WWE old school action figures make much-loved comeback with ‘obsessed’ star Zack Ryder getting his own
THERE’S good news if you were a WWE fan during the 1990s – the old school action figures from the days of Hulk Hogan, British Bulldog, and Bret Hart are back in UK stores.
Produced by Mattel, the “Retro” figures are an update of the classic toy line from Hasbro that played a huge role in WWE’s popularity during the early 1990s.
The original Hasbro series included superstars such as The Hulkster, Andre the Giant, The Honky Tonk Man, Mr Perfect, The Undertaker, Legion of Doom, and The Bushwhackers – each with their own spring-loaded wrestling action maneuver.
The latest Retro figures – Series 7, which available here in the UK from wrestlingshop.com – features Sheamus, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho.
And Series 8 is already on its way and available to pre-order now, featuring Braun Strowman, The Iron Sheik, Jeff Hardy and Zack Ryder.
Ryder himself is a wrestling toy fanatic and one of the world’s top collectors of the original Hasbro action figures.
He also hosts a wrestling toy podcast, The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, with best friend and tag team partner Curt Hawkins.
Speaking exclusively to Sun Sport, Ryder revealed how important the Hasbro toys were to his childhood – and eventually becoming a WWE superstar.
Zack said: “If I close my eyes and think of my childhood, I think of those Hasbro figures – going to the toy stores, getting them on Christmas morning, or playing with them.
“It started as just playing but it became an obsession and I turned it into my life and my career.”
The Hasbro figures were first released in 1990. They followed a previous line of solid, rubber figures produced by LJN.
But with their lifelike detail and wrestling moves – including gorilla press slam, jumping, and punching action – the 4.5 inch Hasbro figures were like nothing wrestling fans had seen before.
Zack said: “For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with wrestling. But I remember going to a toy store in 1990 and seeing the Hasbros and thinking ‘What are these?!’
“When I saw all the characters on the back of the box I was like, ‘I’ve got to collect them all!”
The Hasbro figures ran for 11 series between 1990 and 1993. They ceased production when WWE’s popularity dipped after the early 1990s boom.
As well as featuring the biggest WWE superstars, the Hasbro line featured the cartoon-like mid-carders from that era such as the alligator hunter Skinner, voodoo master Papa Shango, ex-convict Nailz, car thief Repo Man, and wrestling Viking The Berzerker – all short-lived but memorable characters.
Zack said: “Every kid at school had that Hulk Hogan with the gorilla press slam or the Ultimate Warrior that jumps, but I liked collecting when it got into the more obscure characters.
“When wrestling wasn’t as popular any more you had to go to comic book stores and flea markets to hunt for weird characters like Skinner or Papa Shango.
“These characters weren’t long lasting in WWE but you remember them because they were iconic and the figures depicted that perfectly.”
In the years since, the Hasbro toy line has gained near-mythical status thanks to a number of legends and rumours surrounding it.
There was a fabled “orange card” set, which was cancelled before production could begin – and a number of prototype figures that never made it onto shelves.
The most famous of them is a Greg “The Hammer” Valentine figure in his Rhythm ‘n’ Blues tag team gear.
The figure appeared in a Toys ‘R’ Us advert printed in WWE Magazine and never went into production. But somehow the figure made it out of the Hasbro offices.
It surfaced on eBay a few years ago – and other versions of the Rhythm ‘n’ Blues prototype have been discovered since.
Zack Ryder found one in a job lot of toys he bought over Facebook.
Zack said: “What’s added to the Hasbro legend is that we keep finding these things.
“The Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine is one of those ‘never was’ figures. I saw the Toys ‘R’ Us advert it in WWE Magazine as a kid but I didn’t know it wasn’t released – there was no internet back then! – I thought I just didn’t have it.
“Then one popped up on eBay. People said it was a fake but it turned out to be the real deal. A few more popped up and now I have one.”
Now the Hasbro fans’ holy grail is Diesel, which is long rumoured to have been included in the unproduced orange card series.
Finding a Diesel figure could become a reality after hand-painted prototype figures of Lex Luger and Doink the Clown – also part of that legendary orange card set – surfaced last year.
Zack said: “It’s 2019 and we’re still finding figures from the early 1990s.
“It’s fascinating because there are people who somehow had these figures in their collections for years and they don’t really know what they were.
“So these people go on eBay to see how much their figures go for and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I have this?!’”
“I didn’t think the orange card figures made it past the sketches stage. Then we got Lex Luger and Doink.
“So is Diesel out there too? It’s possible there’s a hand painted prototype somewhere.”
Mattel resurrected the line with its Retro series in 2017, which created a huge buzz among longtime WWE toy collectors.
The Retro figures are the same size and cartoonish style as the Hasbro originals.
They also have the same action moves, including gorilla press slams, jumps, and punches – plus some all-new moves in the traditional of the originals.
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins even appeared in a retro-style commercial, mimicking the OTT WWE toys commercials of the early 1990s.
Zack said: “I’ve been collecting my entire life and Mattel makes the best WWE figures ever. The first time I saw the Retros I was blown away.
“I always dreamed of one day going into a toy store to buy more Hasbros. So to find out it was really happening and they were reimagining and bringing it back to life, I was pumped up.”
So far the Retros line has included current superstars such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, The New Day, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
It’s also included old school legends Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane, Goldberg, Sting, and Ultimate Warrior – plus lots more.
Also released is an old school-style wrestling ring with red, white, and blue ropes – almost an exact copy of the toy ring from the early 1990s.
For Zack Ryder, getting his own Retro figure was a big career moment.
He said: “The toy designer showed me the design on paper and later I saw the prototype.
“When I filmed a commercial I was able to hold the figure but they wouldn’t give it to me!
“I got sent 10 of them a few weeks ago, so I finally got to keep my own figure. It’s awesome. If my career ended today I’d feel like, ‘I did it!’”
With Retros Series 7 out now and Series 8 about to be released for UK fans, there are still more Retro series planned for the future.
Zack has the inside scoop on some upcoming figures – and has hinted the ever-elusive Diesel figure could finally happen – but he’s keeping details under wraps.
He said: “All I will say is this – I have seen some images of upcoming figures, and we’re all going to be very, very happy.”
Buy and pre-order Mattel Retro action figures from wrestlingshop.com