"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.
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.
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.