By Michael Moore, PWTorch collectibles specialist

In Brief: Some WWF stars who were included in LJN's Wrestling Superstars line in the 1980s haven't had another toy produced since.

For the past ten years, nostalgia has been a big part of wrestling toy lines from Jakks-Pacific and Mattel. Jakks’s Classic WWE Superstars and Mattel’s WWE Legends both offer up toys of many stars from yesteryear, from Bruiser Brody to Zeus. Jakks produced 29 series of single Classic WWE Superstars figures, along with several other tag teams, three-packs, exclusives, and box sets. Mattel released five series of WWE Legends before incorporating Legends figures into its basic and Elite lines.

But, even with all those toys, there are some wrestlers who haven’t had an action figure since the 1980s. This week’s Figure Five looks at the top five WWF Wrestling Superstars from LJN who never again appeared in another toy line. Next Tuesday’s Figure Five will look at similar figures from Remco’s AWA line.

(5) Billy Jack Haynes. The 1980s wrestling magazines painted Billy Jack Haynes as a big star from Portland who would be an even bigger star for a national company if given the chance. Haynes started out strong in the WWF in 1986, no-selling punches from jobbers and winning his matches decisively with a full nelson. But, his career peaked with a couple of undercard matches at WrestleMania III and IV; from there he bounced around smaller promotions and had a brief run as Black Blood in WCW in 1990. Galoob reportedly planned to produce a toy of Black Blood, but the whole line was scrapped before that could be done.




(4) S.D. Jones. S.D. “Special Delivery” Jones was the ultimate lovable loser. He got in just enough hope spots in his matches to make fans think he had a chance, but ultimately got squashed by whichever heel he was facing. LJN made two versions of the Jones figure: one with a red shirt, and a scarcer toy with a colorful Hawaiian shirt.




(3) Slick. Depending on your point of view, Slick was either the coolest manager of the ‘80s or a horribly offensive racist stereotype. He was mostly a heel, managing the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Butch Reed, the Twin Towers, and Power and Glory, but had a brief run as a babyface manager for Kamala in 1993. LJN included him in its fifth series of Wrestling Superstars in 1988, and nobody has made a toy of the “Doctor of Style” since. Slick came with a removable hat that was easily lost; loose figures complete with the hat usually sell for $35-40 today.




(2) Adrian Adonis. Once a street tough thug, Adrian Adonis became “adorable” in 1985. This figure presents the character at its most embarrassing, complete with effeminate pose and bad makeup. Loose figures in good condition usually sell for $15-25. Fans who fondly remember Adonis’s tag team with Jesse Ventura had hoped Jakks would make an East-West Connection two-pack, but this remains Adonis’s only figure.




(1) Hercules Hernandez. Jakks-Pacific made toys of the Shockmaster, Zeus, and Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz, but never found space for the Mighty Hercules. A WWF regular from 1985 to 1992, Hercules challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title at house shows and later teamed with him at the 1988 Survivor Series. He had high-profile feuds with Ultimate Warrior and Ted DiBiase before teaming up with Paul Roma to form Power and Glory. Hercules’s only toy has him with long hair in chest armor and brown shorts. Although he reached the peak of his career after abandoning this look, no toys have ever been made of the chain-wielding Hercules in powder blue trunks.

Other notable names who have not had an action figure since LJN’s WWF Wrestling Superstars in the 1980s: Johnny V (Valiant), Outback Jack, Ted Arcidi, and Cpl. Kirchner.

Do you have a top five list of action figures you would like to see in this column? Send your ideas and your own lists, along with your name, to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Selected lists will appear in this column.

PWTorch Exclusive Interview

Friday’s Collectibles Column will feature an exclusive interview with AAA and SHIMMER star “Girl Dynamite” Jennifer Blake. Find out what she collected as a kid, the strangest thing she has ever been asked for, and what types of collectibles she is selling today.

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