It's Time...It's Time...

...It's Review Time!

Tis the season for plenty of sales. Both in brick and mortar stores as well as online, the deals are there to be had. The WWE online store has seemingly had sales going on for the past month which included many of the new Mattel action figures.

Not feeling like spending $50-$100 on that new Sheamus figure? (If you ever listen to any advice from me make it this--wait for Sheamus! He'll be everywhere!) Then how about knocking $4-$5 off those new Mattel WWE Legends? That was one deal that this collector simply couldn't pass up, especially since one of the deals was the new Series 3 Vader figure.

Big Van Vader is a character that translates into action figure form like no other. With roughly around ten different action figures, give or take a few variants, the only disappointing version was the original Jakks "Bone Crunching" figure released in 1997. The figure was thin, looked like a monkey, and was just overall disappointing. Jakks more than made up for their error with their Classic Superstars Vader figures that included the huge helmet which Vader wore in Japan and WCW.

Japanese NOAH, Mattel, & Jakks Vader Figures

This brings us to the new Mattel version. Dare I say, this figure is customizable right out of the package. Between the "White Castle of Fear" cape from WCW to two different removable masks (one black, one red), you can change Vader from era to era all in one figure.

Body-wise the figure is most reminiscent of Vader earlier in his career. Mattel did a fantastic job on capturing Vader's look right down to the gloves. The figure seems a bit less stiff than some of the other Mattel offerings, leading to easier poses depicting Vader just as he was when he was considered the best "big man" in the business.

The packaging is again very nice albeit a bit over sized for the figures. The back of the card discusses Vader's legendary WCW feud with Sting. Match this figure up with the Jakks Legends Sting and WCW lives on.

This series also includes Mr. Perfect, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, The Rock, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Vader is probably the best Legends effort put forth by Mattel thus far, and I'm hoping such upcoming figures such as The Von Erichs and Randy Savage only surpass him.

"Gobble...Gobble..."--Gorilla Monsoon

Ah, the magic of Thanksgiving's wrestling tradition. From being the original date of Starrcade to later being taken over by the Survivor Series, the American holiday was once one of the highest grossing days for the wrestling industry.

While today's superstars get to celebrate the holiday at home, it was not long ago when after a day of cooking and eating, the family would pack into the car to celebrate Thanksgiving evening with a night of wrestling action.

The last time that live (wrestling taped at an earlier date does not count) wrestling was presented on a wide scale on Thanksgiving night would've been twenty years ago for the fourth annual WWF Survivor Series. The event included the debut of The Undertaker, the last time the original members of Demolition would together grace WWF rings, and the one and only time a "Grand Finale Match of Survival" occurred as the main event. All of these highlights could only be overshadowed by one thing...


The debut of The Gobbledy Gooker. And for all of you, on this Thanksgiving, I give you the gift of seeing the authentic autograph of the big bird himself...hatched 20 years ago and still going strong.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Old School Is...and always will be...Cool!

This coming Monday, Raw will be transformed into an "Old School" three-hour special. While we will probably receive a heaping helping of Santino, Nikolai, and Sheiky-Baby in "Foreigner Funnies" and Dusty dancing with the Bella Twins, it's still nostalgia. Nostalgia is something that goes a long way with me.

I'm of the opinion that a wrestling roster should always have a few veterans on hand. If you look back at the wrestling magazines and even films of wrestling from the 1960s and 1970s, many of the stars were ALREADY in their 40s and 50s. While building an entire promotion around seasoned stars may not be a wise venture, I've always felt that WWE should have been commended for including such names as Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Fit Finlay, and Tony Atlas on their lineup in the past few years.

I'm not the only fan who prefers wrestling of yesteryear to the present product, but it does my heart good to know that so many children are fans of today's superstars. Seeing the kids at live events make me recall my days of youth. Those days when the suspension of belief wasn't quite a leap and the thought that maybe, just maybe, that main event grudge match may not go as planned. Maybe these gladiators, in their top position, want that win just a bit more. Maybe tonight things are getting out of hand!

So while I don't necessarily feel the same magic as I once did, I'm glad that so many do. While I may covet those incredible 60s and 70s magazines, three items in my personal collection are just begging for John Cena's signature. A Nattie Neidhart autograph thrills me just as much as one from her father, "The Anvil." That Sheamus figure about to hit shelves? I'll be bringing one home.

As much as the business changes, a lot of it remains the same. Next Monday Night, hopefully the youngsters will get a proper taste of what they missed...or they'll get Gene singing "Tutti Fruitti."

Hey...wait a minute...are you putting me on?

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For more information on the pictures in this entry and many other great wrestling collectible photos, check us out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JWs-Wrestling-Memorabilia-Blog/306682871103

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And for a great "new school" wrestling collectible, pick up the January 2011 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated available on newsstands now. It's the "Greats of the Game" Collectors Issue featuring profiles on six of the top stars in the industry. Not to mention, the Bret Hart "Career Report" feature was penned by yours truly!

On this most political of days...The State of Collecting Address

When has wrestling memorabilia been a factor discussed in a political election? Without getting into specifics (you can get politics elsewhere on the net), it's an amazing but true fact. That point, coupled with the fact that I haven't discussed trends in recent weeks, lead us to have our first annual...State of Collecting Address.

I've been receiving a lot of feedback lately on current trends in wrestling memorabilia and current products. While the product itself is nowhere near as hot as it was ten years ago, there is still a ton of new memorabilia being produced. A lot of that can be credited to the WWE's current kid-friendly direction.

Without a doubt, the Mattel-WWE partnership has shown the biggest boost WWE has ever given one of their licensees. While many products have been seen on WWF/WWE television over the years, it has usually been items sold directly from the company. Items that were strictly sold in stores have mostly been shoved to the back burner.

Yes, the LJN and Hasbro action figure lines were frequently shown in the background on WWF programming, but Mattel's line has received the true red carpet treatment.

While I have not been shy with my varied feelings on the line, it's no secret that the figures have been a huge hit with collectors of all ages. Going into 2011 with long-awaited figures such as Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Sheamus, the Nexus, and even The Von Erich's, Mattel should have no problem keeping their momentum. The recent announcement of the first ever Magnum TA figure for Mattel's WWE Legends line only adds to their good outlook.

Mattel's Dusty Rhodes & Drew McIntyre vs Jakks' Suicide & Sting

Jakks, former WWE licensee now under contact to TNA, has disappointed some collectors. While much of the product that the company has released this year has been quality, slow releases and cancellations of some very anticipated products produces a large question mark in forecasting their 2011.

Their Legends of the Ring figure line, despite getting off to a great start in stores, has been all but dissolved. It's been said that some figures slated for release in the series will be integrated into the basic TNA figure line, but it seems that highly anticipated figures like Jim Cornette and Terry Taylor will never see the light of day.

Despite slow releases and delays, the basic single and tag team lines have done very well. Inclusions of stars such as Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson, and D'Angelo Dinero as well as Knockouts Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, and Daffney should continue to keep the line afloat.

Figures aren't the only collectibles out there and nor will we pretend that is the case. A couple of months ago I discussed the future of wrestling trading cards. Both companies are in good hands with the Topps WWE and TriStar TNA products. Both Topps and TriStar have a full grasp on how to release product in the same vein of other sport card lines. The releases have been wonderfully marketed to both wrestling and trading card collectors in general, which is why I believe the product continues to fly off shelves. Add that to the fact that, at $1.99 per pack, cards are still an item that "Johnny WrestleManiac" can convince mom and pop to buy on the weekly trip to Target.

Printed media is still in the game as well. WWE churns out two regular publications per month, as well as countless special issues covering individual stars, events, and even a Divas Calendar magazine. TNA has yet to venture into the field of magazines. With the popularity of their program book sold at live events, this is an avenue TNA may be wise to consider. Their program is a very well-done publication full of high-quality photography. Specials on Jeff Hardy and the Knockouts would be obvious high-sellers.

TNA 2010 Program

The legendary Stanley Weston wrestling magazines can also be found at newsstands nationwide. Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestler/Inside Wrestling are still the longest running wrestling magazine titles. Still featuring the best writing and photography covering the industry, the titles have kept with the times and feature the best in-depth analysis of the business. PWI's annual "Greats of the Game" issue, to be released within the next week, features a Bret Hart career overview put together by yours truly.

DVDs and video games, always hot sellers around the holidays, are last but certainly not least. All of the WWE and TNA pay-per-view events are released on DVD, often just a month after occurring. Both companies have released compilation DVDs in recent months with WWE's Chris Jericho and TNA's Asylum Years sets getting rave reviews from fans. WWE's release on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan this December should keep old school fans happy for the holidays.

Both companies have also released video games this year, with WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 getting the majority of the attention. While the games have changed little over the past few years, fans continue to enjoy playing as their favorite stars and legends. An arcade-style game featuring stars past and present entitled WWE All-Stars is set for a 2011 release.

Prepare your wallets for 2011. There will literally be "something for everyone" in the new year. While the onslaught of merchandise still won't be quite as overwhelming as in the days of the Attitude Era, there is still another wrestling "boom" on the horizon. Whether it comes in the next year or five years from now, its coming is inevitable. These are the times in which virtually anything wrestling, past or present, becomes "hot."

Now is a great time to prepare. A lot of items that were impossible to find at a decent price ten years ago are now readily available. My personal prediction is that vintage magazines, which can now be found for extremely reasonable prices on the secondary market, would be a wise choice to begin with. Issues that once sold for $50-$100 can now be found for $10 or under. As with any collectible, it's all about timing.

It all boils down to collecting what you like. Don't let prices or what another collector else has or covets decide what's in your collection. That Santino figure may be just as exciting to you as a Bruno Sammartino magazine is to me. Simply remember to enjoy what you have and continue to celebrate the sport of kings...

...or sports entertainment.

Halloween--The Wrestling Spooktacular

There is no holiday better fit for the world of professional wrestling than the one that falls on the 31st of October. Since so many heroes and villains of the ring wars "dress up" to "scare" their opponents and even the fans, it's no wonder that countless Halloween costumes over the years have been inspired by the likes of Hawk, Animal, and even...Hulk Hogan.

Keeping with the theme of memorabilia, it's often the more colorful or bizarre grapplers that make for a better action figure or trading card. While many purists would prefer a wrestler in black tights with arms outstretched in a grappling position, others just live for the face paint, leather, and other outlandish qualities that so many Halloween-esque stars have had. The following will be a look at some of those stars and other "scary" situations from the squared-circle.

Before getting to the grapplers themselves, there's no greater connection to "All Hallows Eve" and professional wrestling than the WCW pay-per-view event called Halloween Havoc. From 1989 to 2000, Havoc was always one of the most anticipated yearly WCW events, usually due to brutally bizarre gimmick matches. The first event featured an electrified steel cage main event pitting Sting and Ric Flair against Terry Funk and The Great Muta. Four legends in their own right, the teams were joined by the late, great Gary Hart and special guest referee Bruno Sammartino.

While early stars such as Pampero Firpo, Maurice "The French Angel" Tillet, and even The Sheik certainly qualify as spooky stars, it wasn't until the '80s that the grotesque were brought out front and center. The Road Warriors and Kamala highlighted many magazine covers during the "Decade of Decadence," with the March 1984 Pro Wrestling Illustrated cover perhaps being the most famous in the magazine's history. The cover, featuring Hawk and Animal illuminated in "horror lighting," was even chosen by the magazine as one of its ten best.

While WCW had Halloween Havoc and The Road Warriors and Kamala were products of the territories, no one can deny that the WWF/WWE has had the craziest cast of characters come through its rings.

The power of Paul Bearer's urn, the worm-eating maw of The Boogeyman, and the vomit-inducing powers of Papa Shango are just a few samples of the "supernatural" happenings to come from Stamford, Connecticut over the years. Even women's wrestling legend The Fabulous Moolah broke out a smoking cauldron and that pesky "horror lighting" along with her charge Leilani Kai.

The Road Warriors did indeed cross through the WWF in several stints before Hawk's death in 2003, but one WWF-born tag team continues to smear their face paint in rings throughout the world to this day.

"Here Comes The Ax...Here Comes The Smasher..." In 1987, Demolition were looked at as Road Warrior knockoffs. As the weeks and months progressed, Bill "Ax" Eadie and Barry "Smash" Darsow proved that they were far more. Taking nothing away from Hawk and Animal, Demolition carved out a style all their own, combining great brawling with excellent wrestling skills. While the debate over which team was better will forever go on, the teams both hold their place in the history of wrestling...and intimidation!

But what about the superhero powers of The Hurricane, hideousness of Bastion Booger, and hilarity of ECW original The Blue Meanie? All worthy contenders showing different sides of the "Wrestling Spooktacular" spectrum.

Events. Tag teams. Comic book heroes. Meanies. They all fit this category nicely. But one wrestler truly deserves to be kept for last.

The Lord of Darkness. The Phenom. The Reaper. A character that probably wasn't intended to last longer than a year or so, much less twenty.


The Undertaker. What more can be said that hasn't already been written? Few superstars have captured generations of fans as Taker has. A comparison to Andre the Giant would not be out of the question in terms of being on top of the game for such a length of time. Rolling into his 21st year in the WWE, Taker continues to cement his legacy as one of the best "big men" in the game, and without a doubt the king of "The Wrestling Spooktacular."

I hope you've enjoyed this look at some the most bizarre competitors, events, and concepts in ring history. I could not include everything or everybody, so let me know if you feel your favorite was omitted. Happy Halloween!

Jakks "Ruthless" Style Lives On...For Now!

In January of 2003, Jakks released to the public what would be their most enduring style of wrestling figure. The "Ruthless Aggression" figure series, named for a phrase coined on WWE television the previous year, featured a style that met the needs of both collecting groups. Kids had a figure that was easy to play with and enabled them to recreate their favorite wrestling moves. Collectors had a figure that was great to look at and nicely represented their favorite stars. The style also carried over into the legendary WWE Classic Superstars figure line.

When Jakks took over the TNA figure license beginning in 2010, the majority of the figures were released in the "Deluxe Aggression" style. These figures are slightly larger and have a bit more articulation. While the Deluxe figures have a large fan base, many collectors prefer the Ruthless figures due to having seven years worth of WWE characters (and countless Classic figures) in this style.

Jakks Deluxe-Style Eric Young &
Ruthless-Style Kevin Nash

To appease this group, Jakks announced that not only would the Legends of the Ring figure series be done in the "Ruthless Aggression" style, but that a series featuring current TNA stars to be sold at (then unnamed) pharmacy and grocery store chains would be produced this way as well.

Just last month I brought you a review of several of the figures from the first Legends of the Ring series. This week, Jakks announced that the second series would not be produced due to an alleged lack of interest from collectors. It has been said that these and other Legends figures (Raven and Shane Douglas have been mentioned) will be worked into future regular TNA figure series while retaining the Legends packaging. I would not hold my breath.

Despite this setback, the other promised series of "Ruthless" style figures have indeed been released. An exclusive to Walgreens pharmacies, a six-figure series including Sting, Kevin Nash, Abyss, Kurt Angle, Jay Lethal, and Suicide has hit stores as part of the chains Christmas toy offerings.

Dubbed "Ruthless Impact" by collectors, the six-figure set seems to be showing up as one set per store. It is unknown if the figures will be replenished as the holiday season nears. Thus far, the figures have shown up individually carded and sold from a graphically-collectible cardboard display box. Since there is one of each of the six figures to each display box, many collectors have obtained the boxes to display the figures in.

Dating back several years, Jakks has had a long history providing many smaller retail chains with exclusive figures. At times, these figures have suffered from less detail than their counterparts sold at regular toy retailers. This difference does not continue with these figures. Characters such as Abyss and Kevin Nash feature great detail on their tattoos while Jay Lethal, clad in his "Black Machismo" attire to pay homage to "Macho Man" Randy Savage, even has "Machismo" on the back of his tights.

While the figures do not feature realistic scale, the same can be said for the "Deluxe" versions sold at mass retail. Scale is a feature that is difficult to produce correctly in order to provide a consistent product. For a good example of this, check out Mattel's figure releases of Rey Mysterio with a pea-sized head.

In addition to the display box, the cards are nicely designed with bubbles that are firmly attached. Issues have arisen with the first series of Deluxe TNA figures to hit retail regarding poor package manufacturing. Of note is the use of Suicide's "symbol" rather than the name "Suicide" on both figure and card. This is, no doubt, due to TNA and Jakks not wanting to release a children's toy using a controversial word. While the argument can be made that the child will know the name regardless from TNA television, I believe the omission is more to avoid problems from interest groups that target such matters.

It will be interesting to see how the collectiblity of this set rises or falls in the near future. Collectors have been scouring Walgreens stores nationwide to find this set which has just begun to show up. If the current trend of one of each of the six figures PER Walgreens store continues, coupled with the price point of three of the figures for $13.98 (or about $28 for the set), things in the TNA collecting community could get interesting this holiday season. Add to the fact that the Ruthless-style Legends series has been cancelled for all intents and purposes, we may be seeing the end of one of the longest lasting figure-styles in wrestling toy history.

WWWF Wrestling Action Magazine

Most wrestling collectors would agree that it is very hard to even make a shortlist of favorite collectibles. With the incredible array of items both current and vintage, it would be hard to even try and find a starting point. The five magazine issues that you are about to see and learn about will always, as a whole, make my personal top five.

Wrestling magazines are a unique breed of collectible. One can collect all issues of a certain title, focus on a particular star, or even a specific era. While the magazines have been produced en masse since around the time pro wrestling hit television and continue to fly off shelves today, the '70s through the '90s probably saw the widest variety of titles for the genre.

While the Stanley Weston (The Wrestler, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, etc.) and Norm Kietzer (Wrestling Revue, The Wrestling News) magazines were the first publications to rule the roost, the '80s and '90s saw in-house publications from the WWF, NWA, WCW, and even ECW.

There is one oft-forgotten in-house publication that was actually the first of its kind for the WWWF. While it's been claimed in the current incarnation of the WWE Magazine that the WWF's Victory Magazine was the first in-house WWWF/WWF published periodical, this simply isn't so.

The very first was the Wrestling Action magazine...


Published between 1977 and 1979, the magazine ended up only having a five issue run. While celebrated wrestling photographer George Napolitano provided much of the visual action, it was actually wrestling renaissance man Les Thatcher who held the title of editor.

Already holding the titles of wrestler, announcer, and trainer, Thatcher had been publishing the Mid-Atlantic and NWA wrestling magazines when Napolitano and Vince McMahon Jr. saw his work.

Similar to the aforementioned Mid-Atlantic and NWA titles, Thatcher brought incredibly designed covers to the WWWF publication as well. These covers, done by art director Cal Byers, visually set these magazines in a class by themselves. Billy Graham, Bruno Sammartino, and Bob Backlund are showcased on the first three covers while collages of stars are featured on the last two. Often you can even see the photos which inspired the cover art within the pages of the magazine itself.

Each issue contains two features that were not prominent in other wrestling magazines of the time, those being all "slick" pages and a good bit of color photos and graphics.

Packed with features on the stars both in and out of the ring, many articles were highlighted with special graphics and production techniques. Also impressive were the centerfolds in each issue, always featuring a top star or stars of the WWWF.

Reading these magazines, you can truly feel the excitement that legendary WWWF fans such as Mrs. Krieger or Georgiann Makropoulos (a wrestling publishing legend in her own right) probably felt while reading these back in the '70s. While wrestlers seldom need any help appearing larger than life, these issues certainly reinforced that to the WWWF loyal.

With the magazines produced over a period of two years, it is obvious that there was a great length of time between the release of each issue. A disclaimer even appears in later issues that apologizes to subscribers for the magazines not being published monthly.

Due to the fact that publication was stretched out for so long, the last issue gives us an automatic look at wrestling history. While the first four issues feature "World Wide Wrestling Federation" in the upper left corner of the cover, the fifth and final simply reads "World Wrestling Federation." Interestingly, that final issue is titled "Stars of the '80s" and among the cover collage is the man who would end up defining the WWF in the '80s--Hulk Hogan.

Sadly, Vince Jr. decided to pull the plug after that issue. With such a finely crafted magazine, it would be interesting to see how the beautiful covers and great content would've translated to the national expansion and even "Rock 'n Wrestling."

It's unknown how many copies of each issue were produced. All have become highly coveted by collectors, with the first issue usually gaining the most attention. When properly identified in an online auction setting, the inaugural issue has fetched as much as one-hundred dollars.

How about the original artwork from those fantastic covers? They are said to reside in the collection of photographer George Napolitano. He, and many of the wrestlers featured in the magazine, show great fondness for the issues when presented to them by fans. Graham, Lou Albano, Tony Atlas, and Ivan Putski are just a few who have enjoyed seeing the copies in my collection over the years.

I'd like to thank Mr. Les Thatcher for providing so much of the information about these classic collectibles. I recently had several opportunities to discuss Wrestling Action with the legend himself. When I began this blog nearly two years ago, this was one of my first ideas for a feature. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Thatcher for making it more informative than I ever could have on my own.