Wrestling MarketWatch: WrestleMania Rarities

It's that time of year. WrestleMania season. You can practically hear the classic 'Mania song in your head. Well, maybe not that so much anymore. It doesn't quite have the same excitement for me anyway, but that's no reason not to celebrate the past. Isn't that what we've always done here on this blog? And on MarketWatch, we've always taken a look at a handful of items and their most recent selling prices at auction. This time we're looking at some of the more uncommon items celebrating "The Greatest Sports Entertainment Extravaganza of All-Time!"

*March 31, 1985. New York, New York. Madison Square Garden. It's where it all started. Hulk Hogan. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Mr. T. Andre the Giant. Muhammad Ali. Cyndi Lauper. Liberace! The stars were out for WrestleMania and it's no surprise that fans wanted to watch the event again and again. While the classic Coliseum Video clamshell VHS video is well-remembered, seen a bit less is the Laserdisc release. A total of four WWF Laserdisc releases were done by Coliseum Video, with WrestleMania arguably being the most visibly striking of the entries. The classic Hogan-T poster art will never be forgotten. An example recently sold for $45.

*Another star who appeared at the first WrestleMania was Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The legendary manager and broadcaster actually made an impact at the first nine WrestleMania events not to mention some cameos at later installments. In the build-up to WrestleMania VIII, Heenan began referring to himself as "Indiana's Favorite Bobby" in reference to legendary Indiana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight. A pinback button was produced and given out to promote Heenan's appearance on radio station "The Fox 103.3" leading up to the 1992 installment of WrestleMania. This rarely seen item recently sold for $25.

*Many collectors love to snap up the WrestleMania programs, but some are a lot easier to find than others. Although it was technically WrestleMania XVI, the event in 2000 was aptly named "WrestleMania 2000." There was "A McMahon In Every Corner" and all four appear on the cover along with The Rock, Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley. Needless to say with it's inclusion here, this is not one of the easier WrestleMania programs to come by. A recent example sold for $169.99 which is down from the $250 that I personally sold one for over a decade ago.

*Speaking of The Rock, his most recent WrestleMania matches have seen him pitted against John Cena. While their second battle is near and dear to me due to the fact that I was there, their first clash has meaning to me as well seeing as my predictions on the bout were included in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated issue previewing the match. That encounter also saw a special "Rumblers" two-pack produced by Mattel. Rumblers were small, cartoonish looking figures that were a big hit with collectors of all ages. The packaging for this particular set was unique, a lot of fun, and was likely a major reason for the item to recently sell at auction for $50.

*If you're looking for an affordable relic from an actual WrestleMania event just look to the skies. Well, it may be too late for that now, but you can still grab some of those great "dollars" that have fallen from the heavens (or at least the ceiling) over the years. Shane McMahon had the falling "money" gimmick as did Floyd "Money" Mayweather, but the first was back at WrestleMania 21. That year it was none other than JBL who "made it rain" during his entrance at the big event. One of those "One-Hundred Dollar" bills recently sold at auction for $25.

If you're going to collect a theme, where better to start than the biggest show of the year? It may pay to wait until after "WrestleMania Season" is over, but you can bet that there will always be classic items available with thirty-five years worth of memories to relive packed into each one.

Toys "R" Us Delivers a Final "Weapon of Mass Destruction"

No one wanted to see Toys "R" Us close. As different as it was from when many of us were kids, it was an institution. As frustrating as things got when action figure collecting was at its height, with rampant stories of employees selling "rare" figures out the back, many of us remained loyal Toys "R" Us kids. Now in 2018, we're all making our last stops to "the world's biggest toy store." Many wrestling collectors have a reason to visit, a last exclusive WWE figure set from Mattel.

The WWE Fan Central series features Mark Henry (as Sexual Chocolate), Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Triple H, and The Big Show. They're in the 2018 boxy packaging that I love and really could have been part of the previous Toys "R" Us exclusive line, the WWE Network Spotlight collection. It's "The World's Largest Athlete" that we're focusing on today, who has always been one of my favorites to collect as an action figure. There's just something about a legitimate giant that translates well into plastic. Plus, stretching back to the days of the well-remembered and dangerous (did you ever hit another kid with one?) King Kong Bundy LJN figure, you just feel that you get your money's worth with the bigger guys.

We're seeing a few firsts for a figure of The Big Show in this release. This is the first time that this particular head sculpt has been used. How about that beard? This is also the first time to my knowledge that we see a completely closed fist for Show, allowing the figure to properly "knockout punch" any opponent. The left hand of the figure is aptly reused from recent Andre the Giant releases. Maybe I should say "paw" instead of "hand?" The body of the figure itself also seems to be new, showing off a svelter Show than in past figures.

Speaking of Andre, this is the second figure to include the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy. Just as in its original release, the trophy is "breakable" for jealous runners-up to smash in an epic tantrum. The trophy itself doesn't have quite the "shine" that the first release did, but unless the two accessories are side-by-side, you wouldn't really notice. It remains one of my all-time favorite wrestling figure accessories and looks great packaged with, in my opinion, the most deserving of the Andre Battle Royal winners to date.

This whole series is a winner. Why did it have to be exclusive? Many theories abound as to what will happen. Toys "R" Us stores are STILL receiving shipments of this series, thus the secondary market prices have greatly dropped. There are rumors that Mattel took back some of the cases due to the chain closing. Will they show up elsewhere? I wouldn't doubt it. Needless to say, I feel that three of the four figures here (Show, Heenan, and Henry) belong in any collection and the situation does need to be handled to satisfy collector demand. When will we find out? You won't see it comin', but I promise you'll know...

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--WrestleMania XXIV Program

With just a few days remaining as of press time until WrestleMania XXX, I thought it would be in the spirit of "getting into the Mania mood" to take a look back at one of the twenty-nine previous events.  One of the first entries here on the blog covered the collectability of WrestleMania programs.  At that time, the WrestleMania XXIV program was the "newest" available (with XXV debuting a few weeks later), and back then I did not even own it.  I never could have imagined where the copy that did end up with me would emanate from.

Of the WrestleMania's of the past decade, XXIV is my second favorite.  It was my favorite of the era until my obvious bias and undying love of WrestleMania XXIX came about.  It was outdoors, it had the dramatic lighting effect that only Mother Nature can pull off, and it had several "WrestleMania moments" that have been shown time and time again.  Most of all, it had the "WrestleMania feel," something that not every show under the banner has been able to pull off.

Near the front of the program are pages dedicated to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2008.  WWE has taken several different directions regarding programs for WrestleMania and the Hall of Fame ceremony itself.  2008 marked the final year in which a smaller, more elegant, Hall of Fame program was produced.  In 2009, a standalone Hall of Fame program of the same size as the WrestleMania programs was available.  From 2010-on, the programs were merged into one and sold the entire weekend at Axxess, the Hall of Fame, and WrestleMania.

The particular copy shown here was acquired from the daughter and son-in-law of Gordon Solie, Pam and Robert Allyn.  The Allyn's were present at the event to honor the late "Dean of Wrestling Broadcasters" who was inducted into the Hall of Fame that year along with Eddie Graham, Jack and Jerry Brisco, Rocky Johnson, Peter Maivia, Mae Young, and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.  The Hall took on a decidedly Floridian flavor that year, especially considering the inclusion of Graham and Solie.

Like most of the WrestleMania events of the past ten years, the title matches are actually rather forgettable.  This is due to several factors, one of which is that all of the main eventers of the time had constantly battled on pay-per-view, tv, and house shows many times before they did so on the "grandest stage of them all."  Gone were the days of true dream matches like Hogan-Warrior that were built with the slightest of pre-Mania contact.  Could these days be returning?  With more weekly content than ever it will be difficult, but at least the stories are somewhat leaning in that direction.

Another reason that the Mania title matches of this era don't quite measure up is that fans simply weren't behind the main eventers of the time as they once had been.  In a fact that's been discussed to death, WrestleMania (and WWE shows in general) began to sell solely on the brand name factor alone rather than the drawing power of select stars.  Although I have speculated that we may going back in the opposite direction with stars like Daniel Bryan, The Shield, The Wyatt Family, and even the Rhodes and Uso families, the remnants of the past "era of disinterest" is still very evident with the backlash on names like Randy Orton and Batista.

WrestleMania XXIV gets past the damning title matches with a strong undercard and some very memorable special attraction matches.  From a mainstream standpoint, it didn't get any bigger than boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather going up against The Big Show.  Show, at the time just returning to WWE, may come out on the losing end of many of his Mania matches, but his performances are second-to-none.  Carrying a non-wrestler to an entertaining and believable match can in no way be easy, but Show did it here.  Seeing as that Mayweather is still a top grossing star and did very well in his WrestleMania appearance, it would not surprise me to see the company work with him again somewhere down the pike.

Perhaps even more memorable was the match between Flair and Shawn Michaels.  Going in, most fans realized that Flair would be losing this match, which in turn would trigger his retirement.  I can tell you from watching the show live with a mixed group of casual and regular wrestling fans, it didn't matter to anyone.  Two of the all-time greats told a story that could captivate fans on any level.  Although it didn't turn out to be Flair's final match altogether, it will ultimately be his final WWE match.

Aside from a hot opener billed as a "Belfast Brawl" between Fit Finlay and JBL, a then-WrestleMania traditional Money In The Bank match was another big highlight.  Looking back it's interesting to see what happened to the seven men involved.  The winner, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho have had many WWE highlights since, but MVP, Ken Kennedy, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, and John Morrison all but fell into the same vacuum that other WWE mid-carders of the era did.  Sure, several have gone on to careers in TNA and Japan, but there is something about the mid-carders of the post-Attitude Era that leaves a fan wondering.  Many of them had so much talent, but they just never seemed to catch on.  Whether it was a residue effect of the aforementioned problem of no one single talent really setting the company on fire at the time or their own individual career moves and choices, we'll never really know.

This WrestleMania program is unlike many of the others in that it includes a poster highlighting the Show-Mayweather match as well as the two title matches.  This "bonus" is reminiscent of an old style wrestling event poster and helps give the title matches a bit more "oomph," although it is telling that the boxer vs wrestler match overshadows everything else.  The inclusion of a poster is very hit or miss with pay-per-view programs (several in the '94-'95 era had them as does Survivor Series 2011), so it's always a nice little extra.

In the back, we get one-page WrestleMania "capsules" profiling the previous twenty-three events.  These were a staple for several years of the large Mania programs, with one added each year.  One huge mistake somehow went unnoticed for several years with the WrestleMania III page listing and showing WrestleMania 2 celebrities Rick Schroeder, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Elvira.  A small oversight to some, but after appearing a few years in a row, it started to become the first thing that I would turn to find.

Mania programs rarely disappoint, even if the corresponding show does.  With XXIV we had a winning show and a nice program to boot that, while not the rarest, isn't the easiest to find in the collection.  Of any niche wrestling collectors that I hear from the most, it's definitely WrestleMania program collectors.  After all, "The Greatest Sports Entertainment Extravaganza of All-Time" should have the greatest memorabilia of all-time.  What will the thirtieth edition bring us?  Time will tell.  "Laissez les bon temps rouler" may be this years tagline, but I think that the thousands of fans in the Superdome will more likely be chanting, "Sainte merde!"

My Wrestling Favorites--Part 1 of 5

Like any wrestling fan, I hear the same question time and time again: "Who's your favorite?"

It's not easy to play favorites. In fact, I've whittled my list down to not just one but five all-time favorites. That part wasn't too hard. But what about current favorites? I don't point out enough that I love many of the current crop of wrestlers, just not the product in which they are presented. There's an amazing group of talent out there in all of the top companies, but I never really got around to thinking about who my current favorites were--until now.

In this and four upcoming entries I will highlight two stars of the ring--one of my all-time favorites and one current favorite. Like I said, there are many more legends that I admire and many other current stars that I look forward to watching. In the case of the current stars, I chose five that have been around for a spell. While many stars that I enjoy such as D'Angelo Dinero, Heath Slater, and Jack Swagger are certainly high on my list, they don't have the years that the others on my current list have under their belt. In other words, the current stars on my list are more "current all-time," if that makes sense. These stars, both current and all-time, are also in no particular order.

Without further ado...let's discuss my first two choices.

1 of 5 All-Time Favorites: Harley Race

Wrestlers can have virtually any look imaginable. Beautiful or ugly. Fat or thin. Tall or short. Proper or slob. While Harley Race once used the "Handsome" moniker, one of the things that always made me enjoy him so much is the fact that he just LOOKS like a wrestler. If you ask me, you should be able to open up a dictionary and when looking up the word "wrestler" see a photograph of one of three men: Arn Anderson, Don Muraco, or Harley Race. For whatever reason, to me these three men epitomize the word "wrestler" by look alone.

Race did more than just stand around and look like a wrestler, he could back it up in the ring in spades. Show even the most stubborn wrestling "doubter" a Harley Race match and you may just have a believer.

Race does not get enough credit for being one of the very first wrestlers to have the all-around package. He had the look. He had the in-ring skills. He had the skills on the mic. For quite a few years he even had the mutton chops. According to many inside the business, he also had the ability to take care of himself outside of the ring as well.

Race is in virtually every wrestling Hall of Fame imaginable but I've always felt that "The King" simply doesn't get all of the accolades which he deserves. A WWE-produced DVD collection would be an amazing gift to fans, and although the company may not feel that he is as marketable as others that they have highlighted, such a set has a better chance than ever to be produced as Triple H makes more and more such decisions.

Indeed it does speak volumes about Race when stars such as Triple H and Mick Foley publicly point out the contributions that the legend has made to their own careers. Since retiring, Race has also trained many stars including Ted DiBiase Jr. and Trevor Murdoch.

Although Harley Race was well into his reign as "The King" in the WWF by the time I became a fan, the magic of videotape allowed me to go back and follow Race's career from virtually the beginning. The growling voice and methodical, calculating ring style won me over immediately. I'm not above saying that the man honestly scared me. Although I have had the fortune to be in his presence many times as an adult, the impact of seeing Race's work is still enough to make any fan a bit uneasy. He was that good.

1 of 5 Current Favorites: The Big Show

Paul Wight will go down in history as having one of the most debated careers in the business. Was it a success? Was it a failure? Considering he's still at the top of business, I would say that a 100% conclusion can't be made at this time. If I was forced to make that decision, I would ultimately consider it a success.

The problem with Wight's career is the constant comparison to Andre. To me, the only comparison that can be made to Andre is the fact that at one point his gimmick was being "the son of Andre." That's it. The Big Show and Andre the Giant are two different men with two different careers in two VERY different eras in professional wrestling. End of subject.

It was once rumored that Hulk Hogan told his friend, Paul Wight, that Vince McMahon would know how to make Wight a success. Whether or not the story was true, the message was correct. Wight did not appeal to me as "The Giant." At that point he essentially WAS supposed to be another Andre. As The Big Show, Wight was able to show his own personality. Was he too beatable at times? Perhaps, but the "giant" successes of his career continue to block out the bad similar to how his 7 foot frame blocks out the sun.

The Big Show appeals to me because in that 7 foot body he is able to put on an exciting, believable, and entertaining match as well as men half of his size. Detractors of his usually turn out to be the same naysayers who will automatically dislike any wrestler that doesn't excel with the fairyland expectation known as "workrate." The man can work. He's not flippy. Deal with it.

Currently in the midst of a fun feud with another underrated giant in the form of Mark Henry, Show is still going strong sixteen years after his WCW debut. Honestly, I would say Show has never been better. Each time that injuries have threatened to end his career, the man comes back a bit better than before. I'd like to think that Show has a few more years left in the ring, but when it does end I hope he goes out with a bang. Like the song says... "You won't see it coming, but I promise you'll know..."

I hope you've enjoyed the first two "My Wrestling Favorites" capsules. Stay tuned for four more installments! As always, for updates on the blog and galleries full of hundreds of great wrestling collectibles join our Facebook Fanpage!