Looking over at my Mattel WWE collection these days a few things are apparent — I should have invested in Mattel stock long ago, and secondly, Mattel has a Flashback variant problem. Specifically with two figures: “Macho Man” Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior.
When you think of pivotal wrestlers in the history of the WWF/WWE, it’s hard to see either slipping past the Top 20. They’ve always been immensely popular and beloved figures to wrestling fandom and their constantly changing looks makes them ideal candidates for variants. But Mattel has probably gone a little overboard.
Just counting their Elite figures, Savage and Warrior combine for 14 figures with more on the way. The scary thing is Mattel still has plenty of options left for Savage — Wrestlemania 3 robe edition seems the most glaring absence (UPDATE: now scheduled for a Defining Moments figure in 2017) — and could keep releasing Macho Man in every third Elite series for as long as they have the license. Warrior’s options aren’t quite as extensive as the bulk of the focus at this point would have to be on new head sculpts and new color schemes, but that’s not a bad thing. Royal Rumble 91 is my biggest want now.
To be fair, some of the Macho Man and Warrior figures represent Mattel’s best work with the line, but it’d be nice to see some of that same love devoted to other characters. Some of which who would benefit from more figures more than the Ultimate Maniacs and still be big sellers.
It really wouldn’t be that complicated to make some necessary Ric Flair variants. He’s a highly visible star that just needs some color swap attires — notably purple, green, white and red. Road Warriors with AWA-era face paint or Attitude-era attire absolutely would be big sellers. Bret Hart variants are largely no more complex than inverting the colors and paint splatter effects and why is Mattel still holding out on a Stunning Steve Austin and Hollywood Blondes version of wrestling’s biggest star?
I’m surprised Mattel hasn’t released every possible Razor Ramon/Scott Hall variant option at this point. Ramon frequently changed his attire offering a ton of easy repaint possibilities. Now that he’s in the Hall of Fame, hopefully Mattel will regularly make Ramon a staple in that repaint heavy series. But just as important is Scott Hall figures. It’s mind boggling that Mattel hasn’t released multiple n.W.o. variants of both Hall and Kevin Nash. Instead, they’ve been reduced to online exclusives. Considering Hall remains a stably unstable legend as he maintains a daily battle against his demons, it’d be smart of Mattel to crank out as many Ramon/Hall options as possible before they find themselves in another Hulk Hogan situation and a legend they’ve got signed is no longer on the table.
Mattel also needs to get in gear with releasing more Shawn Michaels figures. So far, Mattel has only done four Flashback figures of HBK. Unlike some of the other Legends, Michaels maintains a fairly high profile on WWE TV, which is always helpful in moving product. Mattel couldn’t go wrong releasing HBK’s rainbow assortment of outfits specifically from his ’94-’98 peak. A Wrestlemania 12 version is finally on the way, but it’s another slapped together figure that doesn’t feature the same loving care as the Macho Man and Warrior figures.
The biggest surprise/disappointment has been Mattel’s handling of Sting. I didn’t have high hopes for the WWE’s treatment of The Stinger, but I was most excited about Sting signing with the WWE to get great figures. So far that hasn’t happened. Beyond the outstanding Crow Sting Defining Moments figure, Mattel hasn’t been all that invested in Flashback Sting figures. The one Elite Surfer Sting figure might be the worst Mattel release all year. But for a generation of WCW/NWA fans who grew up howling with Sting, a steady string of Surfer Sting releases would definitely attract attention.
While the Warrior/Savage variants still warrant attention, it’s time for Mattel to share the love. What do you all think?