Deleted
Joined on: Apr 26, 2024 7:54:08 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2018 18:05:15 GMT -5
Really wish Mattel would consider making guys who aren’t under legends deals. They used to do it when the legends line first started and Jakks did it for years and years. This would have been a great question to ask- Why won't Mattel sign deals directly with legends?! Do they have no interest or is there some condition in their licensing deal with WWE that prevents them from signing talent directly to a deal?! I think its the latter, I recall reading that WWE was not happy with how Jakks had free reign to sign anyone they wanted to a deal and make a figure of them. They probably added something into the contract with Mattel prohibiting them from doing this. This sucks for us legends collectors, as I think there are some guys that Mattel will never make a figure of due to WWE and/or the wrestler not wanting to sign a legends deal- Greg Valentine, Hercules, Dynamite Kid, Steiner Brothers are a few notables that come to mind. I agree, unfortunately most of the HOF inductees are from bygone eras that have no appeal to the current crop of fans and thus no real marketability to WWE. The most popular guys are already under deals and figures of have been made of them, the only notable HOFer that comes to mind is Jeff Jarrett. I was hoping the induction of Rick Rude would lead to a DVD release but that never happened as it looks like McMahon still holds a grudge against him. Rude's induction into the HOF was the perfect tie-in IMO to release a biography/match compilation of his career and I think this is one DVD release that would sell as there is demand for it.
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Post by wrestlingfigsIreland on Aug 28, 2018 18:14:32 GMT -5
Nice little Q&A thanks
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Post by qdogg on Aug 28, 2018 18:15:58 GMT -5
That sucks about the Rock N Roll Express. After the Steiner's they are probably my next big tag want or pretty close to it.
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Post by stc13 on Aug 28, 2018 18:38:50 GMT -5
Really wish Mattel would consider making guys who aren’t under legends deals. They used to do it when the legends line first started and Jakks did it for years and years. This would have been a great question to ask- Why won't Mattel sign deals directly with legends?! Do they have no interest or is there some condition in their licensing deal with WWE that prevents them from signing talent directly to a deal?! I think its the latter, I recall reading that WWE was not happy with how Jakks had free reign to sign anyone they wanted to a deal and make a figure of them. They probably added something into the contract with Mattel prohibiting them from doing this. This sucks for us legends collectors, as I think there are some guys that Mattel will never make a figure of due to WWE and/or the wrestler not wanting to sign a legends deal- Greg Valentine, Hercules, Dynamite Kid, Steiner Brothers are a few notables that come to mind. I agree, unfortunately most of the HOF inductees are from bygone eras that have no appeal to the current crop of fans and thus no real marketability to WWE. The most popular guys are already under deals and figures of have been made of them, the only notable HOFer that comes to mind is Jeff Jarrett. I was hoping the induction of Rick Rude would lead to a DVD release but that never happened as it looks like McMahon still holds a grudge against him. Rude's induction into the HOF was the perfect tie-in IMO to release a biography/match compilation of his career and I think this is one DVD release that would sell as there is demand for it. I've been wondering the same thing for a while. When Mattel first got the license, many of the Legends figures released were signed on individual deals by Mattel. So it defininitely wasn't prohibited by WWE when the initial contrat was signed. It could have been changed in one of the contract extensions. Personally my guess is that after they spent a decent amount of money signing individual contracts only to then have the Legends line be a commercial failure, somebody's boss' boss said no more signing individual deals. And with Mattel's financials not looking great, they may not be willing to open up the check books again. But I would love to get a definitive response whether it's something Mattel has been directed not to do by WWE or if it was an internal decision. I think a lot of Legends collectors are getting frustrated with slowdown on new characters.
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Post by LA Times on Aug 28, 2018 19:26:11 GMT -5
This would have been a great question to ask- Why won't Mattel sign deals directly with legends?! Do they have no interest or is there some condition in their licensing deal with WWE that prevents them from signing talent directly to a deal?! I think its the latter, I recall reading that WWE was not happy with how Jakks had free reign to sign anyone they wanted to a deal and make a figure of them. They probably added something into the contract with Mattel prohibiting them from doing this. This sucks for us legends collectors, as I think there are some guys that Mattel will never make a figure of due to WWE and/or the wrestler not wanting to sign a legends deal- Greg Valentine, Hercules, Dynamite Kid, Steiner Brothers are a few notables that come to mind. I agree, unfortunately most of the HOF inductees are from bygone eras that have no appeal to the current crop of fans and thus no real marketability to WWE. The most popular guys are already under deals and figures of have been made of them, the only notable HOFer that comes to mind is Jeff Jarrett. I was hoping the induction of Rick Rude would lead to a DVD release but that never happened as it looks like McMahon still holds a grudge against him. Rude's induction into the HOF was the perfect tie-in IMO to release a biography/match compilation of his career and I think this is one DVD release that would sell as there is demand for it. I've been wondering the same thing for a while. When Mattel first got the license, many of the Legends figures released were signed on individual deals by Mattel. So it defininitely wasn't prohibited by WWE when the initial contrat was signed. It could have been changed in one of the contract extensions. Personally my guess is that after they spent a decent amount of money signing individual contracts only to then have the Legends line be a commercial failure, somebody's boss' boss said no more signing individual deals. And with Mattel's financials not looking great, they may not be willing to open up the check books again. But I would love to get a definitive response whether it's something Mattel has been directed not to do by WWE or if it was an internal decision. I think a lot of Legends collectors are getting frustrated with slowdown on new characters. Bill has said a number of times, Mattel has to go through the WWE now and get approval for any Legends figures to be made, but it might not have been that way when the line first started.
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Post by Nivro™ on Aug 28, 2018 19:47:46 GMT -5
Seeing as how most hall of fame choices are done well in advance, WWE & Mattel should team up where HOF inductees get figures made but instead of mass retail they're sold at Axxess for signings/purchase and then the left overs moved to RSC to be sold to those that cant make it. You could actually have a legit Hall of Fame line.
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Post by Glorydaysofwrestling on Aug 28, 2018 19:59:43 GMT -5
Seeing as how most hall of fame choices are done well in advance, WWE & Mattel should team up where HOF inductees get figures made but instead of mass retail they're sold at Axxess for signings/purchase and then the left overs moved to RSC to be sold to those that cant make it. You could actually have a legit Hall of Fame line. Or target.com like they do with the sdcc figs. That’s a great idea man.
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Post by stc13 on Aug 28, 2018 20:22:13 GMT -5
I've been wondering the same thing for a while. When Mattel first got the license, many of the Legends figures released were signed on individual deals by Mattel. So it defininitely wasn't prohibited by WWE when the initial contrat was signed. It could have been changed in one of the contract extensions. Personally my guess is that after they spent a decent amount of money signing individual contracts only to then have the Legends line be a commercial failure, somebody's boss' boss said no more signing individual deals. And with Mattel's financials not looking great, they may not be willing to open up the check books again. But I would love to get a definitive response whether it's something Mattel has been directed not to do by WWE or if it was an internal decision. I think a lot of Legends collectors are getting frustrated with slowdown on new characters. Bill has said a number of times, Mattel has to go through the WWE now and get approval for any Legends figures to be made, but it might not have been that way when the line first started. Bill submits a list to WWE of wrestlers they'd like to make who aren't under a Legends deal for WWE to consider signing. There's never been any clarification whether this is because WWE has removed the ability for Mattel to directly sign wrestlers or if Mattel simply does doesn't want to. Just because that's the current process doesn't mean that's what they're contractually obligated to do.
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Post by PJ on Aug 28, 2018 20:30:33 GMT -5
Bill has said a number of times, Mattel has to go through the WWE now and get approval for any Legends figures to be made, but it might not have been that way when the line first started. Bill submits a list to WWE of wrestlers they'd like to make who aren't under a Legends deal for WWE to consider signing. There's never been any clarification whether this is because WWE has removed the ability for Mattel to directly sign wrestlers or if Mattel simply does doesn't want to. Just because that's the current process doesn't mean that's what they're contractually obligated to do. Does it really matter? If the WWE isn’t giving the OK on the list then Mattel can’t make it. So what would be the point of signing them themselves if the WWE already said no to making it? Mattel needs the WWE’s OK to release a figure.
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taserface
Superstar
Joined on: Oct 28, 2017 16:10:39 GMT -5
Posts: 890
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Post by taserface on Aug 28, 2018 20:47:34 GMT -5
Bill submits a list to WWE of wrestlers they'd like to make who aren't under a Legends deal for WWE to consider signing. There's never been any clarification whether this is because WWE has removed the ability for Mattel to directly sign wrestlers or if Mattel simply does doesn't want to. Just because that's the current process doesn't mean that's what they're contractually obligated to do. Does it really matter? If the WWE isn’t giving the OK on the list then Mattel can’t make it. So what would be the point of signing them themselves if the WWE already said no to making it? Mattel needs the WWE’s OK to release a figure. The whole point to this is that Mattel could offer them money for their likeness on a figure for whatever amount of time. There have to be a ton of talant out there that are on good (or good enough) terms with WWE, that either don’t want the restrictions of a Legends deal or WWE doesn’t care enough to to go to the effort of signing them But they are on good enough terms with a lot of guys who show up on DVD’s, in video games, etc, surely they wouldn’t care if Mattel sold a action figure of them Just my thoughts
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Post by Nivro™ on Aug 28, 2018 20:51:00 GMT -5
Mattel has no desire to release anyone that's not named Macho Man or Ultimate Warrior. It has to kill Bill when he see anyone but them come across his desk.
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 26, 2024 7:54:08 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2018 21:10:26 GMT -5
Bill submits a list to WWE of wrestlers they'd like to make who aren't under a Legends deal for WWE to consider signing. There's never been any clarification whether this is because WWE has removed the ability for Mattel to directly sign wrestlers or if Mattel simply does doesn't want to. Just because that's the current process doesn't mean that's what they're contractually obligated to do. Does it really matter? If the WWE isn’t giving the OK on the list then Mattel can’t make it. So what would be the point of signing them themselves if the WWE already said no to making it? Mattel needs the WWE’s OK to release a figure. Good point, I forgot that WWE has final say and Mattel needs to get their approval before producing any given figure. I wonder why Jakks were able to sign deals with anyone they wanted and make figures of them- did they not have to get approval from WWE before making a figure?! It would be nice to know which guys are off limits, this way we are not sitting waiting and hoping that some day they will release a figure of them.
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Post by SteveHulk on Aug 28, 2018 21:32:47 GMT -5
How long is the Retro line planned for? Is there an end point in sight? What about Retro ring accessories?Bill said they have long term plans for the Retros. It's an ongoing line and currently there are no ring accessories planned. Scott specifically mentioned a WrestleMania ring cart or steel cage as possible accessories for the ring and Bill said no to both. Mattel would rather put those funds and planning into more figures instead of ring accessories.
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Post by stc13 on Aug 28, 2018 22:01:02 GMT -5
Does it really matter? If the WWE isn’t giving the OK on the list then Mattel can’t make it. So what would be the point of signing them themselves if the WWE already said no to making it? Mattel needs the WWE’s OK to release a figure. Good point, I forgot that WWE has final say and Mattel needs to get their approval before producing any given figure. I wonder why Jakks were able to sign deals with anyone they wanted and make figures of them- did they not have to get approval from WWE before making a figure?! It would be nice to know which guys are off limits, this way we are not sitting waiting and hoping that some day they will release a figure of them. Sorry if I'm not explaining my point clearly. I'm trying to avoid going too far into the weeds on the contracts, etc. As the licensor, either way WWE is going to have final approval on lineups. Just because WWE doesn't think it's worth investing the money to sign a wrestler to a contract or a wrestler doesn't want to sign a full-blown licensing and appearance contract doesn't mean WWE would have any objection to Mattel making a figure. I'm sure they'd object to a licensee signing say Chyna's estate. But someone like Glacier? I can't see any reason why they'd object. But it's also probably not worth 10k (the advance on WWE Legends deals) to sign Ray Lloyd. He'd make an awesome figure, but he's not going to sell tshirts, do appearances, or anything else that makes enough money to justify the expense. Just an example. Other guys don't sign legends deals because they require the wrestler to sign away a lot of rights (intellectual property, global marketing for products beyond just figures and video games) for a relatively small payoff. Guys like the R&R Express are probably making more money selling their own merch at a higher cut, and may not want to sign a full fledged contract. But might be willing to allow Mattel to use only their likeness for small fee. I'd be happy to go into more detail on the Legends deals (documents have become public record due to the concussion suit). But it's not a cut and dry issue. But needing WWE approval is vastly different from WWE actually having to offer and successfully complete a contract with a wrestler.
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nutticus6d9
Jobber
Joined on: Aug 17, 2017 6:36:47 GMT -5
Posts: 8
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Post by nutticus6d9 on Aug 28, 2018 22:40:32 GMT -5
Seeing the good news about retros warms my heart. Everyone seems so concerned about them, but I feel like they’re just playing the waiting game until that Netflix documentary drops to get more attention on them since TRU closed and probably threw off distribution.
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RedDevil
Main Eventer
Joined on: Aug 8, 2017 18:43:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,546
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Post by RedDevil on Aug 29, 2018 14:37:35 GMT -5
Will there be any Retro Tag Team sets?No. For now, the plan is only in singles. How long is the Retro line planned for? Is there an end point in sight? What about Retro ring accessories?Bill said they have long term plans for the Retros. It's an ongoing line and currently there are no ring accessories planned. Scott specifically mentioned a WrestleMania ring cart or steel cage as possible accessories for the ring and Bill said no to both. Mattel would rather put those funds and planning into more figures instead of ring accessories. Very encouraging to read this. Ideally I’d like tag sets as well, but as long as the figures continue then I’m happy. I know Bill isn’t involved in the line any more but these interviews seem to be the closest we get to actual news on the line so great to see, even though we still have so many more unanswered
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Post by screech on Aug 29, 2018 16:11:45 GMT -5
These non-Ringside Q&As are really putting Ringside's to shame. They can get defensive when people are critical over their lackluster Q&As that nobody cares about anymore, but the truth is it really pays to have someone interviewing who actually knows what they're talking about and can do follow up questions. Regardless, I'm sure Ringside will still let Noelle do the next Q&A, and as usual she will offer no follow up questions or any indication of knowledge regarding the product and nothing new will be learned. But they gotta get those YT views or whatever.
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Henchmen4Hire
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jan 12, 2016 23:48:35 GMT -5
Posts: 1,311
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Post by Henchmen4Hire on Aug 29, 2018 18:57:52 GMT -5
These non-Ringside Q&As are really putting Ringside's to shame. They can get defensive when people are critical over their lackluster Q&As that nobody cares about anymore, but the truth is it really pays to have someone interviewing who actually knows what they're talking about and can do follow up questions.
If the following is true-
Then maybe RS should take fan questions more often.
I don't know what questions were originally the podcasters' and which were fan questions, and I don't really care, I just like seeing questions answered by the Mattel employees themselves, not just speculation from fans (however entertaining the bickering may be lol).
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Post by screech on Aug 29, 2018 19:29:25 GMT -5
These non-Ringside Q&As are really putting Ringside's to shame. They can get defensive when people are critical over their lackluster Q&As that nobody cares about anymore, but the truth is it really pays to have someone interviewing who actually knows what they're talking about and can do follow up questions.
If the following is true- Then maybe RS should take fan questions more often.
I don't know what questions were originally the podcasters' and which were fan questions, and I don't really care, I just like seeing questions answered by the Mattel employees themselves, not just speculation from fans (however entertaining the bickering may be lol).
Ringside does make a thread for us to ask questions but the choices are always a high mixture of questions that anyone should be able to predict the answers for ("Will we get ___?","Any ___ figures in the works?") and there's never any follow ups, which leaves 95% of the questions without any type of conclusive answer. I appreciate everything Ringside does and will continue to watch the Q&As, but they almost always progressively get worse unless Noelle isn't hosting and then they're a little more in depth. I really wish they would always let someone conduct the interview who actually has even the slightest clue regarding the Mattel WWE line.
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hbkfan77
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Dec 26, 2017 17:12:19 GMT -5
Posts: 447
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Post by hbkfan77 on Aug 29, 2018 20:08:50 GMT -5
The entrance stage is particularly interesting because storage capability has gotten incredibly cheap compared to 1999 with Titan Tron Live. You can include a 32GB SD card for next to nothing, and that would be sufficient to hold tons of themes or entrance videos/graphics at high-quality. And due to high-speed internet and so many capable file transfer solutions, you could have an online outlet for updated themes in a way that just wasn't possible in the late 90s or early 2000s. A few semi-regular updates a year creates an incentive to continuously have the stage available since you wouldn't really need to update it. The primary cost is in the actual scope of the stage and the electronics behind it. With how good even the budget Bluetooth speakers sound, and with audio bitrates not needing to be horribly compressed to maximize space, that also isn't a problem anymore. No more storage woes, and with WWE no longer changing their stage setup much, along with internet updates eliminating the outdated perception it would've had in the past, many hurdles are non-factors. The stage makes more sense than it ever did in the past, which is a really cool thing. Plus, both collectors and kids love this kind of thing, so though it'll be a costly item, it will hopefully have a very wide audience. Phenomenal post. Loads of great points. Thanks!
I think it's a foolproof decision on Mattel's part to design one of these for mass producing. The demand for them will be huge IMO. They'll just under-produce them and frustrate everyone like they do with many of their Elite lines lol....
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