By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

The PWTorch Collectibles Column dated April 13, 2013 featured a list of the top 10 selling Mattel WWE Elite action figures at the time. PWTorch reader Justin Alvarez recently sent in an email asking for an updated version of that list.

In the 15 months since that column was published, Mattel has released dozens of new WWE Elite figures spread out over several waves. There have been many first-timers during that time, including Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E., A.J. Lee, and many more.

But, none of those new figures made it onto this updated Top 10 list. The Top 10 figures on this list were all released between 2010 (when Mattel took over the WWE license from Jakks Pacific) and 2012. However, it is very possible that some figures from 2013 and 2014 could surpass some of these figures down the road.

Many of the Top 10 figures from the 2013 list are even hotter today, and have moved up the list. Others have dropped off completely. The Miz Elite Series 9, which was selling in the $40-70 range, can now regularly be found for $25-$30. Why the change? Well, for one, it’s The Miz. In addition, Mattel has made so many Miz figures that not many stand out.

This is by no means a definitive list. Like all Top 10 lists, this one is completely subjective, but with some research to back it up. The figures listed here are those that consistently sell on the secondary market for relatively high prices. Every now and then, a Tyson Kidd or Luke Gallows may sell extremely high, but those are usually exceptions to the rule.

The prices listed in parenthesis represent the most common price range for new, mint-in-package action figures. There are always some instances of a figure selling for considerably more or less, but those were excluded from this analysis.

What’s your Top 10? If you’d like to join in this conversation, send your responses to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com, or Tweet them to @MMooreWriter.

(10) Kevin Nash Elite Series 16 Flashback ($50-100; Last year: Not ranked). Mattel included two Flashback figures of Nash in its 16th series of Elite toys: a more common figure of Nash as Diesel with the classic WWF Title, and this much rarer toy of Nash as the NWO’s “Big Sexy” in WCW.

This figure has Nash in his red and black Outsiders gear, and comes with a WCW Title belt with “NWO” spray painted on the front. This figure was tough to find when this wave was released in 2012, and many collectors were never able to find it in retail stores.




(9) Andre the Giant WWE Legends MattyCollector.com Exclusive ($60-100; Last year: Not ranked). Mattel has successfully wooed children of the ‘80s with its MattyCollector.com exclusive Masters of the Universe and DC action figures. Mattel tried to launch a similar line of Internet-exclusive WWE Legends in 2011, but the figures didn’t catch on.

However, three years later, some of the figures are commanding considerably more than their original $20 price tag. Andre was the first figure in the line, and to date this is one of only two of his Mattel figures. The MattyCollector.com WWE Legends were sent to customers inside white shipping boxes, and collectors are paying more for the figures that still have those white boxes with them.

(8) Edge Elite Series 13 Flashback ($55-120; Last year: 9). Mattel has produced a few different Edge toys over the last four years, but only one that captures the “Rated R Superstar” during the earliest days of his WWF career. This figure has much longer hair than most Mattel Edge figures, and comes with the trench coat and sunglasses that Edge wore when he was the enigmatic youngster who entered through the crowd.

Last year, this figure was regularly selling in the $40-65 range; today you’ll be lucky to find one for that price, with most selling in the $75-90 range and some going for more than $100.

(7) Kane Elite Series 12 Flashback ($60-120; Last year: 1). This rare figure of the “Big Red Machine” topped last year’s list of WWE Elite figures. It’s not that this figure has cooled off over the last 15 months, but others have surpassed it. In fact, this Flashback figure of Kane often sells higher now than it did in 2013.

(6) Batista Elite Series 6 ($90-120; Last year: 5). Batista infamously flopped with fans after winning the 2014 Royal Rumble, but that hasn’t hurt the value of his collectibles. This figure in particular is still one of the scarcest and most valuable of all WWE Elite figures. Mattel has plans to release new Batista figures in 2014, but so far fans are still willing to pay big bucks for this one.

(5) Goldust Elite Series 6 ($80-130; Last year: 6). This is yet another figure from this sixth series of WWE Elite figures, which may be the scarcest and most valuable wave of the 30 series released to date. Goldust experienced a career resurgence in 2013, and his action figures are just as hot now. A new Goldust Elite figure will be released this summer in Elite 29. However, that figure is modeled after the current incarnation of Goldust, while the Elite Series 6 figure showcases Goldust’s more classic look.

(4) Tully Blanchard WWE Legends MattyCollector.com Exclusive ($75-150; Last year: not ranked). Black trunks, red knee pads, white boots – there’s nothing especially flashy about this figure of Tully Blanchard, yet it is one of the scarcest and most valuable Mattel WWE figures on the secondary market.

Blanchard and Four Horsemen/Brainbusters tag team partner Arn Anderson were sold individually in the WWE Legends MattyCollector.com Exclusive line. Both are rare and valuable, with Blanchard commanding more than Anderson. The scarcity of this figure makes it incredibly volatile. It’s not uncommon to see a loose figure sell for $100.

(3) Ultimate Warrior WWE Legends Series 6 ($65-150; Last year: not ranked). This figure captures Warrior at the absolute peak of his wrestling career, in the orange trunks and boots he wore the night he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title at WrestleMania 6. This figure was included in the sixth and final WWE Legends series; Mattel scrapped the WWE Legends line and began including Flashback figures in its WWE Elite line instead.

This figure jumped in value after the Warrior’s death in April, and there were quite a few figures sold on eBay in April and May. Since then, though, the supply of this figure has really dried up, and it’s tougher to find than ever before.




(2) C.M. Punk Elite Series 1 ($60-180; Last year: not ranked). Are you surprised there aren’t more Punk figures on this list? All of Punk’s Elite figures sell well, especially his Elite Series 6 toy, which just barely missed the list. This figure was released in the very first series of Mattel WWE Elite figures in January 2010. Punk is sporting the long hair he wore during the first few years of his WWE run, and this figure comes with a black t-shirt with Punk’s fists on the front.

The first few series of WWE Elite figures had very poor distribution, with many collectors complaining that they never found them in their parts of the country. As a result, this Punk figure has become extremely rare and valuable; if you’re able to find one for less than $100, consider yourself lucky.

(1) C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society Ringside Collectibles Exclusive ($150-250; Last year: 7). It should be no surprise to anyone that Punk has the top two figures on this list. By definition, collectors of wrestling action figures are hardcore wrestling fans, and there’s no bigger star among those hardcore fans than Punk.

This figure was sold exclusively through RingsideCollectibles.com in the summer of 2011, and was released right around the same time as Punk dropped his famous pipe bomb promo. If you bought one of these figures from Ringside Collectibles for $34.99, you made a wise investment. Today they regularly sell for around $200, sometimes considerably more.

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