By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: WWE is entering the mini-figure market with this new toy line. Will there be enough interest to sustain it?

In 2014, John Cena will be the latest superhero to be featured in a Lego-like building set.

The Bridge Direct announced last month that it will release WWE StackDown Universe toys early next year. There will be a StackDown Ring Playset, Train ‘n Rumble Playset, Vehicle Sets, and Starter Sets.




For collectors of wrestling toys and memorabilia, the draw to these new toys will probably be the small figures. They are somewhat similar to Lego minifigures, and include removable accessories, such as t-shirts, robes, and championship belts.

The popularity of mini-figures (or Kreons, microfigures or other various names, depending on the company and toy line) has soared over the last decade. Just name a popular movie, television or comic book character, and he or she probably has a Lego or Lego-like mini-figure.

In addition to their own ninjas, aliens, and monsters, Lego minifigure themes have included Star Wars, DC and Marvel superheroes, Indiana Jones, the Lone Ranger, Toy Story, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. Other companies have made mini-figure-like toys based on the Walking Dead, the Halo video game franchise, Transformers, G.I. Joe, MLB and NFL athletes, Knight Rider, and the Expendables, among others.

The StackDown Ring Playset comes with figures of John Cena, The Miz, and a referee, and the Train ‘n Rumble Playset includes figures of Sheamus and Rey Mysterio. There are four starter sets, each of which includes one figure and a small construction set; the four figures in the starter sets are Sin Cara (with a launching pad and breakthrough entrance hoop), Kofi Kingston (with a ladder match), Santino Marella (with a cobra in a cage), and Damien Sandow (with School of Hard Knocks). The lone vehicle set advertised so far is the biker-style Undertaker riding a motorcycle through what appears to be a set of cemetery gates.




There are some surprising omissions, notably Randy Orton, C.M. Punk, and Triple H. It seems odd that Sandow and Miz would be included in sets before any of those top stars. The inclusion of the biker-style Undertaker over the usual Deadman character is also curious.

Although the WWE StackDown toys aren’t scheduled to be released until 2014, keep an eye on your local retail stores. During the holiday season, retail stores like Target and Wal-mart tend to flex out items from their stockroom onto their shelves. Toys that aren’t supposed to be released until 2014 often end up on the shelf a month earlier than scheduled.

Will the figures carry any sort of value after the initial release? It’s hard to say. There is a huge collector base for Legos and Lego-like toys. If these first toys do well with kids and collectors, it could lead to more types of figures and playsets.

On some message boards, collectors are already clamoring for the Bridge Direct to go the “blind bag” route that drives sales of other mini-figures. This is similar to buying a pack of trading cards; each $2.99 pack contains one mini-figure for collectors to assemble, and collectors don’t know which figure they are going to get. Mega Bloks has been especially successful with this type of strategy for its Halo figures, incorporating rare, ultra-rare and mystery figures. Collectors who pull an ultra-rare figure from a $2.99 Halo pack can easily flip it for $15-20.

The WWE StackDown Universe toys have a ton of potential. Kids will love building the larger ring and training playsets, and mini-figures are a proven commodity with adult collectors. But has the market already been flooded with mini-figures? And is there enough interest outside of wrestling collectors to sustain these products?

What are your thoughts on these StackDown toys? If you’re familiar with other mini-figures, how do these compare? Send your comments to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

Shield Three-Pack Hits the Shelves

The Kmart-exclusive three-pack of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns mentioned in last week’s PWTorch Collectibles Column are live. PWTorch.com reader Chris Rahn sent along this image of the toys on display at his local Kmart in Lancaster, Pa. Most stores seem to be getting in five of these three-packs.




There are a lot out there for sale right now, but any future value depends on how many of these sets Kmart is holding back. If they don’t constantly replenish their stock, this item could dry up by Christmas and carry a significant value on the secondary market.

If you can’t find this set at your local store, they are also being sold on kmart.com. The retail price is $27.99, with a current sale price of $21.99. Early sales on eBay were in the $50-75 range, but the current price seems to have settled in the $40-45 range.

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