metora
Mid-Carder
i want bull nakano
Joined on: Jan 6, 2024 17:10:07 GMT -5
Posts: 134
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Post by metora on Feb 3, 2024 9:32:55 GMT -5
more female legends please
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Post by J-MANN on Feb 3, 2024 9:48:40 GMT -5
more female legends please Yes, please. |
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darkprophet
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 14, 2023 20:19:45 GMT -5
Posts: 1,657
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Post by darkprophet on Feb 3, 2024 16:48:06 GMT -5
My hope is that with the recent and ongoing changes in WWE/TKO management, they can stop insisting on exclusive legends toys deals, and allow them to also get figures elsewhere. I think that would entice more legends to sign if they didn’t feel “locked in.” I know that a handful of legends have had contracts like this: Andre, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Hogan(?). In this era with more independent wrestling toy companies rising, who are seemingly paying mid and lower card legends better than WWE does, I’m thinking they will be losing more and more legends if they don’t compromise their exclusive terms.
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Post by Gorilla on Feb 3, 2024 22:00:36 GMT -5
I've been forever championing more signed legends to breathe new life into the Mattel product. I can only be interested in so many Brets or Honky Tonk Men or Warriors or Hogans. I've always wondered. Are there some offers out to estates or former talent that are being rejected or ignored? Is it lack of interest or bad blood on the part of the wwe? Would Vince being gone change anything or pettiness/grudges? Why is a deal from Zombie or Major Podcast or some other indie toy maker happening with some talent? Fuji, Hercules, Barbarian, Genius, Crush, Raven, Bundy, Gangrel, Haku, One Man Gang, etc etc. So many names are just begging to be added to the Mattel lines. Honestly, great idea for a thread and an idea like this and literally every question you pose are all so unbelievably on point and needing clarification, that this probably should be posted in the Q&A thread with Steve to see if he's willing to address any of them. It would be a win for the community too to get some information on things I'm coming to learn are very important to all of us. To add to your idea, let's turn this topic (or start a separate poll maybe?) to have people post the names of people we don't have yet in figure form and keep a pinned master list that gets updated and names get removed as they're announced. I'm willing to make that topic if you like. Mods? What do you think? To get the ball rolling, in addition to zen's suggestions I've included a few of my pwn. If wfigs users want to add suggestions and keep the list updated that could work too. Ahmed Johnson Barbarian Barry Darsow Barry Horowitz Bill Alfonso Billy Kidman Buff Bagwell Charlie Haas Chuck Palumbo Chris Benoit Chris Kanyon/Mortis Crush Dan Severn Disco Inferno Droz Ernest "The Cat" Miller Funaki Gangrel Grand Master Sexay Hardcore Holly/Bob "Sparkplug" Holly Haku Heidenreich Hercules Horace Hogan Hugh Morris/Bill Demott Jamal Jerry Flynn Joey Styles Johnny Grunge Justin Credible/Aldo Montoya King Kong Bundy Konnan Lance Storm "The Genius" Lanny Poffo Meng Mike Awesome Mr. Fuji One Man Gang Patriot Perry Saturn Raven Rocco Rock Rosie Sable Sabu Scott Norton Sharmell Spike Dudley Steve Blackman Steve McMichael Taka Michinoku Test Ultimo Dragon Zack Gowan Your suggestions would kill the line. Chuck Palumbo? Rocco? Zack Gowan? Who are these people? |
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Post by TheHitmanKid on Feb 3, 2024 22:49:50 GMT -5
I've been forever championing more signed legends to breathe new life into the Mattel product. I can only be interested in so many Brets or Honky Tonk Men or Warriors or Hogans. I've always wondered. Are there some offers out to estates or former talent that are being rejected or ignored? Is it lack of interest or bad blood on the part of the wwe? Would Vince being gone change anything or pettiness/grudges? Why is a deal from Zombie or Major Podcast or some other indie toy maker happening with some talent? Fuji, Hercules, Barbarian, Genius, Crush, Raven, Bundy, Gangrel, Haku, One Man Gang, etc etc. So many names are just begging to be added to the Mattel lines. Honestly, great idea for a thread and an idea like this and literally every question you pose are all so unbelievably on point and needing clarification, that this probably should be posted in the Q&A thread with Steve to see if he's willing to address any of them. It would be a win for the community too to get some information on things I'm coming to learn are very important to all of us. To add to your idea, let's turn this topic (or start a separate poll maybe?) to have people post the names of people we don't have yet in figure form and keep a pinned master list that gets updated and names get removed as they're announced. I'm willing to make that topic if you like. Mods? What do you think? To get the ball rolling, in addition to zen's suggestions I've included a few of my pwn. If wfigs users want to add suggestions and keep the list updated that could work too. Ahmed Johnson Barbarian Barry Darsow Barry Horowitz Bill Alfonso Billy Kidman Buff Bagwell Charlie Haas Chuck Palumbo Chris Benoit Chris Kanyon/Mortis Crush Dan Severn Disco Inferno Droz Ernest "The Cat" Miller Funaki Gangrel Grand Master Sexay Hardcore Holly/Bob "Sparkplug" Holly Haku Heidenreich Hercules Horace Hogan Hugh Morris/Bill Demott Jamal Jerry Flynn Joey Styles Johnny Grunge Justin Credible/Aldo Montoya King Kong Bundy Konnan Lance Storm "The Genius" Lanny Poffo Meng Mike Awesome Mr. Fuji One Man Gang Patriot Perry Saturn Raven Rocco Rock Rosie Sable Sabu Scott Norton Sharmell Spike Dudley Steve Blackman Steve McMichael Taka Michinoku Test Ultimo Dragon Zack Gowan Horace Hogan!? - Mattel would lose money. Zack Gowan!? - You want a detachable leg as an accessory?? lol |
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ddt4thee
Superstar
Joined on: Sept 24, 2020 14:12:31 GMT -5
Posts: 586
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Post by ddt4thee on Feb 3, 2024 23:13:16 GMT -5
Honestly, great idea for a thread and an idea like this and literally every question you pose are all so unbelievably on point and needing clarification, that this probably should be posted in the Q&A thread with Steve to see if he's willing to address any of them. It would be a win for the community too to get some information on things I'm coming to learn are very important to all of us. To add to your idea, let's turn this topic (or start a separate poll maybe?) to have people post the names of people we don't have yet in figure form and keep a pinned master list that gets updated and names get removed as they're announced. I'm willing to make that topic if you like. Mods? What do you think? To get the ball rolling, in addition to zen's suggestions I've included a few of my pwn. If wfigs users want to add suggestions and keep the list updated that could work too. Ahmed Johnson Barbarian Barry Darsow Barry Horowitz Bill Alfonso Billy Kidman Buff Bagwell Charlie Haas Chuck Palumbo Chris Benoit Chris Kanyon/Mortis Crush Dan Severn Disco Inferno Droz Ernest "The Cat" Miller Funaki Gangrel Grand Master Sexay Hardcore Holly/Bob "Sparkplug" Holly Haku Heidenreich Hercules Horace Hogan Hugh Morris/Bill Demott Jamal Jerry Flynn Joey Styles Johnny Grunge Justin Credible/Aldo Montoya King Kong Bundy Konnan Lance Storm "The Genius" Lanny Poffo Meng Mike Awesome Mr. Fuji One Man Gang Patriot Perry Saturn Raven Rocco Rock Rosie Sable Sabu Scott Norton Sharmell Spike Dudley Steve Blackman Steve McMichael Taka Michinoku Test Ultimo Dragon Zack Gowan Your suggestions would kill the line. Chuck Palumbo? Rocco? Zack Gowan? Who are these people? I hope that's sarcasm considering we have figures in hand (or coming soon) of The Goon, The Executioner, and the Gooker that didn't kill the line. |
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jt
Superstar
Joined on: Jul 20, 2023 21:57:43 GMT -5
Posts: 982
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Post by jt on Feb 4, 2024 1:06:55 GMT -5
Honestly, great idea for a thread and an idea like this and literally every question you pose are all so unbelievably on point and needing clarification, that this probably should be posted in the Q&A thread with Steve to see if he's willing to address any of them. It would be a win for the community too to get some information on things I'm coming to learn are very important to all of us. To add to your idea, let's turn this topic (or start a separate poll maybe?) to have people post the names of people we don't have yet in figure form and keep a pinned master list that gets updated and names get removed as they're announced. I'm willing to make that topic if you like. Mods? What do you think? To get the ball rolling, in addition to zen's suggestions I've included a few of my pwn. If wfigs users want to add suggestions and keep the list updated that could work too. Ahmed Johnson Barbarian Barry Darsow Barry Horowitz Bill Alfonso Billy Kidman Buff Bagwell Charlie Haas Chuck Palumbo Chris Benoit Chris Kanyon/Mortis Crush Dan Severn Disco Inferno Droz Ernest "The Cat" Miller Funaki Gangrel Grand Master Sexay Hardcore Holly/Bob "Sparkplug" Holly Haku Heidenreich Hercules Horace Hogan Hugh Morris/Bill Demott Jamal Jerry Flynn Joey Styles Johnny Grunge Justin Credible/Aldo Montoya King Kong Bundy Konnan Lance Storm "The Genius" Lanny Poffo Meng Mike Awesome Mr. Fuji One Man Gang Patriot Perry Saturn Raven Rocco Rock Rosie Sable Sabu Scott Norton Sharmell Spike Dudley Steve Blackman Steve McMichael Taka Michinoku Test Ultimo Dragon Zack Gowan Might I also suggest Ernie Ladd Stan Hansen Buddy Rogers Buddy Roberts Ronny Garvin Jimmy Garvin Stan Stasiak Dynamite Kid Jay Young blood Dirty Dutch Mantel Dr Death Steve Williams Cowboy Ron Bass Ole Anderson Dory Funk Dory Funk Jr Juventud Guerrera Jim Cornette Stan Lane Dennis Condrey Stan Lane Bobby Eaton Ricky Morton Robert Gibson Terry Taylor Buddy Landel Ivan Koloff Nikita Koloff Krusher Khrushchev Bill Dundee Jimmy Valiant Bull Nakano Luna Vachon Kevin Sullivan Adrian Adonis Adrian Street Aja Kong Gary Hart Jacque Rougeau Raymond Rougeau Great Muta Blackjack Mulligan Black Bart Bob Backlund Pedro Morales Antonino Rocca Miguel Perez Gonna Throw out some more just cause I'm bored Larry Hennig Bruiser Brody Killer Kowalski Ox Baker Stu Hart Marty Jannetty Wild Samoans Wahoo McDaniel Adrian Adonis The Lock Abdullah The Butcher Gordon Solie Tony Atlas Thunderbolt Patterson Killer Bees Kevin Sullivan The Great Kabuki Jack Brisco Jerry Brisco Meng/Haku Psicosis Mad Dog Maurice Vachon Blackjack Lanza Buzz Sawer Tommy Rich Tom Prichard Gorilla Monsoon |
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Post by shanieomaniac on Feb 4, 2024 11:04:37 GMT -5
Sting fans may or may not want to hear this (I am a Sting fan), but from what I've seen & heard - Sting very much views all of this as a job. He clocks in, does his job, & clocks out. If you watch his WWE DVD, they have him sit & view some of his classic matches & he remarks that this is the first time he's sat and watched them, EVER. Wrestling is his JOB. It's all BUSINESS to Sting. The times I've met Sting he was very quiet; not very conversational. And I worked an autograph signing where - when the advertised 3 hours was up - he picked up and left. There were still people waiting in line, some kids cried. It was sad. Not knocking Sting, I'm a huge fan. I have almost every Sting figure they've made. I suspect Sting will go along with whatever company is willing to pay him what he feels he is worth. If WWE offers him a lucrative deal, he'd probably sign. Right now - AEW is offering him a deal that suits him just fine. lol! That happened to my brother-in-law in the mid-90’s. We were at a card show at a hotel in the meadowlands in NJ and he went to get some autographs from the NY Yankees and the old Negro League players that they were celebrating. And when we got to Buck Leonard’s table he started to sign his name and stopped signing and left at Bu…his time was up so he was done. The promoter did get him to finish my brother-in-laws item, but there were still at least 30 people in line that the promoter was begging him to finish. lol That show was memorable to me for so many reasons. First when my brother-in-law went to get Bucky Dent to sign a mini helmet the gold paint pen exploded on Bucky and he had this look of disgust as it was all over his hands and sweater. I did feel bad for him. And then from about 20 feet away I saw my father-in-law get knock over by Reggie Jackson who just plowed through the crowd and pushed him over from behind without saying he was sorry or acknowledging he did it so when Reggie got to were I was I laid a shoulder block into him which knocked him into his entourage. And as I was walking away I heard him say “what you don’t say excuse me”. lol As for Sting when I met him we had about a five minute conversation. It wasn’t high energy like his character on TV, but rather soft spoken and engaging. And just when I thought I could love Kevin Owens anymore for refusing to leave meet and greets until everyone gets their turn and actually trying to hand out free autos at them because he wants more time with certain fans. |
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VinMan
Main Eventer
Joined on: Aug 7, 2002 20:09:36 GMT -5
Posts: 1,404
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Post by VinMan on Feb 4, 2024 11:41:56 GMT -5
Mattel can only make figures that under WWE deals. It's not like the old Jakks days where they went out on their own and offered deals for figures outside of the WWE. Steve has said in the past he always pushes for some of these talents, but he can't make anything unless WWE has them under a deal. So it's up to the WWE to sign them first and in some cases either they don't want to sign those talents or the talents/estates don't like the deal being offered to them. The independent companies can go directly to the talent and work out a deal which is why they are signing so many talents that WWE isn't like One Man Gang, Slick, Demolition, etc. I would certainly love to see more legends in the Mattel line including the following:
Adrian Adonis
Hercules
Jesse Ventura
Jack Tunney
Sean Mooney
Demolition
Legion of Doom
Rougueau's
Quebecers
Paul Roma
Jim Powers
Killer Bees
Jim Cornette
One Man Gang
Slick
Ron Bass
Beverly Brothers
Lanny Poffo
Iron Mike Sharpe
Brooklyn Brawler
Barry Horowitz
SD Jones
Tony Atlas
Boris Zhukov
Barbarian
Lord Alfred Hayes
Tiger Chung Lee
Cyndi Lauper
Fabulous Moolah
Koko B. Ware
Hardcore Holly
Crash Holly
Steve Blackman
Al Snow
Bad News Brown
Sapphire
Islanders
Uncle Elmer
and more
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Post by Ministry of Darkness on Feb 4, 2024 17:36:06 GMT -5
Hopefully TKO can change the stance that was under Mcmahon and allow Mattel to sign talent independently. Another positive is that Vince isn't the owner and apart of WWE now which might help get those bitter/banned former superstars to sign.
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Post by PJ on Feb 4, 2024 18:17:12 GMT -5
Hopefully TKO can change the stance that was under Mcmahon and allow Mattel to sign talent independently. Another positive is that Vince isn't the owner and apart of WWE now which might help get those bitter/banned former superstars to sign. That’s Mattel stance. They used to sign the Legends talent in the beginning. But I think the Mattel higher ups decided why should they spend that money on contracts when the WWE can do it for them. I know if I was Mattel that’s what I would do. I mean if I’m Mattel and I already spent all this money getting the wwe license I don’t want to spend more for wrestlers contracts when the wwe can do that for me. |
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zen411
Main Eventer
Joined on: Apr 18, 2019 21:20:38 GMT -5
Posts: 2,608
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Post by zen411 on Feb 4, 2024 18:42:37 GMT -5
Will the stance towards Moolah ever change or is she never getting a figure?
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Post by stc13 on Feb 4, 2024 19:15:44 GMT -5
Hopefully TKO can change the stance that was under Mcmahon and allow Mattel to sign talent independently. Another positive is that Vince isn't the owner and apart of WWE now which might help get those bitter/banned former superstars to sign. That’s Mattel stance. They used to sign the Legends talent in the beginning. But I think the Mattel higher ups decided why should they spend that money on contracts when the WWE can do it for them. I know if I was Mattel that’s what I would do. I mean if I’m Mattel and I already spent all this money getting the wwe license I don’t want to spend more for wrestlers contracts when the wwe can do that for me. It's mutually beneficial financially to have the legends deals. Wrestlers get paid out of WWE's cut, so it doesn't cost Mattel anything beyond the terms of their contract to have access to dozens and dozens of legends. Plus they avoid all the hidden costs that would come with individual deals (negotiations, legal, etc). WWE gets to tout a slate of X number of wrestlers to every single licensee they work with, with all the top names and filler talent giftwrapped. They benefit from economy of scale - licensee will negotiate factoring in the cost of talent acquisition, and since WWE has many licensees, they end up with a larger profit. As much as we may not like it as collectors, it's financially beneficial for WWE and Mattel. If Mattel thought they could generate more profit signing wrestlers directly, I guarantee you they would have made that a sticking point in the last contract negotiations. |
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Post by PJ on Feb 4, 2024 20:06:31 GMT -5
That’s Mattel stance. They used to sign the Legends talent in the beginning. But I think the Mattel higher ups decided why should they spend that money on contracts when the WWE can do it for them. I know if I was Mattel that’s what I would do. I mean if I’m Mattel and I already spent all this money getting the wwe license I don’t want to spend more for wrestlers contracts when the wwe can do that for me. It's mutually beneficial financially to have the legends deals. Wrestlers get paid out of WWE's cut, so it doesn't cost Mattel anything beyond the terms of their contract to have access to dozens and dozens of legends. Plus they avoid all the hidden costs that would come with individual deals (negotiations, legal, etc). WWE gets to tout a slate of X number of wrestlers to every single licensee they work with, with all the top names and filler talent giftwrapped. They benefit from economy of scale - licensee will negotiate factoring in the cost of talent acquisition, and since WWE has many licensees, they end up with a larger profit. As much as we may not like it as collectors, it's financially beneficial for WWE and Mattel. If Mattel thought they could generate more profit signing wrestlers directly, I guarantee you they would have made that a sticking point in the last contract negotiations. Exactly |
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Post by Ministry of Darkness on Feb 5, 2024 4:00:53 GMT -5
Hopefully TKO can change the stance that was under Mcmahon and allow Mattel to sign talent independently. Another positive is that Vince isn't the owner and apart of WWE now which might help get those bitter/banned former superstars to sign. That’s Mattel stance. They used to sign the Legends talent in the beginning. But I think the Mattel higher ups decided why should they spend that money on contracts when the WWE can do it for them. I know if I was Mattel that’s what I would do. I mean if I’m Mattel and I already spent all this money getting the wwe license I don’t want to spend more for wrestlers contracts when the wwe can do that for me. Well if that's Mattels stance, forget about getting certain legends in the line. 😔 |
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nomorexclusives
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jul 31, 2023 16:49:31 GMT -5
Posts: 1,035
Member is Online
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Post by nomorexclusives on Feb 5, 2024 7:58:14 GMT -5
My hope is that with the recent and ongoing changes in WWE/TKO management, they can stop insisting on exclusive legends toys deals, and allow them to also get figures elsewhere. I think that would entice more legends to sign if they didn’t feel “locked in.” I know that a handful of legends have had contracts like this: Andre, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Hogan(?). In this era with more independent wrestling toy companies rising, who are seemingly paying mid and lower card legends better than WWE does, I’m thinking they will be losing more and more legends if they don’t compromise their exclusive terms. Exactly this. Everyone loses in the end This might be one reason why mattel continues to create new series that last only a couple years. They dont have enough legends at any given point in time to give them longevity. The wwe is blocking them from reaching their potential. So they reinvent so the average cuatomer doesnt notice. I never went all in before as i collect other lines but had i known this when mattel started producing these i still wouldnt have gone all in. If mattel could produce any figure based on any likeness they wanted then these smaller companies probably wouldnt exist today. They saw a void and are filling it. Lets hope things change soon. |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,801
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Feb 5, 2024 8:41:36 GMT -5
My hope is that with the recent and ongoing changes in WWE/TKO management, they can stop insisting on exclusive legends toys deals, and allow them to also get figures elsewhere. I think that would entice more legends to sign if they didn’t feel “locked in.” I know that a handful of legends have had contracts like this: Andre, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Hogan(?). In this era with more independent wrestling toy companies rising, who are seemingly paying mid and lower card legends better than WWE does, I’m thinking they will be losing more and more legends if they don’t compromise their exclusive terms. Exactly this. Everyone loses in the end This might be one reason why mattel continues to create new series that last only a couple years. They dont have enough legends at any given point in time to give them longevity. The wwe is blocking them from reaching their potential. So they reinvent so the average cuatomer doesnt notice. I never went all in before as i collect other lines but had i known this when mattel started producing these i still wouldnt have gone all in. If mattel could produce any figure based on any likeness they wanted then these smaller companies probably wouldnt exist today. They saw a void and are filling it. Lets hope things change soon. I know Mattel is limited by who they have to work with, but it is unfortunate for collectors that they can't maneuver individual deals like Jakks was able to. They do their best to sprinkle in a few new faces throughout the year although it seems like they mainly have to recycle the same 15-20 names over and over. |
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crush
Main Eventer
WF 10+ Year Member
Yes, i know it's weird...
Joined on: Mar 8, 2012 16:07:14 GMT -5
Posts: 4,719
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Post by crush on Feb 5, 2024 9:40:39 GMT -5
Even if Mattel agrees with and doesn't push back on the stance because they find it easier, it's been heavily alluded to that it was WWE who adapted their licensing philospophy to the "must be under an overall Legends deal" criteria, and that's why we've also been seeing it with Homage, 2K, and etc. in recent years.
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Post by PJ on Feb 5, 2024 9:44:19 GMT -5
Of the three lists posted in this thread these are the ones I would buy.
Barbarian
Barry Horowitz
Buff Bagwell
Charlie Haas
Chris Benoit
Chris Kanyon/Mortis
Disco Inferno
Ernest "The Cat" Miller
Haku
Hercules
Konman
Lance Storm
"The Genius" Lanny Poffo
Meng
Mike Awesome
Mr. Fuji
Patriot
Perry Saturn
Raven
Sabu
Scott Norton
Steve McMichael
Ernie Ladd
Stan Hansen
Buddy Rogers
Buddy Roberts
Ronny Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
Stan Stasiak
Dynamite Kid
Dr Death Steve Williams
Cowboy Ron Bass
Ole Anderson
Dory Funk
Dory Funk Jr
Jim Cornette
Stan Lane
Dennis Condrey
Stan Lane
Bobby Eaton
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
Ivan Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Kevin Sullivan
Adrian Adonis
Gary Hart
Jacque Rougeau
Raymond Rougeau
Great Muta
Blackjack Mulligan
Pedro Morales
Koko B Ware
Bad News Brown
Dino Bravo
Slick
Steve Lombardi (Brooklyn Brawler, and Knuckleball Schwartz, Kimchee)
Paul Roma
Gorilla Monsoon
Wrestlers I would add -
Jesse the Body Ventura
Billy Jack Haynes
Jim Powers
Iron Mike Sharpe
SD Jones
Tony Atlas
B Brian Blair
Jumping Jim Brunzel
Executioners (Studd & Kowalski)
Lord Alfred Hayes
Wrestlers on the list who have figures from Mattel, but I would buy these versions of.
Backlund (late 70’s)
Tito Santana (blue trunks IC Champion)
Rick Martel (strike force)
Masked Superstar
Krusher Kruchev
One Man Gang
But there were a lot on those lists I wouldn’t buy and even with the ones I would buy there’s plenty of names on my buy list others wouldn’t buy. There’s very few left that a majority of us would all buy.
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azraelms
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 26, 2010 8:41:07 GMT -5
Posts: 2,007
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Post by azraelms on Feb 5, 2024 14:48:35 GMT -5
There are really only two things that can happen to allow this to change, both alluded to in this thread.
1. WWE changes their contract to make them A-more attractive to the wrestler and B-more lucrative for the company. I know I posted in another thread a while ago, but If the money was right, I can't imagine that WWE wouldn't sign anyone and everyone that they could - EXCEPTION being obvious PR nightmares. The Legends (or Nostalgia) deal(s) seem to cover figures, shirts, and video games, along with maybe a a few appearances, but even if the deal would only cover making one action figure based on their likeness, I would think throwing $5k to one of these guys - or their estate - would be worth it. Using Haku for instance, throw him $5k, and you can make 3 figures of him that we would all buy - King Haku in a Royal Rumble series, Meng in the Monday Night Wars series, and another version of just Haku in the Legends line. I would think that would be worth it to all parties. I just arbitrarily put 5K as an amount, the numbers may be different, but I can't imagine many of these guys holding out for more as this seems to be free money to me.
2. Mattel or WWE (whoever made the decision) decides that Mattel CAN go after the talents individually themselves, the same way Jakks did back in the day. This would also entail that Mattel WOULD go after some of these talents. If this were to happen, I would hope that Steve would at least take point on this as he seems to know his wrestling history. I would assume that one of the other could have veto power over the other for these - in short both would have to agree to the figure. So if Mattel went out and signed Dino Bravo, the WWE could then say no. I would also assume that if WWE signed the Fabulous Moolah, then if Mattel wanted to say no, they could. I can't imagine that there would ever be a time where WWE would force Mattel to make X wrestler as a figure, but I also can't imagine Mattel refusing to do one either. Both are big corporate machines and neither want the bad publicity that making say Chris Benoit (or Vince McMahon now) would bring.
I am however taking solace that we have other figure companies out there now standing up to fill in the gaps - specifically Powertown. The fact that these contracts seem to be more and more often no longer exclusive is a big help. That has to be the WWE side, and I am guessing this is a byproduct of the merger and formation of the TKO group.
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