into the four pack you have to start with the champ. This time we get Hulk Hogan as Rip from “No Holds Barred.” It’s pretty much a repaint of the earlier red and yellow Hulkster retro, but I think that it looks great. Would No Holds Barred figures have been at the top of my list? Not necessarily, but in my view they’re the best figures to be released from the movie as this is how I would’ve envisioned them. We finally have a retro stylized belt to go onto the belt holders that have been on every ring. I never liked using the modern belts with the retros as Mattel seemed to earlier suggest. I’m hoping to see this one reused and remolded in different colors and for other classic belts to be given the same treatment.

Zeus is by far the worst item in this “bundle,” largely because of his height. Because of the mold used he looks tiny (Lister?) compared to Hogan. He’s supposed to be imposing. A completely different mold should have been used for him. It’s honestly a waste of a slot with this decision being made. All-in-all, if they wanted to keep to the ’89 theme and aren’t able to use Savage, I’d have been fine with a Hulk Rules era Hogan and a new Beefcake to join Liz and Sherri. It even baffles me, but despite being a No Holds Barred collector (owning many rare promotional materials and even a screen used prop), it’s never been one of my favorite movies. I like the memorabilia due to the connection with the golden era.

The Sensational Queen is next and this is the second retro of Sherri in this gimmick that’s been released in the past several months. One of the boutique retro wrestling figure producers released their own version which is in more of a statuesque design. Honestly, there’s room for both in my view. There’s never been any talk of intentions by Hasbro to release anything but wrestlers in their original line. We haven’t even ever seen design concepts. That being said, we have no idea what Hasbro females, managers and announcers would have looked like. Therefore, any produced today to reflect what they could’ve looked like can’t be wrong. This version, complete with what would’ve been a “Real Wrestling Action,” is definitely the “wrestler” version of Queen Sherri.

Devoid of any previous retro releases from any company I would have to say that Miss Elizabeth was the most anticipated from this set. The likeness is great and I wouldn’t mind seeing it on a new full sized figure. The hair is spot on and I think that the facial likeness is close to how Hasbro would’ve captured her. For non-wrestler Liz the stance is odd, but who’s to say that Hasbro wouldn’t have done the same? The stance hurts the skirt and, honestly, it looks like she’s taking a squat. Still, I think we all have to agree that this is probably what Hasbro would’ve given us.

For me, buying this “bundle” was worth pulling the trigger on. There are items that I wanted and, while I was fairly certain that nothing would immediately sell out, I didn’t want to wait. My feelings on the previous retro set were different. The only figure that I wanted out of that one was Alundra Blayze. I waited and ended up getting that entire set off of Amazon for $40. I’ve also waited on the nWo and DX retro sets and ended up getting them on Black Friday sales. The advice I promised earlier? I highly doubt you’ll miss out if you wait for these. Mattel, as of yet, seems to have no intention of limiting their exclusives as they used to. They know where the money is at for them and it certainly isn’t in making a limited product for scalpers to scoop up.

Now where else do you get advice like that? From a kowtowing “influencer?” I think not. I thank all ten of you who read this, you loyal readers, you.

“Hey, do you know who you are???”

Pro wrestling is a completely different world these days and in more ways than one. Not only is the in-ring product and presentation completely different from what many of us originally fell in love with, but fandom outside of the ring has changed, too. The stars who were once “larger-than-life” occasionally appear less than so these days and it isn’t always their physical appearance. It’s accessabilty. The ease of meeting your favorite stars. Heck, I’m sure some fans try and engage their wrestling heroes on a daily basis via social media. Of course, for many of us this means that obtaining the almighty autograph has become an easier task, even if those signatures don’t necessarily look as nice anymore. What’s with this signing initials trend among the young wrestlers? Anyway, let’s go back to the days when wrestling conventions and fanfests weren’t a thing, meeting your grappling heroes was a rare occasion and getting an autograph was something you remembered for years.

Keep in mind that no one is discounting the ease of meeting wrestlers of today. Technology has made it a smaller world and less and less can be kept mysterious or even secretive as the wrestling business used to be. While organized ways of hobnobbing with wrestlers weren’t as prevalent years ago, adventurous fans could find ways to do just that. Mileage would vary, especially depending on if your favorite wrestler was a “good guy” or a “bad guy,” but I know of very few wrestlers who don’t have at least a couple of fan stories out there. Getting an autograph on a program or an index card outside of a locker room or in a nearby all-night diner is probably the basis for most of the stories that we’ve all heard. Remember that fan clubs were a huge deal in the ‘60s and ‘70s. If the star or stars were particularly engaged with their fan club, organized meetings were not unheard of. Considering that this was the age of the wrestling territory, a quick meeting with fans in one of the local towns was probably music to the ears of those in the local office. This was before charity become the name of the game, so going out and becoming even more engaged with your weekly paying fans could only help.

Perhaps the biggest fan club of the time was also a governing body of sorts for those groups. It spawned what many would consider to be the original wrestling conventions. This group was the W.F.I.A. – Wrestling Fans International Association. I’ve written about the W.F.I.A. before both here and on social media. The glory years of the group were roughly the late ‘60s to the mid ‘80s. The organization (which counted Jim Cornette, Candi Devine and Juanita “Sapphire” Wright among its members) would annually partner with a wrestling territory and hold a convention in one of the cities that the promotion ran. A wrestling show, banquet and awards ceremony were among the activities. Wrestlers of both “allegiances” would attend and pictures from these events are often mind-blowing considering as how “kayfabe” was in full effect at the time. Stories from these events are still widely told by those who were there and I’ve long pushed the idea that a book chronicling the W.F.I.A. needs to be written.

The territory which seemed to promote the most fan interaction may well have been Memphis. The book “Rags, Paper and Pins: The Merchandising of Memphis Wrestling” by Jim Cornette and Mark James is not only one of my favorite wrestling books but is required reading for anyone fascinated with the early days of wrestlers outside the ring. Wrestlers actually signing photos sold at gimmick tables? No, this isn’t ‘90s indy wrestling – it’s the legendary Memphis territory! While other areas also did this I’m sure, Memphis surely deserves the most credit for pioneering it. Every so often you will hear of other areas having a wrestler appear to sign autographs before the show, but I do wonder how often they really happened as advertised? I can’t imagine it being a deal breaker back then if it didn’t take place. Nowadays grown men would be throwing fits. You can read more about this great book here and it’s still available to purchase, as well!

As we went into the ‘80s and the “Rock n’ Wrestling” era boom, appearances seemed more and more prevalent. Our favorite stars began appearing at store grand openings, car shows and pretty much anywhere that you’d see a star of another sport, actor or plain old celebrity make an appearance. It was mainstream and fans no longer had to crowd into a dank hotel ballroom or wait on a chance encounter at Denny’s after a show. Fans had the chance to schmooze with the likes of “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth at video store signings, Big John Studd at The World of Wheels car show or even sit on Sgt. Slaughter’s lap at a local electronics store. You didn’t think that I’d pass up the chance to throw one of my favorite pictures up on the blog yet again, did you? By the early ‘90s the fabled conventions run by John Arezzi began to get coverage and featured appearances that fans can only dream of today by names like Buddy Rogers, Kerry Von Erich, Woman, Lou Thesz and even The Sheik!

In modern times there are virtually endless ways to get the autographs of your favorites. WWE Axxess (which we should be discussing the beginnings of in a few weeks here…) and various conventions are obviously the biggest, but these days you can even just log into Facebook, watch a virtual signing and purchase an autographed photo right from the comfort of your chair. I’d argue that the “golden age” of wrestling conventions is over. I’d say that it ran for about five years roughly 12-15 years ago. While there are still many conventions and similar events, with so many of the legends now gone it just isn’t the same. That era is a book in itself and I know who the author will be. Heatseeking missiles will be incoming for me, no doubt.

People have often asked me to write more about meet and greets, conventions and other similar entities. I don’t  do it often, but when I do it’s fun to integrate it with advertisements for such things which are now pieces of memorabilia all their own. I can also say that it’s a pleasure when wrestling, maybe more than any other sport, has so many stars who truly appreciate their fans. There are some bad apples as in any bunch, but there have been countless times where I’ve seen joy on wrestlers faces when hearing stories, looking at old memorabilia or just being thanked for their work. Even for people who are used to thousands of fans cheering for them, the words of just one person can mean the world. I also think that wrestlers can often relate to their fans better than any other kind of celebrity. After all, we’re all just crazy people caught up in the same crazy world of professional wrestling.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Royal Rumble Revisited

Thirty participants. One ring. One winner. The legendary Royal Rumble. The brainchild of the late, great Pat Patterson is once again upon us. Even in the modern era where a lot of the charm of wrestling is gone, the Rumble still brings excitement and enjoyment to countless fans around the world. Three years ago this month we featured Rumble memorabilia in our recurring MarketWatch feature. In this entry we revisit those same five items. Have the prices soared their way to WrestleMania levels or have they plummeted lower than Brawl For All? It's time to find out. As always, prices are for unsigned examples unless otherwise indicated.

*Kicking it off is the program from the first Royal Rumble presented on pay-per-view in 1989. The first televised Rumble was one year earlier and aired on the USA Network. '89 featured the Rumble match itself, a (not very) Super Posedown between The Ultimate Warrior and Ravishing Rick Rude, a six-man tag, a WWF Women's Championship match, and a "King's Crown" match pitting Heenan Family members Haku and Harley Race against each other. It's a solid show even if the Rumble match itself sort of falls flat at one point. The program recently sold for $40 which is $5 more than in 2018.

*There have been several figures and toys with a Royal Rumble theme. In 2002 Jakks released a series of figures featuring stars and looks from that years event. It was a fun set including Ric Flair and Tazz among others. One of the highlights was referee Earl Hebner. Mattel could take a lesson with more referees in their line. The figures were in bright packaging echoing the colors of the 2002 Rumble. In 2018 the famous referee, with picture of twin brother Dave on the box, sold for $26. Recently the price dropped to $18.

*One of the nicest looking DVD sets that WWE has put out was that of the Royal Rumble. Including the events from 1988 to 2007, the master set was later sold individually in collections of four. With the larger outer box and some collectible extras, the big one is still the one to have. It may require some real estate on your shelf, but you'll be thankful the next time that you suddenly can't stream WWE Network. In 2018 the set was selling for $100. Despite the rise in streaming, the set has appreciated with it recently selling on average of $120.

*The arena-only WWF programs are among the rarest. Several Royal Rumble publications can be included in this group including 1995. The oversized program is bright, bold, and has a Floridian theme just as the event itself did. Even though the Rumble match had a surprise appearance from the legendary Dick Murdoch, it's still one of my least favorites from the first ten years of the Rumble. Either more copies have surfaced or the demand has just simply gone down as selling prices have dropped from $100 to $40.

*A holy grail for many collectors is the Hasbro Royal Rumble Mini Ring. It's been featured here on the blog many times as I've been a proud owner since Christmas 1992. A Royal Rumble ring scaled for the standard Hasbro WWF line would've been a blast, but this is what we received. Including Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Boss Man, and Jake Roberts, some of the best mini figures were only available here. Thankfully for collectors it does appear often. Just as in 2018 it sells for on average of $350.

It will certainly be a different event this year, but the Rumble MUST go on...I declare!

Wrestling MarketWatch: Royal Rumble

As "WrestleMania season" kicks off and the storylines go into high gear for WWE, so goes the Royal Rumble. Arguably still the most exciting match in the company due its unpredictability, 2018's edition will actually feature two versions of the famous match, one for the men and one for the women. It will be interesting to see if this concept stays as that of the whole match has, or if it is a one-off deal like the 40-man Rumble of a few years ago. In any case, the Rumble is full of history and, as we like to point here on the blog, memorabilia. This MarketWatch entry will display some of those items and their recent auction sale prices. As always, prices are for unsigned items unless noted.

*Although you can dial up any Royal Rumble on the WWE Network, there was a time when visiting events past was not so easy. In 2007 fans were treated to the beautiful Royal Rumble Anthology DVD boxed set. Handsomely packaged, the set featured every Rumble up to that point as well as collectible "film cell" cards and more. The square box full of Rumbles may be outdated, but it still featured many of the best examples of the event. Holding its own, the set recently sold for $100.

*The first Rumble event to hit pay-per-view was in 1989. This star studded Rumble featured Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Demolition, The Twin Towers, Big John Studd, and many more. The event also included a "King's Crown" match pitting Haku against Harley Race, and Judy Martin even challenged Rockin' Robin for the WWF Women's Championship. The show did yield a program which previewed much of the action that evening. The program recently fetched $35.

*Even in a Rumble, some order needs to be kept. Jakks knew this, and thus included Earl Hebner in their WWF Royal Rumble figure line back in 2002. The set still holds value today. Interestingly, Earl's twin brother Dave is shown on the packaging. This figure recently sold for $26.

*The most famous Royal Rumble figures were produced by Hasbro in a much smaller form. Infamously, the Hasbro Royal Rumble ring saw limited distribution in 1992. Because of that, it has long been in demand with collectors. With the rabid interest in Hasbro's WWF product in recent years, the value has only sustained or grown. The ring recently sold for $350.

*Do you remember being bored by the Rumble? Sure there have been some that were not as great as others, but I can't say that I've ever been bored by one. Pamela Anderson can! The buxom '90s star appeared to be bored to tears at ringside throughout the match where the likes of Shawn Michaels, Davey Boy Smith, and even Dick Murdoch did battle. The program from the event has always been scarce, but it recently sold for $100.

It's wild, it's unpredictable, and so are the going prices of its collectibles! The Royal Rumble has it all, which is why it remains a favorite to most any wrestling fan. It's time to Rummmmmmble...

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--1992 WWF Royal Rumble Program

Some call it the greatest Royal Rumble of all-time. In my opinion, they're right. It was a transitional time for the World Wrestling Federation with names who starred in various territories in the '80s finally calling the WWF their home. The biggest non-WWF star of the previous decade, Ric Flair, was among those wrestlers. Even before the event, it seemed obvious that the event was building to a Rumble win for "Naitch." After all, this was the first time when a Rumble win truly had meaning. The winner would become the undisputed WWF Champion. But what would happen after Flair came strolling out at number three? In an hour we would find out...

The program is a product of the time when the pay-per-view event programs featured unique covers and event pages, but also included the pages from the then-current monthly event program. The non-exclusive pages covered stars and angles pertinent to the time period. In this case, the imminent split of The Rockers and the reinstatement of "Macho Man" Randy Savage are among those featured. Great period ads, too. Who could forget all of the "Hulk Hogan Vitamins" jokes? I'd like to, but the ad is something that kids can look up to...and parents can trust.

Coverage of the event begins with an article mentioning all thirty scheduled participants. We've got Hogan, Flair, Savage, Jake Roberts, Sid Justice, The Undertaker, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, The Nasty Boys, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, IRS, Big Boss Man, Repo Man, Virgil, Ted DiBiase, El Matador, The Rockers, Skinner, Greg Valentine, The Barbarian, Jimmy Snuka, Rick Martel, Col. Mustafa, Texas Tornado, The Warlord, The British Bulldog, The Berzerker, and Hercules. Of course, we now know that Marty Jannetty and Brian Knobbs would be replaced by Haku and Nikolai Volkoff.

As was standard for the time, the WWF Merchandise Catalog makes an appearance next with the Spring/Summer lineup. Though the days of cameo appearances by Shane and Stephanie McMahon had long since passed (though Shane did referee at the Rumble itself), the catalog is still chock full of fun. I can still remember being extremely amused at the sight of The Undertaker modeling his own t-shirt. It just seemed so out of character and out of place, even in 1992. I also loved gazing at the photo of the mock WWF children's bedroom. I just had to make sure that there were no Hasbro figures shown that I was unaware of.

Next up is a feature on the scheduled WWF Intercontinental Championship match between Bret "The Hitman" Hart and The Mountie. In the days leading up to the Rumble, The Mountie took the Intercontinental Title from The Hitman at a house show where Bret was said to be ill. This would lead to Roddy Piper having his first taste of WWF championship gold when he dethroned The Mountie in a brief encounter at the Rumble. Though Hart and The Mountie did not do battle at this Rumble, they did in fact see action against each other two years earlier at the 1989 Royal Rumble in an opening six-man tag match.

The 1992 Rumble was filled out with three tag team matches. The opening tag greatly mirrored that of the previous year, especially in setting a great mood for the evening. 1991 saw The Orient Express battle The Rockers, while this year the Mr. Fuji-led team battled The New Foundation--Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart. The WWF Tag Team Titles were on the line when The Legion of Doom battled The Natural Disasters and finally The Bushwhackers took on The Beverly Brothers. These latter two tag matches did not amount to much. Earthquake and Typhoon would have been much greatly utilized as two more gargantuan threats in the Rumble match.

It's now been twenty-five years since the "best" Royal Rumble. The event not only featured the best-remembered Rumble match, but also the best commentary performance by the beloved team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The Rumble included arguably twenty men who were bona fide main eventers in the business and saw the "60 Minute Man" reign supreme in the WWF's most famous "60 Minute Match." With a tear in my eye, Royal Rumble '92 just won't ever be topped.

Put that cigarette out!

Wrestling Gifts Of Christmas Past

Emmylou Harris said it best, "Christmas Time's A Comin'!" For better or worse, this time of year makes many people very nostalgic. It is a month-long reminder of times past. Those of you reading this blog might have memories of that favorite wrestling item that you received as a gift. Maybe you even bought it for yourself. There's certainly no shame in that. Maybe you're an adult now (or an overgrown child) and want to find those vintage wrestling gifts for your own children. Either way, the start of the Christmas season felt like a good time to look back on some of my own favorite wrestling gift memories.

*Although the game is based on the 1991 WWF roster, I remember receiving this for Christmas in 1992. Santa Claus definitely didn't bring this, as there was no way that my parents could hide the huge box. I may have even been on the trip to the late, great Hills Department Store when it was purchased. I'm sure that the Remco WWF Superstars Shoot-Out made many kids happy during an early '90s Christmas season. The figures, as small as they are, have great likenesses. It's a shame that Remco, known more in the wrestling world for their AWA line, didn't get the chance to produce more WWF items at the time.

*As fit-for-merchandising as the 1995 WWF era was, it was largely a dead time for toys and similar items. It was in between the Hasbro and Jakks action figure licenses. While JusToys was producing Bend-Ems, it just wasn't enough. Thankfully, the WWF merchandise catalog still offered some unique items. One of those was the inflatable WWF blimp. This was actually sort of purchased for me by my parents as a gag gift. We had just attended SummerSlam 1995 several months earlier, and the "Stridex Airship" kept floating up and down in front of us. Although this is based on the full-sized WWF Airship that went from city-to-city, my parents ordered this for me to keep the summer memories alive. It still inflates and holds a prominent position in my collection.

*The company didn't capitalize on holiday-themed items too often in the WWF days. But when WWE started merchandising just about everything in the "Ruthless Aggression" era, Christmas finally came! One of my favorite items is a WWE snow globe complete with John Cena, The Undertaker, and Batista. There's even a steel chair! This is a large and heavy Hallmark-quality item that you really don't see too often. A friend of mine gave this to me as a gift when it was new. It still reminds me of our wrestling-born friendship each time that I look at it, and the time that we ended up snowbound while Christmas shopping!

*According to my parents, this was an item that was "one and done" during the 1992 Christmas shopping season. It's the infamous Hasbro Royal Rumble mini-ring. Although I still received gifts from Santa, they openly admitted to only seeing this toy once and grabbing it. Smart shoppers, they always were. The ring was the only way to get the exclusive mini figures included and the only real point to owning the three mini figure four-packs that were sold separately. It's a key item in many Hasbro WWF collections to this day.

*What kid didn't want some of the Wrestling Buddies from Tonka? The advertising, voiced by the late actor Arnold Stang, was all over television at that point. Bonk Em! Bop Em! I remember my parents purchased "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase for a family friend and his parents gave me The Ultimate Warrior. It was the only one that I owned until adulthood (ha!), but I sure did slam and piledrive it endlessly. I still marvel that one toy store in my area, Family Toy Warehouse, sold the Legion of Doom two-pack at the same price as the single Wrestling Buddies. Maybe that was their downfall.

I'm sure that many of you have your own Christmas-wrestling memories. Maybe you received tickets to an event, wrestling-related books, or action figures. The possibilities were, and still are, endless. And if you're in the mood to spread some Christmas cheer, don't forget your local Toys-For-Tots. I'm sure that there are many underprivileged children who would love to have a nice Mattel WWE figure under their tree. Many local wrestling promotions, such as KSWA here in Pittsburgh, even have their own toy drives accompanied with a show.

Happy Holidays!

A Big Bucket of Rumble

When I was a kid, my mother marveled at the action figures that were out there. In her childhood years, there just wasn't the same level of detail put into toys. After all, they were for kids. When I played with my G.I. Joe figures, my mom would tell me of the solid plastic figures that she and her siblings had. Army men, cowboys, space men, it didn't matter. They mixed them all together and had a lot of fun. I could understand why. It isn't about how many joints a figure has in its arms and legs. It's about what kind of hero or villain that the figure represents. The imagination of the child will take care of the rest. Now kids who are wrestling fans can relive that vintage plastic thrill.

Wicked Cool Toys has produced several different items under their WWE license, but none may be quite as unique as the WWE Micro Maulers. The item is exactly what it claims to be on the packaging: a "Bucket Of Superstars!" Inside this plastic tub are twenty-seven different WWE figures. Like the army men of yesteryear that I mentioned above, these are solid figures that don't move. They're posed in connection with the character that they represent, and there are both current and past stars included.

Making up the group are Yokozuna, Roman Reigns, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sheamus, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, Erick Rowan, Jake Roberts, Rusev, Jimmy Hart, Daniel Bryan, Bret Hart, Randy Orton, Kane, Luke Harper, Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Ric Flair, The Big Show, The Rock, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Sgt. Slaughter, Dean Ambrose, and Macho Man Randy Savage. Originally, the set was also to include Hulk Hogan and The Road Warriors as well.

The top of the bucket detaches to become a ring for our little plastic gladiators. The figures are generally easily recognizable, and only once or twice did I have to refer to the names on the bottom of the molded stand. Not being in his robe, Flair looks just a tad generic. For some reason, my bucket contained two Jey Uso figures. Seeing as that on the packaging the Uso figures look to be identical, I wasn't too bothered by this.

The figures are divided between current star and legend by color, in red and blue respectively. Kane in his current look and attire is blue while The Undertaker in a hooded robe is in red, but that's not too big of a deal, either. The sculpts are good, the poses are recognizable, and some are just downright fun. If the mini-figure of the mighty Yokozuna in all his girthy glory doesn't bring a smile to your face, then you just aren't a wrestling fan.

The set is labeled as "Series 1" and "Royal Rumble," which had some collectors upset when Hogan, Hawk, and Animal were removed as it isn't a perfect thirty-man "Rumble." With the inclusion of a manager, I think that the sets are intended to be named after big events rather than actually replicating them. After all, these are "little plastic men." If this is indeed the case and further sets see the light of day, I would imagine that we will see WrestleMania, SummerSlam, etc.

These little guys are fun to toss around or just pose. They aren't Mattel Elite figures nor are they meant to be. It's simple fun and it actually isn't the first time that wrestling figures have been produced in this fashion. Although they did not have molded stands, Remco produced Mini Mashers as part of their AWA line. The figures were solid plastic each in a different color and based on the larger AWA figures. Some collectors have taken to painting them over the years, and I could see some artsy modern fans doing the same with these.

Although I've seen the sets in brick and mortar stores, you can't go wrong for around $4 per bucket on Amazon. Hopefully the lower price doesn't mean that further sets are in danger, as there are plenty of current and past WWE stars that I'd love to see added in the future.

Yoko, Macho, Taker, and the Wyatt Family? Sounds like a heckuva Rumble to me!

The 25th Anniversary of Hasbro WWF--Part 5

What a month it's been!  Twenty-five of my favorite Hasbro products in honor of the 25th anniversary of the line.  Like any list, it's all objective! Fans are always getting riled up over WWE "Top" lists, but it's all a matter of opinion.  The various incarnations of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart didn't make my list, but Andre the Giant and Greg Valentine may not have made yours.  As a kid, you may have buried Demolition or Razor Ramon in your Hasbro rings while they reigned supreme in mine.  Everyone has their favorites, and from 1990 to 1994, Hasbro gave all of us a lot to choose from!

*My list was in no real particular order, but if I was forced to pick a favorite, it may very well be the Doinkster. Hasbro went above and beyond with the Clown, complete with newly sculpted parts and, best of all, real rooted hair.  This is definitely a "heel " Doink the Clown, based on his well-remembered early days as portrayed by the late Matt Borne.  It was always cool when the announcers would tout what a great technical wrestler Doink was despite his clownish appearance.  It added another layer to the already sinister character.  For the record, Matt Borne is the Doink pictured on the cardback.  I'm thankful that I was able to have one signed before his untimely death.

*Another item that disappeared from shelves as quickly as it arrived was the Royal Rumble mini-ring.  The three mini-figure four-packs were plentiful in the Summer of 1992.  Unfortunately for those who missed out, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Ted DiBiase were among those that were available only with the ring.  For whatever reason the ring only seemed to ship once and wasn't available very long thus leaving the figure packs to rot on shelves for years.  Retail disinterest was the likely culprit, but had the ring been released at the same time as the figures it may have been a different story.

*Cool, cocky, bad, and another great figure from Hasbro.  Honky had long passed his days as one of the top heels in the WWF, but his figure was still planned and released.  He wouldn't have been the same without his trademark guitar which, coupled with his "Real Wrestling Action," came crashing down on many other wrestlers.  Even with other figures of Honky from LJN, Jakks, and Mattel, the Hasbro is probably still my favorite.  It even has the jumpsuit belt that other manufacturers "forgot."

*Bam Bam Bigelow always came across as a perfect action figure. Flames, tattoos, and a whole bunch of "mean."  I found the figure on the day of the 1994 Royal Rumble.  Much to my surprise, Bigelow ended up having a singles match that night as he took the place of Ludvig Borga in a bout against Tatanka. Bigelow and Tatanka, both graduates of Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory, were always well-matched opponents. Though he never quite made it as far as he should have, Bam Bam had his moments and, in my mind, is a great future WWE Hall of Fame candidate.

*Speaking of those who should be in the WWE Hall of Fame brings us to
my favorite tag team of all-time, Demolition.  I still remember being so conflicted about how to purchase Smash.  His single figure was fairly plentiful along with Ax, but the same Smash also came in a tag team set with Crush and their pre-match masks.  The two-pack became difficult to find, so for awhile Ax had to fend for himself in my Hasbro ring. Perhaps just a lonely Masked Superstar?  Eventually, thanks to a lone Demolition set at my local Service Merchandise store, the trio was united and took on the LOD, The Bushwhackers, Doom, The Horsemen, and The Steiner Brothers (thanks to Galoob for the last three).  I even remember an epic singles struggle over the Intercontinental Championship between Smash and Marty Jannetty that mysteriously ended when Hasbro released a sneaky fellow known as Repo Man.

Twenty-five items for twenty-five years.  A revival of the Hasbro style would be a no-brainer.  It would couple the secondary "action feature" lines that are made to appeal to kids with figures that older collectors would snap up in an instant.  Why hasn't it happened?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Maybe the manufacturers just want to "leave the memories alone..."