From The Musty Yellowed Pages--UWF Beach Brawl 1991 Program

Maybe Herbie did have a use for all of that baby oil three decades ago. No, it wasn't another late night at the office. It was UWF Beach Brawl! We've all heard the stories of Herb Abrams and his ill-fated venture into the sport of kings. He didn't want to just be competition for the World Wrestling Federation, he wanted to be bigger than the Stamford-based company had ever been! TV shows! Pay-per-view! Andre the Giant! Cookies! While some of that did actually happen (do we have evidence that any cookies were ever produced/sold?), three decades later we know the ultimate fate of the man and the company. But one tangible product still exists and today we're looking at it: the UWF Beach Brawl 1991 program!

While there are hats, video tapes and a few other programs floating around (does ANYONE have evidence of those damned cookies?), the Beach Brawl program is my favorite bit of Herbie's UWF memorabilia that is out there. It isn't so much what it looks like, though it does boast a colorful cover and plenty of photos inside. It isn't even that I am an avid collector of programs like many of you reading this. I never sought it out. I believe I picked it up relatively cheap in the last decade. What's really been a blast about owning this thing are the reactions that it gets from the wrestlers signing it.

"I didn't even show up," recalled Don "Magnificent" Muraco as he became the first to sign it. He was correct, he did not show up for his match with Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, but he is featured in the publication. The infamous Johnny Ace ended up subbing for The Magnificent One. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell got a great chuckle when recalling working for Herb Abrams as "Masked Confusion" as opposed to their WWF "Killer Bees" personas. Even Mick Foley, the most recent to sign it, marveled at it and recalled Muraco not actually working the event.

The program itself isn't too remarkable and certainly nothing compared to what the WWF was doing with programs or even WCW when they would manage to squeak one out. It certainly isn't cheaply made like a mimeographed independent show program of the era, but color on the inside definitely could've made it stand out a bit more.

Despite not winning on this particular show, Candi Devine still has the UWF Women's Championship belt in her possession and gladly brings it to autograph signings and appearances. The still-popular Rockin' Robin was the winner here and has her original WWF Women's Championship. Where's the fanfest promoter who will book these two ladies with Alundra "Madusa" Blayze (who, of course, still has the 1993-1995 WWF Women's Championship) and brings them all together for a special photo op? 

Speaking of things for wrestling fans to spend money on, Herb of course loaded the program with opportunities to order UWF apparel and other merchandise. Again, we know that hats and videotapes exist. The "Bruno book" offered would be the first printing of his autobiography that was released around that time. It is interesting to think that a man who built himself on honesty such as Bruno Sammartino would be taken in by a guy like Herb. It's my feeling that Bruno was so anxious to stick it to the WWF at that point that he was willing to go with whoever was trying to create opposition.

Speaking of Herb, one of the last pages in the book is fully dedicated to him and offers a bio that he most-assuredly penned himself. Perhaps the one truism on the page is the feeling that Bruno and Captain Lou Albano being part of the UWF lent credibility. While the promotion ultimately ended up with zero credibility to speak of, it is reasonable to think that some at the time may have thought that the inclusion of such names would in fact mean that there was promise in the company and that would attract both sponsors and fans. 

There's really little joy in rewatching anything that was produced by the company. It isn't like a WWF or WCW show from the era where nostalgia hits you at every corner. You can tell by the performances that much of the talent was there for a payday and nothing more. Still, others worked hard and tried to make something of it. I'll leave it to you to decide which names fall under which category. It is worth seeking out at least some of the footage for the sake of history, especially if you watched the Herb Abrams documentary produced awhile back. It's also interesting to see Andre the Giant in his brief appearance. I'm sure he just wanted to hang out with his old friends.

If anything it can serve as a warning. You don't want to end up like Herb Abrams. He tried to warn you right in this very program...

Jakks WWE Classic Superstars: A Modern Memorabilia Marvel

I miss the Classic Superstars. I miss reading of new star signings to be upcoming additions in the line. I miss seeing the first prototype pictures and whether or not Jakks captured the particular likeness I was hoping for. I miss everything about Jakks WWE Classic Superstars.

Although I've peppered this blog with talk and photos of the line, I've never devoted a sole entry to the series. Like the LJN and Hasbro figure lines which preceded it, the Classic Superstars collection cannot be completely covered in just one entry. Also similar to its predecessors, the Classic Superstars line has enough good and bad nuances to fill a book.

In 2004, Jakks launched what would undeniably become the crowning glory of their nearly 15 years of holding the WWF/WWE license: WWE Classic Superstars. It was an action figure line that not only captured the attention of current fans, but also brought older fans back into the fold.

I will honestly admit that the original first series lineup didn't thrill me as much as it did many other collectors. Figures of "main event" talent such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Undertaker, Andre the Giant, and The Ultimate Warrior weren't what I wanted to start with. Taking nothing away from this half-dozen of talent, I wanted figures of stars who had no previous plastic incarnations. I wanted mid and undercard talent.

As the line progressed, myself and many other longtime fans were regaling with new figures of Harley Race, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Billy Graham, and Demolition while enjoying first time figures of The Barbarian, The Fabulous Moolah, Ernie Ladd, Gorilla Monsoon, and Tully Blanchard. The stars of wrestling's glory days were finally being remembered as they should be.

While I expect no one to believe this, at one time I actually envisioned such figures. For some unknown reason, a Nikolai Volkoff figure in similar window packaging came to my mind in daydreams of a retro wrestling figure line about a decade before the introduction of the Classic Superstars. I'm sure I was not the only one.

As the list of legends grew in the line, so did the lines of collectors wanting to have their figures autographed. While it is impossible to have each and every figure in the line signed, many of these stars frequently appear on the fanfest and convention scene. This has made the Classic Superstars figures some of the top items to get autographed at these shows. During the height of the line, some convention guests were being booked solely on the release of their figure.

While the talent did get paid for their likeness, many seemed to enjoy just being produced into a figure. Whether it was their first figure or not, seeing the excitement of many of the stars over their figures can sometimes be as big of a joy as getting them signed.

As with any figure line, the line wasn't perfect. Be it due to outside restrictions (Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Owen Hart, Elizabeth), cancellations (Blackjack Mulligan, Pat Patterson, Arnold Skaaland), or glaring omissions (Gorgeous George, Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers) some stars that could have made the line even better are not represented. In addition, some stars who were signed on to have figures ended up not being produced. This is particular sad in the case of Sir Oliver Humperdink who had signed on and seemed very excited to finally have an action figure in his likeness.

That being said, the amount and range of talent that was included in the line is unmatched. From Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair to the modern day "Classics" of John Cena, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge, there will never be another wrestling action figure collection of the same caliber.

Another highlight of the line is that, like the WWE Hall of Fame, names included reached out beyond the realms of WWWF/WWF/WWE talent. The Rock & Roll Express, The Koloff's, Bruiser Brody, The Brisco's, and even WCW, nWo, and ECW figure styles all showed up. Collectors in any era could find something to love in the line.

While Jakks continues to produce older stars in their TNA line under the "Legends of the Ring" banner and Mattel does similar work in their WWE Legends series, the true Classic Superstars line is over. Although there is much to collect and enjoy with the hundreds of figures produced from 2004 to 2009, any fan could wonder just what may have appeared had the line gone on a few more years. Although Jakks took the low road in the final months of the line, had WWE stayed with the company I have a feeling that we would have seen many more memorable figures.

More Classic Superstars will be covered in the future. What were your favorites? Tell your thoughts right here or on our Facebook Fanpage.