Woo! Woo! Woooooooooooo! Ric Flair has finally found his way into the Mattel action figure pantheon.
It seems like it took forever, didn’t it? The “Nature Boy” is one of the most iconic professional wrestlers of all time, and ever since Mattel took over the WWE license and showed they were going to produce highly detailed and super-articulated figures, fans and collectors alike have been opining for Ric Flair. Well, in appropriate fashion, Mattel has released the first (of, I am sure, many) Flair figure under their recently revived “Defining Moments” banner, and they have succeed in doing justice to the most iconic look for the “Real World’s Champion.”
I haven’t been a fan of wrestling since the early 1990s, so, needless to say, the only WWE figures that I have been collecting during Mattel’s impressive run have been the “Legends” and “Flashback” figures. Bring me your Mr. Perfects, Akeems, and Flairs, I have no use for your John Cenas or Mizes! Because of this, my collecting patterns have been a bit intermittent since the classic guys have been folded into the standard Elite releases with little regularity. Sure, we get at least one per series, but even then, sometime it is of a guy from just a few years ago, so I have kind of been going without as of late.
However, a lot of the more recent (and upcoming) Elite series have been featuring multiple classic superstars, so my roster is ready to be filled out by the likes of Lex Luger and the Legion of Doom. However, Hulk Hogan notwithstanding, there is not a name bigger than Ric Flair that has needed to find his way into the Mattel Elite-style, so crossing him off with this Defining Moments release is a BIG win for me.
Whether you remember Flair best from his days with the Four Horsemen, or when he brought his “Real World’s Champion” belt to the WWE (then, the WWF) and won the 1992 Royal Rumble after drawing number three, there is no doubting his star-power is an influence in the annals of professional wrestling history. Sure, he was never my favorite wrestler, but you knew that anytime Flair was even remotely involved in a match, it would be controversial and very entertaining.
Mattel was quick on the ball getting their first Ric Flair figure to market when he came back to the WWE. See, he had been languishing in the (what I am told) horrible TNA circuit, so when he was finally able to break free, he got back on board with big company. Really, that was a HUGE deal for classic WWE fans and action figure collectors alike. I finally have a Ric Flair that can hang with my Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Mr. Perfect. Oh, that is not even to mention how he can come hit on Miss Elizabeth right in front of the Macho Man. The drama! Again, if you are a wrestling fan, this figure is a big deal to three solid decades of WWE/WCW/NWA history, and there are already plenty of guys in your collection that can now fall victim to his super-articulated Figure Four Leg Lock.
Mattel has, in my opinion, presented us with the most iconic look for Ric Flair right off the bat. That makes sense for the Defining Moments line, and it is good for me because this is the Flair figure with the look I always wanted. He has long blonde locks, trunks, and a feathered robe, and the latter might just be the best piece of soft goods that Mattel has ever made. As you probably know, I am not a proponent of cloth on figures, but there is absolutely no denying how well this robe was made.
It is, of course, his famous black “Nature Boy” robe that we wore on countless trips to the squared circle during his career. All of the butterfly prints and script lettering are realized in perfect fashion and “fur” used to represent the feathers is unlike any other texture I have in my WWE collection. Obviously you cannot use real feathers at this scale, so I think the material they employed is a great alternative. It fits the figure perfectly and you can display the top open to show off his chest, just like he did at the top of his game.
I also got a personal wish granted with this figure because his tights and boots are the blue color scheme that I wanted the most. To me, the powder blue just captured his persona the best and it matches the old WCW Flair figure I had as a kid. Now, I know there might be some grumbling about how the ring outfit doesn’t really match the robe, but, to be honest, it doesn’t bother me one bit. Plus, I am sure we will be due more Flair figures with all of his different colored tights, so just hold fast.
The figure itself is right inline with the Elite articulation and detail scheme, and, overall, I am pretty pleased with it. His head sculpt is very neutral, and as far as I am concerned that is the safest way to go, especially with a more expensive execution. It is tough to get locked into an expression that captures a specific moment, so I am glad the Mattel team erred on the side of caution. That being said, we better get a Flair in the future that will capture his cocky “Wooooooooooooooo!” exclamation, just for the times he is feeling his oats.
The body has the right stature, but I think his torso is probably a little too cut and complementary for Flair. He was known more for his personality and technical prowess than being a ripped specimen, so your mileage may vary on how much you like his build. He has no paint issues that I can see, and Mattel even painted the little bands of tape on his fingers, which is a nice touch. He also comes with his patented knee pads that I quickly slid down over his shins immediately after opening the figure.
Like I said, he does have Elite articulation, but even at that level, pulling off his signature move, the Figure Four Leg Lock, can be tricky. However, as you can see in the pictures, he can do it pretty well. He can also do his three step stumble-onto-his-face gag that he was so well known for. Sure, that is not groundbreaking, but it is the little things, right?
Ric Flair is the most important entrant into the Mattel WWE line since the Macho Man, plain and simple, and I am thrilled to have him. There has been a very large hole in all of our collections for a long time, so the Nature Boy should be pretty universally welcomed. As I said, I am sure that there will be many more Flair figures in our future, but if you only need one, I think this Defining Moments figure will have you all set. It is available at Amazon (Prime eligible) right now.
So check Ric Flair off of your list — he was a big one. Sure, there are still a lot of superstars from the ’80s and early ’90s to be done, but since Hulk Hogan is appearing at the Mattel WWE panel at SDCC next week, I think we will be ready to land another big fish. Flair will be waiting for him.
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