By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Mattel has introduced the popular build-a-figure concept to wrestling fans with a new series sold exclusively at Toys-R-Us.

Who would have thought that wrestling fans would be in such a frenzy to get a piece of Michael Cole?

Collectors of Mattel’s WWE figures have spent a lot of time and money trying to do just that.

The Toys-R-Us-exclusive WWE Elite Best of Pay-Per-View figures have been incredibly hot since they were released in late 2011. The series features four cool figures, each of which comes with some unique accessories. Buy all four, and you’ll be able to assemble your own Michael Cole toy.

Two of the figures are from Summerslam 2010 (Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan) and two are from WrestleMania 27 (Triple H and John Cena). Each one comes with a piece of Michael Cole; for example, Cole’s tie and torso are packaged with the Triple H figure. The pieces can then be snapped together to make Cole’s first Mattel toy.




The figures retail for $18.99 each, so if you’re fortunate enough to find all four at your local Toys R Us, assembling the Cole figure will cost you around $80. But collectors are having a hard time finding these figures at their local stores. The Hart and Triple H figures are especially popular and are usually the first to sell out. Toys-R-Us originally offered the Triple H and Cena figures online, but they have since been removed from the site.

Most of the unopened figures usually sell on the secondary market in the $25-35 range; the Hart figure sometimes sells as high as $50. Loose figures with accessories (minus the Cole pieces) usually sell for $15-20. Some collectors and customizers will take the accessories to use with other figures and then sell the loose figures online without accessories; these typically sell for $10 or less.

Some sellers have pieced together the Cole figure with the intention of selling it on eBay. If you’re one of the Cole Miners who wants his toy without buying all the others to assemble it, you can expect to pay $50-75.

Each figure depicts the wrestler as he appeared at that particular pay-per-view event. The Triple H figure comes with the King of Kings helmet, mask, and cape he wore during his entrance at WrestleMania 27. Hart’s figure features him in the jean shorts and black “Hitman” T-shirt he wore as a part of Team WWE at Summerslam 2010.

The Cena and Bryan figures are less spectacular and not as popular. Cena comes with the removable red t-shirt and hat he wore at WrestleMania 27, while Bryan has a removable t-shirt and wears the same tights he wore when he returned to WWE at Summerslam 2010. There are a few reasons these figures are less popular than the other two: Mattel has made several similar Cena figures, and even though Bryan has become something of a cult hero, Mattel has released several different Bryan toys in the last year.

The build-a-figure concept has been a popular one among comic book fans since Toy Biz introduced it as a part of its Marvel Legends line in 2005. Wrestling collectors have definitely embraced the first build-a-figure series, and will probably continue to do so if they are given the chance to build wrestlers who don’t already have a dozen toys on the market.

Sloppy Signature Trivia




Do you recognize the autograph of this former WWE and TNA star?

Send your answer and full name to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. The names of those who guessed correctly will be included in next Tuesday’s Collectibles Column.

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