By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Wrestlers have had fans chanting "USA! USA!" for decades. Here's a look at 10 memorable patriotic wrestling figures...

(10) Cpl. Kirchner LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars Series 3. Long before the fake Razor Ramon and Diesel, Vince McMahon was trying to replace departed stars with inferior copycats. Case in point: jobber RT Reynolds, who donned military fatigues and became Cpl. Kirchner. His only action figure was released right around the same time as WrestleMania 2, when he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. Most figures in good condition today sell for around $10.

(9) The Patriot Jakks Pacific WWF Slammers Series 2. Del Wilkes was the breakout star for the short-lived GWF on ESPN, and parlayed that into a job with WCW and a tag team title run. He surfaced in the WWF in 1997 and with little fanfare or hype, was immediately thrust into main event matches against WWF champion Bret Hart. Patriot’s only figure is this poorly made early Jakks toy, which sells for around $10 now. One interesting note: in 1999 Jakks repainted the head from the Patriot figure in order to make the first ever figure of the Blue Blazer.

(8) Kurt Angle Jakks Pacific WWE Superstars Uncovered. In case you forgot, your Olympic hero won a gold medal for the U.S. at the ’96 Olympics with a broken freakin’ neck. This figure captures Kurt at his goofball best, smiling obliviously on a Wheaties-like cereal box called “Integrities.” If you’re looking for one of these, you should be able to find a brand new, mint in package figure for less than $10. It’s true.

(7) Hacksaw Jim Duggan Hasbro WWF Series 9 Purple Card. The once feared Mid-South brawler became another cartoon character when he arrived in the WWF in 1987. He began waving a flag and leading the crowd in chants of “USA!” and feuding with the latest anti-American, whether it was Dino Bravo or Yokozuna. This wasn’t Duggan’s first figure, but it was his first to come packaged with a toy flag. A carded figure typically sells in the $25-30 range.

(6) Sting Jakks Pacific Deluxe Legends of the Ring. This figure commemorates Sting's first world title victory. Decked out in red, white and blue, Sting defeated Ric Flair at the 1990 Great American Bash. This figure was released in 2011 and can be found for $15 or less.

(5) "Real American" Hulk Hogan Jakks Pacific Classic WWE Superstars Exclusive. For most of his career, Hogan was a real American who had the red, white and blue running through his veins. In order to get one of these figures, collectors had to collect 22 commemorative WrestleMania tickets. Tickets were found in select Classic WWE Superstars packages. At $15-20 per figure, collectors spent upwards of $400 to collect them all.

(4) Lex Luger Jakks Pacifix Deluxe Classic WWE Superstars Series 3. Luger's best years were spent in WCW, but fans will never forget his transformation into the uber-patriotic "Made in the USA" who traveled the country on the Lex Express. This is one of the few figures of Luger in the red, white and blue and sells for under $20.

(3) Torrie Wilson Jakks Pacific Great American Bash. Uncle Sam never looked so good. This patriotic figure has Torrie in the costume that she wore on the poster for the 2004 Great American Bash. It usually sells in the $20-25 range.




(2) Zeb Colter Mattel WWE Basic Series 37. Dutch Mantel returned to WWE in 2013 to serve as a Fox News-like foil for the newly turned babyface Alberto Del Rio. But suddenly, Colter is now more Hogan than Hannity, singing the praises of the good ol’ U.S.A. against the evil Russian Rusev. After decades in the wrestling business, Mantel/Colter was finally given his first wrestling toy in 2014. You may be able to find one in your local store today for $9.99; if not, expect to pay $15-20 on the secondary market.

(1) Sgt. Slaughter Hasbro/LJN Mail Away Figure. No other wrestler exploited Regan-era patriotism quite like Sgt. Slaughter. After wrestling most of his career as a heel, Slaughter wrapped himself in the American flag and feuded with the Iron Sheik. Slaughter’s wrestling persona fit right in with the popular G.I. Joe cartoon, and soon enough he was voicing his own character. Slaughter is one of a select few wrestlers to appear in cross promotional, non-wrestling toy lines, as he was given his own G.I. Joe action figure in the mid-'80s.

But, Slaughter’s most popular toy today is a mail away figure from Hasbro that was actually produced originally by LJN. The big rubber figure was originally made to be included in LJN’s WWF Wrestling Superstars line, but the company pulled the figure after Slaughter left the WWF. Hasbro reportedly bought up all the Slaughter figures and sold them as mail away exclusives in wrestling magazines and other publications. The figure is tough to find today, and regularly sells for at least $100 in good condition.




PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him Twitter @MMooreWriter .

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