Brock Lesnar was a hard guy for WWE fans to not immediately recognize as a major player. He decimated guys left and right and even made Stone Cold Steve Austin pack his bags and quit for a while en route to beating The Rock to become the youngest WWE champ in history. After a memorable stint battling the likes of Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and even Goldberg, Brock abruptly left the WWE to pursue other interests, including UFC.
The itch to perform for WWE fans didn’t leave Brock, though, and he made a triumphant return, once again dominating the WWE universe until there was one final challenge — beating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and ending The Streak. This figure captures that historic night at Wrestlemania 30 where The Beast beat The Streak. Let’s travel down to Suplex City to see if this figure should be a permanent resident.
Package: Mattel does decent work with the regular Elite packaging, but whenever they do a non-traditional Elite figure like the RSC Shawn Michaels exclusive, the Wrestlemania BAF exclusive line, or the throwback figures like Rocky Maivia the packaging is extra special.
A lot went into making this one stand out from the “breaking news headline style” interruption of the normal packaging, the red and black color scheme contrasting the standard blue and grey and an image of Brock’s back tattoo along the top of the box. On the back there’s a nice portrait capturing the shocking moment and a detailed summary of the match.
The extra attention doesn’t end with the exterior, though, as the inner panel has a “Fear the Fury” design like one of Brock’s most recent t-shirts. I know the costs would soar if this were done with every figure, but this is top-notch and one of my favorites of the year.
Likeness: Since we normally get Brock’s with a head sculpt suggesting he is going to kill you, I appreciate the change of pace here with a smiling Brock. Mattel didn’t quite get it just right, though, as it’s perhaps a little too happy and less “you amused me for a moment; prepare to be devoured,” but I kinda like it.
Paint: Brock has worn more colorful attire than his Wrestlemania 30 outfit, but it’s faithfully captured here. My biggest complaint is the painted hands because they’re a terrible match for the rest of the body, which was cast in the flesh color. I don’t necessarily hate the idea of painting those hands, but Mattel’s paint master for the additional flesh elements is off and gives a sickly hue to the figures whenever it’s used.
Beyond the hands, the detail work on the glove logo, Brock’s tattoos, and his shorts’ design is sharp without any problems. The lettering is a bit sketchy at points on mine, specifically the second “E” in Sleep, which I’ll assume was just an isolated problem with my figure.
Scale: The WWE makes Brock out to be an unstoppable force, so it’s a bit surprising compared to other wrestlers that he’s “only” 6’3″, so his figure should look up to Triple H at 6’5” and be just a bit taller than the 6’1” John Cena. Again, major credit to Mattel for sticking with a consistent scale and not arbitrarily messing around with it.
Articulation: Brock’s got most of the standard Elite articulation. His shorts could probably conceal another articulation point, but they stick with the normal articulation scheme. Brock makes another case for another necessary articulation point added with the shoulders to allow him to better lock his arms for suplexes and throws, but you will be able to hit an effective F5.
Accessories: Brock comes with a plastic t-shirt “Eat, Sleep, Break The Streak.” This is a case where the plastic shirt isn’t the normal annoyance that has me screaming for a cloth shirt. The side clasps hold the tabs in place well enough and doesn’t keep springing loose whenever you move him like other plastic-shirt figures.
Brock’s beanie, however, probably would have worked better in cloth as it’s a bit too oversized and gives the impression it’s a helmet.
Worth it: Brock’s Elite 19 figure is more colorful, but I kinda prefer the no-frills look of this figure. I liked the t-shirt and this execution is much better than the others.
9 out of 10
Wrestlemania 30 was one of the most popular of the series, and if you’ve got the Wrestlemania 30 Undertaker, there’s no way you can pass up on this figure, which is a very good take on The Beast Incarnate. The head sculpt making Brock a bit too happy, the painted hands, and the goofy beanie hold him back from earning a perfect score, but otherwise this is an exceptional figure of the Mayor of Suplex City.
Where to get it: As a Toys R Us exclusive, that’s the only traditional place to find it, but you can find fairly decent deals on Amazon.com or eBay.