Its Wrasslin Wednesday with Classic Piper's Pit Footage - The Coconut Incident !

Its Wrasslin Wednesday !! While there has been a Blizzard up here in the Buffalo area, I've been warming my thoughts with classic WWF footage.

 

This is an absolute gem !!

 

A classic episode of Piper's Pit with Roddy attacking Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. This is Roddy Piper at his best, antagonizing the "Face" and enraging the fans.

Wrasslin Wednesday: RIP Paul Bearer but an Awesome Figure Remains !!

Sad news to report on this edition of Wrasslin Wednesday, William Moody aka Paul Bearer, has passed away at the age of 58 on Tuesday March 5th, 2013. Sad news for anyone who was witness to the Undertakers early rise to fame with Paul Bearer at his side. Condolences to friends and family of Mr. Moody.

 

Even though his departure is sad news, his figure is truly a classic ! Packaged with Mankind for the Managers Series 1 from Jakks Pacific in 1997. Paul Bearer is one of the best of the early Jakks figures.

 

Limited articulation is made up for with exceptional detail and one of the best accessories ever produced .... an URN !! This figure captures Paul Bearer's likeness perfectly. The urn fits well in his right hand while he points the way to the top for his Undertaker !!

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

LJN Kamala WWF Wrestling Superstars

LJN released Kamala in it's fourth series of WWF Wrestling Superstars in 1987 and the toy world received one the best figures produced throughout this line !! Not only is he awesome !! Kamala is posed in one of the best ways to make him very versatile pulling off wrestling moves. He is one of the biggest figures of the line, in real life he is 6'7", so Kamala can be tested by the best of em!

He's huge and has paint apps all over ! Kamala certainly is one of the best looking figures in the Wrestling Superstars line.

 

Check out the Moon and Stars painted on his torso. Even his skirt has some detail.

Kamala even has his facial warpaint and beard ! LJN captured the realism with this guy !

Kamala was a fun figure to have ! A total wild card ! I would use him as a monster that would come in and destroy his opponents ! There was no handling him. Kamala would then turn civil and become a super technical wrestler that could vie for championships based on his skill ..... then freak out again ! You have to love a figure that can let you go all out while playing. If you had a Hogan, well, you had Hogan. But Kamala could be anything you wanted him to be. That's Fun !

 

Check out the LJN Archive for more WWF LJN Superstars by CLICKING HERE !!!!

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

Koko B. Ware Wrestling Superstar from LJN WWF Series 4

Koko B. Ware. I'll let that sink in ..... Yes, Koko B. Ware. The Birdman himself and his pet Macaw named Frankie. LJN released Mr. Ware with the the fourth series of Wrestling Superstars in 1987. All things considered, the man who would eventually become the "Jobber to the Stars" is immortalized pretty nicely as an 8" rubber action figure.

 

Overall, the figure is great ! Great paint, lots of detail on his jacket, and posed so that you could pull off a lot of different wrestling moves.

Check out Frankie ! An accessory that got a lot of attention and paint !!

Frankie can perch on Koko's finger ! Lots of style ! He looks great !

Even the sides of his tights got a paint app ! How's that for detail !

Koko B. Ware got a big push when he first debuted in the WWF. Instantly I liked his high flying moves and style. His gimmick is kinda lame but back then in the WWF, all of them were. I couldn't wait to get this figure when he came out and I used him constantly. Yes, Koko wound up jobbing a lot, but in my Tag Team ranks he usually found a place. I teamed him up and pushed his team to Tag Team Title status many a time. C'mon, with a flashy jacket and moves like his he is bound to get a lot of attention. I left Frankie in the accessory box where he belonged ........

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

Wrasslin Wednesday LJN Hulk Hogan Wrestling Superstars where it all began

LJN Hogan. The first Wrestling Superstar I got, along with Piper, way back in the day. There were a million Hogans on the pegs and just by default, me and just about every other kid started out with Hogan. Even though I couldn't stand Hogan as a wrestler, I had to like the figure.

He's in a great pose ! Some of the Wrestling Superstars were in an awkward pose, I'm talking to you Rick Rude, but Hogan could punch and twist into moves pretty easily.

Then there's the Title Belt ! He came with the belt, and that just makes him cooler. The belt itself is pretty awesome. Durable rubber and detailed, it straps in the back with ease. My World Title belt was pretty hotly contested for !

Hogan was where my love of the LJN Wrestling Superstars began and til this day, they remain one of my all time favorite toys. When I got Greg Valentine, he kicked the crap out of Hogan and just about held the title until my Federation folded.

I said he was the first, but not the best ! I eventually customized Hogan into Barry Windham :)

Wrasslin Wednesday LJN WWF Billy Jack Haynes

Wrasslin Wednesday is where I can wax nostalgic about Professional Wrestling in some way and this week I present: Billy Jack Haynes from WWF LJN WRESTLING SUPERSTARS !!!

 

 

One of the coolest figures from the line. Tattoos, hat accessory and one of the best poses out of all the figures.

 

Nice paint apps on the boots and tights !

 

 

I know, Billy Jack Haynes wasn't that good of a character in the WWF but I really like this figure. He has a perfect pose to simulate a lot of maneuvers. Billy Jack had a feud with Hercules right away when he came into my federation. Had to have the obligatory full nelson challenge. After that I turned him heel right away, maybe I affiliated him with the Horsemen , I don't remember. It didn't matter to me if the character was lame on TV, I could make a star out of anyone that could kick ass ! Headbands were lame though ....

 

I did take my original BJH and customized it into Hawk of the Road Warriors, so he was versatile.

Wrasslin Wednesday LJN WWF Ultimate Warrior !!

Wrasslin Wednesday is where I can wax nostalgic about Professional Wrestling in some way and this week I present: THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR from WWF LJN WRESTLING SUPERSTARS !!!

 

One of THE best figures from the line. He looks great !! Awesome paint apps, detail and he's in one of the best poses to kick some serious ass !! Just look at the "Warrior" detail on his boots !!!

 

LJN produced the WWF Wrestling Superstars from 1984 to 1989. The Ultimate Warrior came out in 1989 with the Black Carded 6th Series just before LJN closed up and sadly, production ended. So needless to say, his popularity and low production numbers make him a bit scarce. Mine is a bit battle worn but he is a awesome addition to my collection. Truth be told, I did not have him when I was of playing age. I got this guy later off the Usenet, before the Internet was quite so user friendly and Ebay was still in development stage. I did order one from "The Wrestling Ring" back in the day, but  was returned with Mr. Hellwig being sold out. I had to make my own Warrior out of an extra Paul Orndorff figure.

I wasn't the biggest fan of his back then, but if I did have this figure, there is no WAY I could have stopped him destroying the champion ranks ! Just on the pure AWESOMENESS of this figure, he would have at least been United States Champion in  few days. (I should mention that I made my own belts and kept champion stats so there were several championships for the rubber pugilists to acquire :)

Custom WWF LJN ECW Sabu Wrestling Superstars

I was, and still am a huge fan of the WWF Wrestling Superstars produced by LJN, produced from 1984 to 1989. The 8 inch rubber figures were so much fun to play with and eventually I started customizing them. When I was a kid I started off making NWA stars that I wanted to incorporate and then when I got older I wanted to make ECW stars. Here is one of my later creations; SABU !

I made him from a Jake the Snake figure, glued his hand in Sabu's famous pointing to the heavens pose, a gesture he does as a tribute to his uncle The Sheik.

 

Considering Sabu is one of the most Hardcore wrestlers ever, his body is quite scarred from the battles he has been through, and I tried to capture that somewhat in the figure.

 

 

It wouldn't be Sabu without the baggy tights ! I used sculpting clay to mold them and painted according to one of his color schemes he has worn.

If you are not aware of Sabu's career and style, LOOK HIM UP ! He is truly one of the greatest Professional Wrestlers to EVER lace up boots. I was blessed to see him perform live at the 1996 ECW Wrestlecon in Philadelphia at the ECW arena. His performance was thoroughly impressive and did not disappoint anyone that was witness. Every match I have seen him perform in, from ECW to FMW, is an awe inspiring thrill.

 

I still need to make his headgear, which I may make time for now that I've unboxed my LJN collection and am making plans for their display. I hope my attempt at creating an homage to Sabu does justice to his superior ring skill and talent !

LJN Wrestling Superstars Archive

Welcome to the WWF Wrestling Superstars Archive ! LJN produced the 8 inch rubber figures from 1984 to 1989, and they are one of my favorites to this day !

 

Included here are links to LJN production figures I have posted about. Also the Custom figures I have made and posted about are all collected here.

Click on the title's link to go to the related post:

Custom LJN Sabu

LJN Ultimate Warrior

LJN Billy Jack Haynes

LJN Hulk Hogan

LJN Koko B. Ware

LJN Kamala










 

Galoob's Ric Flair, Styling and Profilin !!! Shorter than I expected....

Back in 1990, I was firmly entrenched in wrestling mania.  I deeply loved the WWF LJN line of figures and, to introduce the stars of the NWA into my little world, I would customize them to make my favorite NWA stars. I longed for the day when the NWA, which was being re-branded into WCW, would make a line parallel to the LJN's.

Unfortunately, the LJN WWF line ended, signally the end of a truly great action figure line. Hasbro became the WWF's toy maker for the 90's. I had no interest in the Hasbro line as I was getting older and those toys were too gimmicky for me. I did notice however that the WCW managed to finally produce some action figures !! I remember watching the commercials, seeing that they were molded plastic figures like the LJN's and was very happy. It was short lived. While I waited for "The Wrestling Ring" to advertise the WCW figures in the latest issue of PWI, I happened to find out that the WCW figures were sadly gonna be the same scale as the 4 inch Hasbro figures. I decided to put my resources towards King Diamond records and concert t-shirts.

Fast Forwards several years, I got over myself and finally got that plastic version of my childhood idol.

From Galoob, WCW Series 1; The Nature Boy Ric Flair !!!! A solid pose and accessorized with a title belt, this figure turned out to be pretty great !!

Well detailed, really quite a nice figure.

 

Head sculpt is pretty spot on to the legend !!

Cool details on the boots and tights.

OK, even though he's shorter than I wanted but I like this figure. Its a great likeness, well detailed and has a belt ! I did get my wish and got the LJN style Ric Flair figure I wanted but that will be a post for another day..........

The Voltron Robots win the WWF titles....and tragedy ensues!! THE WWE REPORT !!!!

As predicted in my last post about Voltron < CLICK HERE AND READ - VOLTRON > my son broke the Voltron Dairugger robot. Oh well......At least I got the post in with pictures :) I don't know what happened exactly ..... but I'm pretty sure it happened like this.......

.........and Go-Lion goes for the pin and its 1...2....3......!!!!!
 

The Voltron Robots are the new WWF Tag Team Champions!!!!!

But their celebration is short lived!! The Legion of Doom....Road Warriors Hawk and Animal, enraged by their lack of championship matches attack the newly crowned champions!!!

Dairugger's leg is broken by the vicious shot to the knee by Hawk....but Animal is setting up a table....



OH NO!!! Animal, showing an enormous feat of strength, is lifting Go-Lion on his shoulders,  and it looks like Hawk will deliver the flying clothesline......

 



.......right through the table!!!!!!!

The Road Warriors enjoy their hollow victory only for a few moments.....

...before the cavalry hits the ring !!!!!

The Rock is enraged by the actions of he L.O.D.!!!!

He vows revenge for his fallen friends.

 

If ya smeeeeellllllllllllll what the ROCK......



....is COOKIN !!!!!!

or maybe he just dropped it and the leg broke off..........

 

maybe.

Hasbro's Ric Flair with Flair Snare !!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ric Flair.......Stylin and Profilin!!!!!!!!

 

In 1993, Hasbro' Series 6 produced not just an action figure....but an icon to all wrestling fans worldwide!!!

 

The Greatest Professional Wrestler to walk this planet captured in plastic!

Now I know the look on his face makes him look a bit insane, but this is one hell of a figure. Very detailed and well done. I absolutely LOVE the LJN wrestlers and had to settle for my own customized version of Flair back in the day. Flair didn't make it to the WWF til 1991 and the Big Rubber Wrestlers were but a memory by then....but at least we got this guy!

 

Oh, and yes, Ric Flair was my idol growing up. He is the Greatest Wrestler of all time.

Vintage WWF Ice Cream Bars, you can lick your favorite wrestler.....

Reis over at dorkhorde.blogspot.com posted about his favorite childhood frozen treats and I started looking up WWF (currently WWE) Ice Cream Bars and what a nostalgia trip! The videos are funny as hell!! Check em out!!

(and while looking these up I found out that in the WWE - CM Punk - did some angle about the Ice cream bars so if you are a fan here is some history. If you are like me - got out of wrestling after the demise of the Philadelphia based ECW folded - then enjoy:)