Category The Geek Registry on Wrestling

Hasbro WWF Figures

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In 1990 wrestling fans and kid’s of the time were treated to the next evolution of WWF toys in the guise of Hasbro’s WWF Figures. These were an awesome upgrade from the LJN figures because even though they shrunk in size they were a bit more detailed and had action features like swinging arms, spinning bodies, kicking legs, etc… These are a bit easier to find mint in package than the LJN’s, but I prefer collecting them loose since the action features are silly, but fun as hell.

I own a few more of these than the LJN ones with the Hulk Hogan with the “Hulkster Hug” version being my favorite. These true “action” figures were very popular and it is hard to find a big wrestling collector without at least one in their collection.   mSL6m9TyWmMt60ZaRhW4m-w

Cardboard Connection has a great list of the figures included in the collection and links to EBay auctions if you want to add any of them to your toy chest, http://www.cardboardconnection.com/sports-other/hasbro-wwf-figures.

Some of the more common ones only cost around $20 in package, but there are some rare ones like Andre the Giant which go for a couple hundred.

Next week I will conclude my look at wrestling toys with Jakks Pacific and the current Mattell line.

LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars

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Of my many hobbies/interests one of the top ones is collecting toys of all kinds, from Star Wars to G.I. Joe to kid’s meal toys I collect just about everything. Being a big wrestling fan means a large part of my toy collection is toys from the world of sports entertainment. The first really big wrestling toy release came in 1984 with the LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars line. Huge, rubbery versions of all the WWF’s superstars were very popular and still are. I did not collect these figures when they came out, but bought a couple of loose (out of the package) figures later in the life. As of today I only own Hillbilly Jim and George the Animal Steele but hope to add to the collection in the near future.

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Compared to today’s toys these do not seem very exciting at first since they have no articulation and are made of rubber, but there was something about them that made them popular with kid’s at the time and collector’s now. The simplicity added to their charm. There have been much better looking and more playable wrestling figures since then, but they just don’t hold a candle to these big pieces of rubber that take a lot of damage and may have some paint worn off over time, but still retain their charm.

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I have included this link, http://www.cardboardconnection.com/ljn-wwf-wrestling-superstars-figures-checklist-guide, to a great website that lists the various figures that came out so you can have a look.

Next week I am going to discuss the 1990’s Hasbro action figures which also hold a special place in most wrestling fan’s collections as well as my own.

Batista

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Dave Bautista (spelled ‘Batista’ in the WWE) has really elevated his celebrity status in recent years. With the Guardians of the Galaxy having the biggest August opening yet, his name is becoming more well known amongst the general public every day. Then why do pro-wrestling fans hate him so?

Wrestling fans are an interesting bunch. Very loyal to the product and the performers, but if you look at them sideways they will turn on you instantly and wish you death. When Batista made his big WWE return earlier this year the reaction was huge and the fans went wild, but the next day those same fans decided to boo him and turn on him for no apparent reason. He is pretty outspoken in regards to his opinions on a wide variety of topics, but nothing so bad that I feel would make him unlikable.  He may not be the greatest in ring performer of all time, but he performs his role in the ring very well and has been a part of some big WWE story lines and matches.

Perhaps it is the old “he sold out” routine. Those fans are right…how dare he try to be a successful actor and wrestler! He is at the beck and call of the fans and should do what they say *major sarcasm*.

Plain and simple, just like The Rock before him, he will always be a wrestler and now has added film acting to his resume. Good for him and after the Guardians of the Galaxy he is only going to become a bigger star and us wrestling fans will just have to learn to share him with the rest of the world.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event

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Hot damn the WWE Network has started showing the original Saturday Night’s Main Event!

In the late ’80s this was the show to watch for all young wrestling fans. It aired on NBC a handful of times a year in place of Saturday Night Live when it was showing repeats.

They always featured the top wrestlers in the company. Regularly, you got to see the likes of Hogan, Savage, Steamboat, JYD, etc…in some memorable matches and story lines. It was typical ’80s cartoonish wrestling and it was perfect for that time. I still love revisiting these shows and having nothing but good memories.

When the network debuted SNME was possibly the most requested show by fans and now the WWE has delivered.

There are several episodes already on the network with the rest to follow soon.

This is reason number 101 to subscribe to the WWE Network!

Fozzy

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Last Tuesday the much anticipated new Fozzy release, Do You Wanna Start a War, came out and did not disappoint. This is definitely one of the best metal/rock albums to come out in quite some time. I have been listening to Fozzy since their first release of cover songs and love that they have evolved so masterfully from a gimmick band to a legitimate heavy metal act that you must listen to and see live in concert whenever you have the chance. They are simply one of the best rock bands today, period.

Their previous release, Sin and Bones, received rave reviews and the standard concern is that the next release will not live up to the hype. Do You Wanna Start a War not only lives up to the hype, but surpasses it. This is now a seasoned band who have found their identity and strive to only give their fans the very best possible.

From the first track (where the title comes from) to the final, Witchery, Fozzy never lets up for even a minute. Most albums feature maybe a couple of damn good songs, but this one is chock full of them.

Lights Go Out is one of those songs that has instant hit written all over it and even after listening to the song over and over again I cannot seem to get sick of it.

If you ever have the pleasure of listening to lead singer Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk is Jericho, you have heard the title song, Lights Go Out, and the hard hitting One Crazed Anarchist regularly for the past few weeks and for any other band those probably would have been the only great tracks, but not in this case.

Tonight is one of those songs that reminds me of 1990’s Kiss (which I love) and you cannot help but smile and find yourself in a good mood after listening to it.

SOS has quickly become one of my favorite songs of all time. It has that 1980’s rock ballad feel, yet still comes off modern, and you immediately find yourself singing to the chorus.

All 12 tracks are top notch songs and you can tell that the whole band busted their asses to put out the best rock album in years.

I remember when Jericho started Fozzy and some people treated them like they were jokes and I would say from the beginning that they were wrong and over time this was going to be one of those bands that everyone would change their minds about and lo and behold I was correct.

If you still have not jumped on the Fozzy bandwagon now is the time to do so before you are left in the dust.

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WWE Battleground 2014

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WWE Battleground has come and gone and as usual it is sort of a throwaway PPV. This year the thought was that may change leading in to a big Summerslam show next month, but it was more of the same.

A few matches of note:

Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho – Jericho is simply one of the best wrestlers of all time, but this match just seemed a bit off. I am really feeling that Bray Wyatt is a bit overrated. He has an interesting character that is very over with the crowd, he is not too bad of an in ring performer, but of all of his big PPV matches this year the only one that was truly great was his third and final match against John Cena at Payback in a last man standing match. He has not had enough good matches to be as over as he is right now. Hopefully, the two of them wil have a much better rematch at Summerslam and Jericho can make him look good.

Paige vs. AJ Lee – Eh…this was another match that just seemed off. They need to get someone to really work with their women wrestlers on their in-ring work. They also need to book these matches much better. Both women are good performers, but they really seemed lost in the ring on this night.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose – No actual match, but some fun backstage, and in the parking lot, brawling. Hopefully, we will actually get a match next month.

The highlight of the night was the first match pitting The Usos against The Wyatt Family. Hot damn these four have nothing but great matches against each other. 2 out of three falls with The Usos coming out on top was surprising. I am a big fan of them, but thought they would have the Wyatts come out on top. The match was great from start to finish and it will be interesting to see what’s next from both teams.

Overall, the show was okay, but this is not a must watch show. Watch that tag match at the beginning and you will be good to go.

Next month is Summerslam and I have high hopes it will be a great show!

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Sting (not the singer)

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Sting is officially a part of the upcoming WWE 2K15 game which launches October 28 of this year.

This also means he is officially part of the WWE, but in what capacity remains to be seen.

He is the last of the big name WCW wrestlers to make an appearance in the WWE and it has been a long time coming. When Vince McMahon bought WCW Sting made the decision not to join the WWE and once his final WCW contract was up he started a fairly long run with TNA.

There have been rumors year after year of him joining the WWE, but it never came to be until now.

I have always been a fan of Sting from his bleach blonde surfer days to ‘The Crow’ gimmick and always felt he should have joined WWE where he could have had a legendary run. He purportedly stayed away due to his disliking of the WWE’s adult approach, but it seems ever since they went to a more PG product he has decided to end his career with the one organization he had never been a part of.

It is still a mystery as to what else his role will be with the company besides being in a video game, but I sincerely hope we get at least one more match from him at next year’s Wrestlemania so he can say he wrestled in all the major promotions and us long time fans can give him one last goodbye and thank him for an amazing run.

Talk is Jericho

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When driving or trying getting through a long day at work I enjoy listening to podcasts which are essentially radio shows on demand. I currently listen to 10 regularly and several others on occasion. In my top 3 is Talk is Jericho hosted by wrestler/actor/musician/author and now podcast host Chris Jericho.

Some of the things I look for in a podcast is to be entertained, informed, and made to laugh. Jericho’s podcast does all three things very well. I have been listening to his show since the first episode and have never been disappointed. I enjoy the fact that he has a fairly wide variety of guests. He has had his father Ted Irvine who is a former NHL player, William Shatner, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and many others on the show. He seems to enjoy primarily interviewing people who are involved in things he loves himself which works for me since I have the same interests. It also makes his interviews very memorable since he really knows what he is talking about with his guests.

He is naturally a funny, charming, and intelligent person which comes off clearly on his podcast. His show is fairly family friendly so you can listen to it in front of your children or at work and not worry about what might be said.

This is the perfect podcast for wrestling, sports, or music fans and really anyone who just wants to smile while listening to something through their earbuds.

Beyond the Ring

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I say this week after week, but the greatest thing to come out for wrestling fans is the WWE Network (I will not stop until everyone subscribes!). I have been going through the WWE’s Beyond the Ring series which is a collection of the documentaries they include on their DVD/Blu ray releases. They feature topics on individual performers like Steve Austin, Edge, and Big Show (to name a few) and also on other topics like rivalries, WCCW, NWA, etc…They are regularly adding shows so it is safe to say we will eventually have access to all of the doc.’s from past home video releases.

I enjoy learning the behind the scenes stories of these performers who I have watched for years and getting an idea of who they really are outside of their wrestling personas.

Last night I watched the WCCW Beyond the Ring and even though I was aware of the Von Erich families’ tragedies there were some details I was not aware of. It was eye opening to learn about what happened during that time from various points of views from people who were actually there.

The Chris Jericho one was another fun watch since they showed footage from when he very first started and it was great seeing his evolution as a performer.

There are only a few of these specials I have not watched yet and so far I have enjoyed them all.

For wrestling fans this series is yet another reason why the WWE Network is a must buy!

WWE Legends House

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As I have stated in previous posts, the WWE Network is the best $9.99 a month you could possibly spend as a wrestling fan. One of the best examples of this is the WWE Legends House reality show that is exclusive to the network. It was filmed a couple of years back, but the WWE could not find a network to pick it up which is those networks loss since it turned out to be one of the best reality shows out there.

It was a great way to see the real side of these legendary performers who most of us fans only know by their characters. It featured Jimmy ‘the Mouth of the South” Hart, Pat Patterson, Howard Finkel, Hillbilly Jim, Tony Atlas, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

There were personal conflicts between them in the beginning, but it was nice to see those issues fade in to the distance as they all got to know and respect each other over the course of the show. Without giving away the details, the final two episodes were very emotional and it was nice to see these larger than life characters reveal the real pains they have dealt with in their lives and finally try to move past them.

There were some slightly cringe worthy moments like realizing that Okerlund is a grumpy old pervert and seeing more of Finkel than any one cares to see, but overall it was clearly not a show that “staged the reality”.

The majority of today’s reality television shows are more scripted than people realize with the producers creating conflicts that were not there in the beginning between cast members. Despite the fact that pro-wrestling is scripted, the producers for the Legends House did not create conflicts like most reality programming and just let the wrestlers be themselves. It was refreshing.

If you do not have the WWE Network it is safe to say that a DVD set should come out at some point and I would heavily recommend checking it out. It was funny, emotional, and just plain cool to see what these larger than life men are like in the real world.