Wrestling In Other Venues

As big of a part of pop culture as professional wrestling is, it's always fun to see the business outside of the squared circle. While wrestlers can hold their own with icons and celebrities from across the spectrum, it's interesting to see how they interact. Sometimes it's the wrestlers themselves "visiting" in other forms of entertainment. At other times celebrities from outside of the ring will try their hand. Still, in other examples, various genres attempt to incorporate wrestling into their own brand, often with mixed results.

Wrestlers crossing over into non-wrestling television shows has been a staple since the '50s! It was then that Lou Albano "wrestled" the legendary Jackie Gleason in a sketch on the comedian's popular program. Three decades later, as Gleason and "The Honeymooners" were seeing a resurgence, The Captain appeared in an issue of a comic based around the beloved sitcom. In the story Albano is a relative of Ralph Kramden's neighbor Mrs. Manicotti. This, of course, leads the blustery bus driver into the wrestling ring.

Many wrestlers appeared on shows of all types, comedy, action, and drama alike. Hulk Hogan made many guest appearances during the '80s boom period as did Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Rowdy Roddy Piper, King Kong Bundy, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan to name a few. Andre the Giant appeared famously as Bigfoot on an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. His appearance even spawned a magazine cover and an action figure! Later on, Andre would provide a giant challenge for The Greatest American Hero before landing his most famous role as Fezzig in the film The Princess Bride.

It was not unusual for shows to have wrestling-themed episodes as well. Family Matters, Laverne & Shirley, The Munsters, Boy Meets World, and That '70s Show are ventured into the squared circle, but my favorite has to be the episode of Mama's Family entitled "Mama Mania." GLOW's own Queen Kong and Mt. Fiji guest star as "The Masked Mabels," a corpulent female tag team who end up battling Mama and her daughter-in-law Naomi. The episode captures everything fun about the wrestling boom of the period.

In the '90s, Bret "The Hitman" Hart famously guest starred on The Simpsons. While his appearance on the animated hit was brief, it was memorable. Several years ago when toy company NECA unveiled a line of action figures based on famous guest stars who showed up in Springfield, "The Hitman" was one of the highlights of the collection.

But The Simpsons aren't the only cartoon characters who have encountered wrestlers. While I don't believe that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ever tangled with wrestling in their cartoon or comic book, the action figures are a different story. There have been figures of the Turtles dressed as WWE favorites over the past few years, but the first TMNT-wrestling hybrid figure debuted in the original line by Playmates Toys. "Shell Slammin' Mike" takes the orange-masked Michaelangelo and transforms him into a caped competitor complete with belt and pet snake.

Last but not least, we look at a man...err...bear who is a champion of children, and adults, everywhere. He may not be "The People's Champion" by name, but he certainly is in our hearts. Is there anyone who doesn't love this guy? Yes, he's the "Hundred Acre Wrestling Federation Champion" according to his belt, and I would imagine he rumblies...err...rumbles over the competition. Who else could it be?

Oh bother!

Wrestling MarketWatch: WWF Magazine

As great as the other publications were, there was something special when you picked up an issue of the official WWF Magazine. It was glossy, all color, and all slick. The photos of WWF superstars and events were second-to-none since, for the majority of the magazine's heyday, outside photographers were banned from ringside. It combined all the "news" that was fit to print along with the legendary merchandise catalog and packaged it together in one nicely disguised additional piece of marketing. The superstars, the managers, the announcers, and even the ladies--they all made it into the magazine. While it may be gone today (aside from the occasional "special"), the decades of existing issues continue to stand the test of time.

In this edition of MarketWatch, we'll look at some of the recent auction sale prices of WWF Magazine. Instead of showcasing the milestone issues that have been largely covered here in the past, we'll focus on some of the less-remembered covers. As is usually the case, even if an autographed example is shown, the prices given are reflecting unsigned pieces.

*We kick it off with an issue from when the magazine was still bi-monthly. It was August/September 1985 and the "Rock N Wrestling Connection" was still in full force. Who was at the center of that era? Cyndi Lauper, of course. Who were three of the biggest baddies? Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Iron Sheik, and Nikolai Volkoff. All four of these WWE Legends (I would say Hall of Famers, but Lauper continues to be inexplicably snubbed) create a cover image that is pure '80s WWF. As discussed on this blog years ago, the keen reader will spot a photo inside of the issue of Fred Blassie that is more than obviously the inspiration for his LJN Wrestling Superstars figure. This issue recently sold at auction for $30.

*Still deep in the cartoony land of late '80s WWF brings us to the January 1989 issue. On the cover is none other than "that piece of garbage" (per Gorilla Monsoon), Brother Love. This was less than a year after the character debuted. If you've been watching the recent WWE Network additions of Prime Time Wrestling, you know that he was still a big deal from week to week, advancing many storylines on "The Brother Love Show." Decades later in WWE Magazine it was mentioned that this was one of the lowest-selling issues of all-time, but that could have been just a made-up blurb. Nonetheless, the issue featuring the man who "loooooooves" you recently sold for $20.

*October 1992 brings us one of the more underrated stars of the mid-90s (in my opinion, anyway), Tatanka. The Native American superstar may have come along just a few years too late, but I will always fondly remember his battles with Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, and IRS among others. He made an amazing cover shot, too, in his only official WWF Magazine cover appearance. Tatanka still actively competes on the independent scene to this day, and is one of the nicest superstars that you'd ever want to meet. He is very active with fans via social media, as well. This underrated issue just recently sold for $13.

*His voice may have sounded completely different, but Bret "The Hitman" Hart did in fact guest star on The Simpsons back in 1997. To promote the episode, he also shared the cover of WWF Magazine with Bart Simpson in May of that year. It's a bright, vibrant cover that would be very much out of place in the very-soon-to-be "Attitude"-filled world of the WWF just several months later. Why did Bret use a generic wrestler voice? As the story goes, he was originally to voice a fictional wrestler. When the produces of The Simpsons saw the fans go nuts for the star when he arrived for his recording, the decision was made to instead animate "The Hitman" himself. The issue recently sold at prices ranging from $10 to $25.

*She may be gone way too soon, but her groundbreaking legacy lives on. Chyna may have done some things to tarnish that legacy in her later career, but for around four years she was certainly an attraction unlike anything that the wrestling world had seen before. In my meetings with her, she was nothing but gracious. My copy of this issue is autographed, as it was always one of the main items that I wanted her to sign. I'm glad that it got to happen. The August 2000 issue of WWF Magazine, featuring the "9th Wonder of the World" in one of her most beautiful shots, recently sold for just $8.00.

Five issues is a tiny sampling, but many of the prices prove that the magazine is still very undervalued monetarily. As with so much wrestling memorabilia, prices will go up and down as time marches on. What's important, as always, is the value to you, the fan. Maybe you grabbed that Brother Love issue off of the newsstand in '89 or you couldn't believe that Bart was standing with Bret in '97. Memories are the true treasure that you can't put a price on.

The 2014 J\/\/ Awards

How unimaginable is it that another year has passed?  Even more unreal is that this year is the fifth annual installment of The J\/\/ Awards, celebrating the best in wrestling memorabilia over the past twelve months. Each year the design of "The Joshie" changes, but it is always "based" upon a classic wrestling figure or collectible.  This year, the award could go flying through the air with a 747 splash or even magically transform into a dancing, yellow and blue clad, African Dream!  The design isn't the only change in 2014, with one award being retired and another one born.  The wrestling world as a whole has seen a lot of change this year, from the way that some of the product is presented to losing some of its most memorable names.  Without further ado, let the awards begin!

2014 Best Figure

Mattel's WWE Wyatt Family win "The Joshie" for 2014 Best Figure(s).  For the second year in a row, a trio of figures take this one home.  In contrast to last years winners, each figure here is very different in appearance.  Though the Elite versions of the boys were chosen due to their accessories, each release of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan have been great efforts by Mattel.  That being said, the accessories are almost as great as the figures themselves.  With all three members of the family embarking on their own paths, it will be interesting to see where they go, both in WWE and on store shelves, in 2015.

2014 Best Buy (Non-Figure)

WWE Network wins "The Joshie" for 2014 Best Buy.  For whatever reason that you may have subscribed, you automatically got the best deal of 2014.  If you haven't yet subscribed, we may have to bring back the "Turnbuckle Turkey" award for you.  Sure there are deserved criticisms, but that comes with the territory. You can pick just about any one thing from the Network and justify $9.99 per month.  The current pay-per-view live?  Yep, that's worth $9.99.  Four or five NXT episodes a month?  Yep, that's worth $9.99.  On-Demand access to the WWE, WCW, and ECW pay-per-view libraries?  Yep, that's worth...ok...enough of the commercial.  But it's true.  It's a Helluva deal and should only get bigger and better as time goes on.

2014 Best Product Line

Mattel wins "The Joshie" for 2014 Best Product Line.  Longtime readers know that when Mattel first started churning out WWE product, I was less than impressed.  Poor lineups, poor distribution, poor creativity, and that God-awful red packaging design. Things have changed for the better and for the third time, Mattel takes home the gold.  Although there's always room for improvement (could we get that Magnum TA?), 2015 already looks like a very good year.  Come on, we're getting Bayley!  What could be better than that?  A Bayley hug, perhaps, but the figure will be almost as cool.

2014 Future Holy Grail

NECA's The Simpsons Bret Hart Figure wins "The Joshie" for 2014 Future Holy Grail.  I've already said a lot about this figure, but I really can't say enough.  It combines The Simpsons and wrestling into one great collectible.  It captures a moment when a wrestler, who despite having a huge fanbase never truly crossed over into the mainstream, became a part of animated pop culture.  Thanks to that crossover appeal, the figure flew off of shelves as soon as it hit.  A New York Comic Con version has proven to be equally as popular.  Bret Hart.  The Simpsons.  Action figures.  It's a great recipe that should stand the test of time.

Normally our awards end with the "Future Holy Grail."  You may have noticed the absence of the "Best Publication" award which usually went to books or magazines.  As of 2015, Pro Wrestling Illustrated will be the only remaining U.S. wrestling magazine and although there are some great authors churning out amazing wrestling books, I just do not have the time and resources to be objective and read them all.  Thus, "Best Publication" has been retired.  However, in the spirit of PWI's year-end "Editors Award," this year we introduce our "Thanks For The Memories" honor.  Since this blog celebrates "The Best in Wrestling Memorabilia & Memories" on a weekly basis, this award will focus on the latter.  The winner can be a person (living or dead) or concept that somehow made all of us fondly recall wrestling's past in the last twelve months.

 2014 Thanks For The Memories Award

2014 Thanks For The Memories Honoree:  The Ultimate Warrior.  Electrifying.  Entertaining. Controversial.  Just three words that could be used to describe the man known as The Ultimate Warrior.  A generation of kids grew up mystified by him.  While Hulk Hogan was the clean cut hero, the Warrior brought a bit of an edge and a whole lot of mystery.  Just where did he run off to every night after beating Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, or Randy Savage?  Where was Parts Unknown?  Who were these skeletons and why did they make a sacrifice?  Sure, we could all envision the other WWF "good guys" going to hang out after the matches, but Warrior seemed different.  He was.  We had never seen anything like him before, nor will we ever again.  Thanks for the memories, Warrior.

And thanks to all of you for once again keeping with the blog throughout the year.  I appreciate each and every one of you.  Whether you come up and say hi at a show or simply shoot me an e-mail, those are my awards. Those people and moments remind me why I've loved wrestling for all of these years.  Thank you!

The Hitman Goes Yellow

Everyone loves when their interests crossover.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but you always end up with something that you never thought you would have seen.  Being the popular phenomenon that it is, wrestling usually ends up appearing with every other form of entertainment in one way or another, even with television's favorite family, The Simpsons.  But it wasn't Springfield's own grapplers such as The Shrieking Sheik, El Bombastico, or even Dr. Hillbilly that appeared on the cover of WWF Magazine with Bart Simpson, it was Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

I think everyone my age watched at least the first several seasons of The Simpsons.  It was on every kind of item marketed to kids despite having adult humor, yet was just tame enough not to elicit any objections from parents.  Some viewers stayed on as the show moved forward, while others moved on.  I'm in the latter group, as aside from catching an episode here or there, my viewing habits were elsewhere.  Around 2001, this changed.  Playmates Toys picked up The Simpsons license to produce an action figure line known as "The World of Springfield."  The figures were not only great looking, but also spoke lines from the show when plugged into playsets of various Springfield locales.

In all, over two-hundred "World of Springfield" figures were produced.  Fairly early into the run, I found myself drawn to them despite not being a regular watcher of The Simpsons for years.  I couldn't believe that so many random, goofy characters of an animated sitcom were being produced. This also led me back into the show itself where I remain a fan to this day.  Unfortunately, the toy line would only last a fraction of the years that the sitcom has, leaving many collectors yearning for more.

In 2014, a company called NECA picked up licensing rights for The Simpsons, most notably more action figures. Other figures of Bart, Homer, Krusty, and the gang have been produced since the Playmates line ended, but you can't top greatness.  Nothing aside from adding figures to the Playmates line was going to appease longtime collectors, so that is exactly what NECA did.  Calling their line "25 of the Greatest Guest Stars," NECA began producing figures of some of the most memorable stars who have appeared as themselves on the show.  NECA has rounded out the line by throwing in some regular characters such as Homer and Milhouse in designs not produced by Playmates.

The topic of this entry, Bret Hart, arrived in Series 3 of the line.  So far, Hart is a true standout as many of the guest stars chosen have been musicians.  For those of you who don't remember, Hart appeared in the episode "The Old Man and the Lisa."  Springfield's power plant owner and evil billionaire Montgomery Burns suddenly learns that his fortune has dwindled.  Before receiving help from little Lisa Simpson, Burns is forced to sell off his infamous mansion.  One of the potential buyers is Bret Hart.

The figure appears exactly as Hart did on the show.  In fact, a picture of the scene in which Hart appears in the same pose as the figure is shown on the back of the card.  All of the NECA figures so far have been released on a slim cardback with a large image of Homer applauding the star.  On the back is a great synopsis of the celebrity's appearance on the show as well as several images.

The figure does not have much articulation, nor should it.  These figures are intended to fit right in with the older Playmates figures which had neck, shoulder, and waist movement.  If you want a wrestling figure of Hart, you have countless other options.  This figure is all about Bret joining the denizens of Springfield, and it does a great job.  From the hot pink color to the hair to the shades, NECA did "The Hitman" right.  Hart himself has allegedly spoken of an exclusive version to come down the pike in the future, but nothing else is known nor can I think of how it would differ and remain true to the show.  Fox is very particular about toys from The Simpsons appearing just as they did on screen.

I already know fans who do not normally buy figures that have picked this one up.  It's the perfect example of a crossover collectible, as many in this line have become.  Many fans are already hoping that this line continues after the first twenty-five celebrities (bands count as one) have been produced.  My votes?  Barry White, Betty White, Adam West, and Linda Ronstadt.  And, in case NECA is watching, how about Maude Flanders?  Please?  Longtime collectors will understand.  When it comes to The Simpsons, the possibilities have proven to be endless for over a quarter of a century!

Ay caramba!