In 1989 Hasbro released the first set of WWF action figures. The first set included only about 9 or 10 figures and they were cartoonish versions of the roided up superheroes from our TV screens. The figures were a major success and would be for the next five years to come. Many sets and variations were released of the figures but towards the end Hasbro became lazy and were using the same bodies as earlier models and were popping new superstars heads on them and respraying the bodies.
Now days if boxed the figures can fetch a bit of money on ebay or whatnot but on a whole you can pick up most figures loose for about £2. I'm selling a 90% complete set of these (minus the green card set and the elusive Dusty Rhodes figure) and I will post up details asap. So anyway here is my Top Ten best figures
10 YOKOZUNA
Yokozuna was a mammoth Somoan guy who allegedly weighed in at 600lbs who had the gimmick of a sumo wrestler and liked planting his arse on patriotic americans and his manager the evil Mr Fuji loved throwing ceramonial salt in peoples eyes! This figure was amazing and its so heavy you could actually throw it at someones head and kill them with it. This figure gets lowered down in the list though as this was one from the later series and WWF's popularity was on the decline. Yokozuna died in a hotel in Liverpool after having a heart attack.
9.EARTHQUAKE
Next up is Earthquake another big fat bloke who like sitting on people and squashing their vital organs and ribcages! Earthquake was a great bad guy who broke Hulk Hogans ribs and killed Jake Roberts pet python in front of him while he was tied up in the ropes. Earthquake made burgers out of the dead snake a week later just for good measure (I'm not making this up wither!) and then turned into a good guy a year later when he created the tag team with fellow fatty Typhoon called the natural disasters. This figure was a must have at the time as it was the first figure to have moving legs and also tattoo detail. Earthquake has sadly passed away as well.
8. DOINK THE CLOWN
Doink the clown appeared in 1993 when WWF decided that every type of proffession could be used as a wrestling gimmick. We had Mounites, plumbers, witch doctors, dentists, repo men, hockey players, pig farmers, monks, country music stars, undertakers, prison gaurds, prison convicts, bull fighters, vikings, fitness instructers and now clowns were having a go. Doink the clown was actually quite successful to begin with and a good wrestler. He was a bad guy (heel) at first who came out to evil music and squirted water in kids faces and hit people over the head with artifical limbs. The figure was great a real good likeness and had a real green hair. Doink turned into a good guy (face) not long after and had midget called dink as a tag partner and then it was curtains for the clown.
7.Dusty Rhodes
This entry is a bit contraversial to me as I never owned this and hardly anyone did. The rarest WWF figure in this series. I cant remember the story wether not that many were made or that there was an issue with pacakging over a summerslam advert being placed on it but this toy is worth over a £100. This is Dusty Rhodes who worked for the Crocket NWA which became WCW and had great matches against guys like Ric Flair and Harley Race and was a wrestling legend from outside the WWF. When he arrived at the WWF owner Vince Mcmahon thought it would be a great idea to turn the American dream into the comman man making him do peoples plumming, clean peoples garbage and work in a meat factory in one segment where I qoute he said "You can beat our prices but you sure cant beat our meat!". They then gave him a toothless black tramp woman as a manager who used to dance to his funk theme (which is actually well funky) and ultimately gave him polkadot ring attire. He left a year or so later to return to WCW.
6. The Rocket Owen Hart
Owen Hart is best remembered for being a wrestler that died in an accident on live TV in 1999 but I will always remember him for being Bret Harts younger brother... who was cooler, more exciting and a better wrestler than Bret! Yeah I said it! Bret Hart bored the shit out of me as a kid and I couldnt stand him. The guy was a good wrestler but he couldnt do good interviews and he never had the charisma or fun factor that the Warrior or Hogan had. Anyway his younger brother Owen was different he could do high flying shit as well as just wrestle and was quite funny as well. This figure captures the character of Owen Hart and is a good likeness and has the cool ring attire from 1992.
5. Hulk Hogan (Bearhug action)
I'm sure you dont need to know who Hulk Hogan is so I'm gunna get straight to business. There were in total five different Hulk Hogans made in the series varying from ones with different vests, moves and bandanas. I chose this one because it captured Hulkamania as much as a four inch action figure could and makes a good bulldog clip and holder for all kinds of diffent crap.
4. Andre The Giant
The Hasbro Andre the Giant figure really captured the spirit of the heel version of Andre. With the black singlet, massive hands and ice cold stare this figure from the first series was always involved in the action. Andre came with a head butt move which worked when you pulled the torso back.
3. Ultimate Warrior (series 1)
The first version of the Ultimate Warrior has to be one of my favorite all time Hasbro figures. The beefed up warrior with the bright green pants is how I remember him best. This figure really does capture the spirit and the power of the WARRIOR!!!
2. Jake the Snake Roberts
Jake Roberts is one of my all time favorites to ever step in to a ring the guy had it all and a 10 feet long python as well just for good measure. I really hope that one day he gets put in the WWE Hall of Fame and gets over his personal problems as he really was one of the greatest of all time. The figure of him is a toy which everyone remembers and loves not just because of the fact its a great resemblance to Jake Roberts but the fact that it came with one of the greatest accessories of all time... Damien his beloved snake. The figure did an amazing knock out punch when you pulled back the right arm
1. Macho Man Randy Savage (1st series)
Now this figure to me is the greatest Hasbro of all time and not just that but I have a crazy story of how I ended up getting this figure. It was 1991 and I was 7 years old I had just recently completed my collection of the first series of Hasbro figures all apart from one... Macho Man Randy Savage. So I devised a plan to get some cash quick and that plan was money from the tooth fairy. So using a pair of mini Mechano pliers I tried pulling out a tooth while lying down. Unfortunately I ended up swallowing the mini metal pliers and digesting them luckily without dying. That was the length I was willing to go to own the greatest Hasbro of all time which stands at the front of my cabinet along with those fucking pliers! RIP Macho Man you were the greatest!
Yokozuna was a mammoth Somoan guy who allegedly weighed in at 600lbs who had the gimmick of a sumo wrestler and liked planting his arse on patriotic americans and his manager the evil Mr Fuji loved throwing ceramonial salt in peoples eyes! This figure was amazing and its so heavy you could actually throw it at someones head and kill them with it. This figure gets lowered down in the list though as this was one from the later series and WWF's popularity was on the decline. Yokozuna died in a hotel in Liverpool after having a heart attack.
9.EARTHQUAKE
Next up is Earthquake another big fat bloke who like sitting on people and squashing their vital organs and ribcages! Earthquake was a great bad guy who broke Hulk Hogans ribs and killed Jake Roberts pet python in front of him while he was tied up in the ropes. Earthquake made burgers out of the dead snake a week later just for good measure (I'm not making this up wither!) and then turned into a good guy a year later when he created the tag team with fellow fatty Typhoon called the natural disasters. This figure was a must have at the time as it was the first figure to have moving legs and also tattoo detail. Earthquake has sadly passed away as well.
8. DOINK THE CLOWN
Doink the clown appeared in 1993 when WWF decided that every type of proffession could be used as a wrestling gimmick. We had Mounites, plumbers, witch doctors, dentists, repo men, hockey players, pig farmers, monks, country music stars, undertakers, prison gaurds, prison convicts, bull fighters, vikings, fitness instructers and now clowns were having a go. Doink the clown was actually quite successful to begin with and a good wrestler. He was a bad guy (heel) at first who came out to evil music and squirted water in kids faces and hit people over the head with artifical limbs. The figure was great a real good likeness and had a real green hair. Doink turned into a good guy (face) not long after and had midget called dink as a tag partner and then it was curtains for the clown.
7.Dusty Rhodes
This entry is a bit contraversial to me as I never owned this and hardly anyone did. The rarest WWF figure in this series. I cant remember the story wether not that many were made or that there was an issue with pacakging over a summerslam advert being placed on it but this toy is worth over a £100. This is Dusty Rhodes who worked for the Crocket NWA which became WCW and had great matches against guys like Ric Flair and Harley Race and was a wrestling legend from outside the WWF. When he arrived at the WWF owner Vince Mcmahon thought it would be a great idea to turn the American dream into the comman man making him do peoples plumming, clean peoples garbage and work in a meat factory in one segment where I qoute he said "You can beat our prices but you sure cant beat our meat!". They then gave him a toothless black tramp woman as a manager who used to dance to his funk theme (which is actually well funky) and ultimately gave him polkadot ring attire. He left a year or so later to return to WCW.6. The Rocket Owen Hart
Owen Hart is best remembered for being a wrestler that died in an accident on live TV in 1999 but I will always remember him for being Bret Harts younger brother... who was cooler, more exciting and a better wrestler than Bret! Yeah I said it! Bret Hart bored the shit out of me as a kid and I couldnt stand him. The guy was a good wrestler but he couldnt do good interviews and he never had the charisma or fun factor that the Warrior or Hogan had. Anyway his younger brother Owen was different he could do high flying shit as well as just wrestle and was quite funny as well. This figure captures the character of Owen Hart and is a good likeness and has the cool ring attire from 1992.
5. Hulk Hogan (Bearhug action)
I'm sure you dont need to know who Hulk Hogan is so I'm gunna get straight to business. There were in total five different Hulk Hogans made in the series varying from ones with different vests, moves and bandanas. I chose this one because it captured Hulkamania as much as a four inch action figure could and makes a good bulldog clip and holder for all kinds of diffent crap.
4. Andre The Giant
The Hasbro Andre the Giant figure really captured the spirit of the heel version of Andre. With the black singlet, massive hands and ice cold stare this figure from the first series was always involved in the action. Andre came with a head butt move which worked when you pulled the torso back.
3. Ultimate Warrior (series 1)
The first version of the Ultimate Warrior has to be one of my favorite all time Hasbro figures. The beefed up warrior with the bright green pants is how I remember him best. This figure really does capture the spirit and the power of the WARRIOR!!!
2. Jake the Snake Roberts
Jake Roberts is one of my all time favorites to ever step in to a ring the guy had it all and a 10 feet long python as well just for good measure. I really hope that one day he gets put in the WWE Hall of Fame and gets over his personal problems as he really was one of the greatest of all time. The figure of him is a toy which everyone remembers and loves not just because of the fact its a great resemblance to Jake Roberts but the fact that it came with one of the greatest accessories of all time... Damien his beloved snake. The figure did an amazing knock out punch when you pulled back the right arm
1. Macho Man Randy Savage (1st series)
Now this figure to me is the greatest Hasbro of all time and not just that but I have a crazy story of how I ended up getting this figure. It was 1991 and I was 7 years old I had just recently completed my collection of the first series of Hasbro figures all apart from one... Macho Man Randy Savage. So I devised a plan to get some cash quick and that plan was money from the tooth fairy. So using a pair of mini Mechano pliers I tried pulling out a tooth while lying down. Unfortunately I ended up swallowing the mini metal pliers and digesting them luckily without dying. That was the length I was willing to go to own the greatest Hasbro of all time which stands at the front of my cabinet along with those fucking pliers! RIP Macho Man you were the greatest!
