When Duran Duran wrote their song “Wild Boys,” I am pretty sure they were talking about Afa and Sika here.
All joking aside, the Wild Samoans were early trailblazers of the bat-sh!% crazy persona that has been so common in wrestling over the past couple of decades. In the early 1980s, their grunting, nose-picking, and raw-fish eating antics were like nothing the attraction had seen before, and their performance art under Captain Lou Albano in only part of their lasting legacy that made them very deserving entrants into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
I say “part” because if you take just a moment to examine the familial legacy of Afa and Sika A’Noai, you will see that the list of superstars reads like a Hall of Fame class unto itself. I mean … Roman Reigns, Rikishi, Yokozuna, and the freakin’ ROCK are just a few of the family members who have been remarkably successful WWE stars in their own right, and it all began with these two wild boys. That lineage was not established just by grunting and shock-value antics, either — these guys were great workers and could really wrestle. In fact, their famed “Samoan Drop” has been a revered finisher utilized by countless superstars for multiple eras of the WWE. So, when you consider those three legacies, there are few guys in the history of professional wrestling more deserving of Hall accolades, even if branches of their family tree have gone on to be more famous.
While they were not on the top of my list of wants for the Mattel Elite line, I was thrilled when they were announced for a Target-exclusive Hall of Fame set. I know that imprint has had its share of struggles, but I am really glad it exists because it give focus to the best of the best of all eras, and as a classic wrestling guy, it gives me an avenue to under appreciated icons like the Samoans. Their release is part of the new two-packs (along with a set featuring the Ultimate Warrior and Papa Shango), and I am betting this execution will be more successful than the box sets as the price point is lower, and it is easier to capture a “must-buy” set when there are fewer variables. The singles HoF line is continuing as well, but there are a LOT of tag-teams and feuds that are perfect for this new execution.
As figures, overall, I find these two to be successful figures, but certainly not perfect. Lower production costs are almost universal among store-exclusive figures, and this set is no exception, but there is more good than less-than-good in this offering. As far as I am concerned, the execution of the head, both in paint and sculpt, is almost always the most important part of any piece. Sure, articulation and all of that is really important too, but if the head is junk, there is no saving any of the rest of it. So, Afa and Sika are definite winners when it comes to that, and their likenesses and expressions are pretty much right-on. Remember, these guys were crazy in word and deed, but also in appearance, and these figures capture that well.
Their builds are pretty close to accurate as well, even though the bodies are full reuse with no new parts, I believe. These guys were definitely thick, and this body reflects that well, but even though Afa and Sika were close in build, I wish there was a little bit of difference between the two figures. I get it, this build is close enough, but since they are packaged together, and there ring attire is the same, it is hard to shake the reality of buying the same figure twice. The deco on the tights is nice for the simple design, and the wrists and ankles are appropriately taped, albeit, via paint. Their ring attire (I guess they are skirts) is good too, and I appreciate that the pieces are removable, well-painted, and NOT made of cloth.
My biggest issues with the figures is that they BOTH have the weird “thumbs up” on the left, and even though the articulation is there, these two are all that posable. The hips are pretty sticky and that affects the posing for just about everything, so that is a real head scratcher. I think the holes in the top of the thighs are too tight to facilitate the barbell in the crotch piece so it restricts the movement. Also, the ankles are pretty weak on both of these, so while I can fix that with the old superglue trick, weak joints are always annoying, especially since figures of this build can play havoc on a display if they take a fall. Generally, Mattel’s Elite figures are built very well and have strong joints, so I am counting on this being a bit of a one-off, but it is still bothersome for these figures.
For me, the Flashback/Hall of Fame/Then, Now, Forever WWE sub-lines are some of my favorite current action figure offerings. I need to feature them more often because I am building a really badass ’80s/early ’90s collection, and the Wild Samoans are a great addition. Issues aside, Afa and Sika and very deserving and very welcomed entries to the Mattel line, and I hope the two-packs they are kicking off will be successful and lead the way for a lot more releases just like this. I will be stalking Target soon once again as the next series of single figures is likely getting close to release, but until then, I am glad to have these wild boys.
