By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Ludvig Borga never caught on with fans, but collectors fork over big bucks for his lone action figure.




- Action Figure Spotlight #34: Ludvig Borga Hasbro WWF Series 11
- Originally released: 1994
- What you can expect to pay: $30-40 loose, $50-75 packaged
- Recent sales $38.99, $39.99, $45.99 (loose); $49.00, $50.99, $70.00 (packaged)

The formulaic bad guy from another country had long since run its course in wrestling, but that didn’t stop Vince McMahon from trying to create a new foreign super villain in 1993.

In the grand tradition of such foreign menaces as Nikolai Volkoff, the Iron Sheik, Kamala, and Nikita Koloff, Tony Halme was repackaged as Ludvig Borga, a mixed martial arts-style tough guy. Lex Luger, the newly anointed American hero, needed a foreign foil, so McMahon and the WWF came up with Borga, a scary, muscled up monster from … Finland.

Prior to his matches, Borga would insist that fans stand for the Finnish National Anthem, and taunted crowds with such gems as, “U.S.A. stands for U Stink A Lot.” Halme certainly looked the part and, by all accounts, was quite the bully behind the scenes, but fans never bought into the character of the evil Finn.

Borga’s first and only action figure was included in the 11th series of WWF figures from Hasbro. These figures were released in 1994 and packaged on green cards. This series focused on many of the WWF’s new stars from the fall of 1993, including the first figures of Borga, the 1-2-3 Kid, the Smokin’ Gunns, and Adam Bomb, along with new figures of Yokozuna in black and white tights and Crush as a heel.

The green-carded figures turned out to be the final wave of WWF toys from Hasbro. By the time these figures were released, many retail stores had stopped carrying wrestling toys. As a result, these were very tough to find and have been among the most valuable Hasbro figures ever since their initial release.

The Borga figure is among the most valuable in the set, commanding upwards of $75 packaged and sometimes as much as $50 loose. There aren’t very many of these available on eBay at any given time.

This figure was suggested for this column by PWTorch reader Mike MacIntosh. If there is a specific wrestler or figure you would like to see featured in this column, contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

Collectibles News

- If you're looking for an affordable autograph of your favorite WWE wrestler, check out WWEShop.com. WWE's official online store is offering signed 8x10 photos of C.M. Punk, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, and Sin Cara for just $19.99 each.




- Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson is included in the new 2012 Leaf Pop Century trading card set, which features autographs from movie stars, singers, reality TV stars, historical figures, and other celebrities. Also included in the set is Jenna Jameson, who appeared in both ECW and the WWF in 1998.

- Mattel has released the line-up for several new waves of WWE figures. The 22nd series of basic figures features new figures of Booker T and Chris Jericho, along with many of the usual suspects like John Cena, Christian, Zack Ryder, and Mark Henry. Elite Series 17 includes the first Mattel figure of Mick Foley and the first Elite-style toy of Kelly Kelly. Also included are Sheamus, Zack Ryder, and, you guessed it, John Cena.

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