By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Which wrestling Santas made the cut for this Action Figure Spotlight?

Santa Claus has a long and not-so-storied tradition in professional wrestling. Many times, Santa’s wrestling appearances have been Wrestlecrap worthy, from a babyface Alberto Del Rio running over jolly old St. Nick, to Mark Henry and Damien Sandow - well, the less said about that debacle, the better.
But, occasionally wrestlers get the Santa Claus gimmick right - or at least create a moment that lives in wrestling infamy. If you’re looking to customize a toy of your favorite wrestler-turned-Santa Claus, here are five grapplers who delivered.

(5) Bill Goldberg. A lot of wrestlers have donned the Santa Suit in the wrestling ring, but one superstar actually starred in a bad Christmas horror flick. Bill Goldberg was a homicidal maniac wearing a Santa suit in “Santa’s Slay,” an awful straight to DVD flick from 2005. If you’re looking to make a truly terrifying Santa Goldberg figure, try this hideous looking WCW Gross Out Wrestlers figure from Toybiz. Load water into the back of this overly jacked up, cartoonish Goldberg and watch him spit it from his mouth. You can usually find one for $25 or less.




(4) Hulk Hogan. Believe it or not, Ho-Ho-Hogan was not the first time the Hulkster put on Santa’s suit. Who could ever forget “Santa with Muscles,” the 1996 dud that cast the then-heel Hollywood Hogan as a beloved muscular Santa Claus? This film also starred Ed “Brutus Beefcake/Fur Face/Butcher/Booty Man/Man With No Name/Disciple” Leslie, ‘80s TV star and kooky enviro nut Ed Begley, Jr., future Disney star Brenda Song, and a then unknown Mila Kunis. Hogan’s LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars figure from 1984 is an iconic toy that can be found for a couple bucks and dolled up to look like Ho Ho Hogan or Santa with Muscles. [ Photo courtesy of thecanadianconnection.biz ]




(3) Balls Mahoney. Before he was a chair-swinging freak, the man who would be Balls was cast as Xanta Klaus, Santa’s evil cousin from the South Pole. Yes, he actually appeared on a WWF pay-per-view and wrestled a few matches on Raw and Superstars. And yes, toy aisles in places like Target, Walmart and Toys R Us actually carried a figure of a guy named “Balls.” Make your own Xanta Klaus by picking one of these loose figures up for less than 5 bucks.




(2) Mick Foley. No wrestler has played the role of Santa Claus with more passion than Mick Foley; he’s even featured in the documentary “I Am Santa Claus,” which is available on Netflix. Foley has lots of toys, but his Mattel Elite 17 Flashback figure is one of his best and would make a cool custom Jolly Old St. Mick. Loose figures can usually be found for $25-35.




(1) Michael Hayes. No wrestler ever did Santa Claus quite like Michael Hayes. Words cannot begin to describe the awesomeness of December 25, 1983, when Hayes entered the ring dressed as Santa and beat down Mike Von Erich; watch the clip HERE. Hayes’s first action figure was released in 1985 as a part of Remco’s AWA set, and you can find a loose one for $15 or less.




Have you ever made your own custom wrestling Santa? Send pictures along to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com and we’ll share them with other Torch readers. Follow PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore on Twitter @MMooreWriter.

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