Classic Wrestling Figure Reviews #2: Enter the Hasbro

It was great being a kid in the 1980s; being a wrestling fan back then was even better. But throughout most of the decade, WWF enthusiasts only had a few options when it came to collecting action figures. In fact, we really only had two: LJN's Wrestling Superstars, and their smaller (and less popular) counterparts, the thumb wrestlers. These guys were constructed out of solid rubber and basically had zero articulation. Sound like fun, eh? At the time these figures were all the rage due to the WWF's aggressive advertising campaign. And don't get me wrong, some of those commercials were classic:

"I'll bring MY guys, you have YOURS!"

"They're so real, can YOU tell the difference?"

Yep, they'd get you pretty pumped up, and seeing Roddy Rowdy Piper promoting the figures on late-night television was equally exciting. But in retrospect, the toys were pretty crappy. The main issue was their lack of durability. It was only a matter of time before the deterioration set in, and soon enough your wrestlers were grappling with each other sans pants as the paint began to peel away from their trunks, exposing the flesh-toned color bases of the figures. Dogs were also quite fond of them. After a few months of play, it wasn't uncommon to see LJN's big ol' rubber wrestlers lying neglected on the lawn, half naked and half chewed up.

In 1989 Acclaim purchased LJN, shutting down its toy division to focus exclusively on video games. After five years of production, the Wrestling Superstars were canceled. But we needed something different anyway. We needed a new generation of toys to represent a new era in the World Wrestling Federation. And we would soon get it. In 1990, one company introduced what would perhaps become the most collectible wrestling figure line of all time: Hasbro's "Official" WWF Superstars.


In contrast to the larger LJN wrestlers, Hasbro produced plastic figures that only stood approximately 4 1/2 to 5 inches tall, each featuring a signature "action move". The toys were relatively tiny, but came packed with tons of personality like the series #1 "Macho Man" Randy Savage. This is a great representation of such an intense, colorful performer given how small the scale was. The head sculpt is accurate and his attire is spot-on for this stage in his career: headband, wacky glasses, star-patterned trunks, yellow knee pads, and yellow boots.

Macho Man was given a generic hammer fist for a signature move; this type of action feature and figure mold would be used again for characters like Rick "The Model" Martel and Shawn Michaels. It wasn't the most exciting wrestling maneuver, but it worked well enough and was easy to perform. Basically, the figure's arms are pulled up and then released, unleashing a quick, downward strike.



Jake "The Snake" Roberts is another great figure from the first series. They pretty much nailed his appearance, from the icy facial expression to his trademark snakeskin boots. This figure also came equipped with one of the most essential accessories in the entire line: the SNAKE. That's right, Hasbro included Jake's first pet, Damien, who adorns the figure perfectly. Jake performs a "Python Punch", an appropriate signature move given to a wrestler known for his quick, believable-looking strikes.


My only complaint with the appearance of this figure is its size. Jake was a large wrestler who was billed at 6'5; his figure should reflect that to some degree. But he looks quite small next to others like HBK, a performer of average build and stature.


Other figures like Andre the Giant, "Giant" Gonzales, and even The Undertaker tower over most of the models and still manage to be proportioned correctly, so it was clearly feasible to accomplish this. But other than that this is a great representation of the Snakeman, and a must-have figure.


The Bottom Line
I still love looking at these guys today. You won't have any display issues with the Hasbro figures, provided you take care of them. A simple dusting every now and then should suffice. The paint jobs generally are solid and the toys even seem to retain their glossy finish after all these years. The signature moves wear down over time, so if you're thinking about purchasing pre-owned figures online, make sure they are in working condition. A broken action feature is usually indicative of other problems due to heavy play, such as paint wear, loose parts, etc. There were eleven series in this line and several exclusives, so stay tuned for more Hasbro figure reviews.

Figure Review #1: Earthquake and Typhoon of the Natural Disasters (Jakks Classic WWE Superstars)

Very few wrestling figure series have made the same kind of impact on the market as the Jakks Classic WWE Superstars line. Known for their impressive packaging, painstaking level of detail, and adherence to historical accuracy, these toys have become highly collectible. But can "Real Scan" technology and fancy accessories truly capture the essence of larger-than-life entertainers like the Natural Disasters?

Earthquake and Typhoon possessed all of the qualities necessary to become a dominant tag team during the golden years of the WWF: massive bodies, brute strength, and a ton of... charisma? Sure, why not? They may not have had the interview skills of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, the superhero-like physique of the Ultimate Warrior, or the flamboyance of Ric Flair. But any child who grew up watching wrestling in the early nineties can tell you exactly who these guys were. They were giants. They both became embroiled in storylines with the legendary Hulk Hogan. They wore title gold.


Unlike many of the industry's cumbersome "big men" today, what the two lacked in technical, in-ring skill they more than compensated for in all-around showmanship and their ability to understand the audience. The Natural Disasters' imposing size and anger-arousing tactics made them easy to market as ruthless monsters who squashed the competition by literally throwing their weight around, drawing the ire of the crowd during a more innocent time in professional wrestling.


Jakks Classic WWE Superstars #17: Typhoon

Both figures' character likenesses (head sculpts), body shapes, and attires are fairly accurate; however, Typhoon usually wore knee pads, not elbow pads. His figure also comes equipped with a baking pan, an accessory that seems a bit anachronistic. This type of foreign object is typically associated with mid-nineties hardcore wrestling, and probably did not appear in WWE on a regular basis until the dawn of the Attitude Era (arguably 1997-2001). A steel chair may have been more appropriate. Typhoon's singlet is made from a jersey-like material rather than being cheaply painted on the figure.




Jakks Classic WWE Superstars #22: Earthquake

Earthquake's outfit (also made from real material) is more reminiscent of his earlier days as a singles competitor, although technically he wore these colors when the tag team first debuted. There is a variant figure in the Jakks Classic Superstars line (series #6) based on Earthquake's time as a member of the Natural Disasters, but I am content with the more classic representation of the character. Fortunately, I don't suffer from your average toy collector's insatiable need to own "them all".

I have one, minor complaint about this figure: The skin tone is too dark. Earthquake was relatively pale for a wrestler, but I'll cut them a little slack since it wasn't a distinctive character trademark like other performers such as The Undertaker. The tag title accessories also do not fit around either of their waists, although heavier wrestlers are known for wearing the belts over their shoulders, which does in fact look good on these figures.

Typhoon and Earthquake are highly poseable and feature the standard points of articulation expected from Jakks figures: head, torso, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, legs, knees and feet are all movable, making them ideal for play or display purposes. Earthquake's head has limited movement due to hair length.

The Bottom Line
These are well-constructed, instantly recognizable figures. If you collect Jakks Classic WWE Superstars, be sure to pick up the series #17 Typhoon and series #22 Earthquake today!