By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Action Figure Spotlight #58: A.J. Styles

On January 4, 2014, A.J. Styles returned to Ring of Honor for a match against Roderick Strong. What a difference a year makes.

On January 4, 2015, Styles will play a big role in drawing American viewers to Wrestle Kingdom 9, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s first foray into American pay-per-view. Styles left TNA just over a year ago and captured New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship, becoming a bigger star than ever before.
Styles’ first wrestling figure was released almost a decade ago as a part of ToyBiz’s TNA wrestling line. There are several different basic figures, which are basically repaints of the same toy with Styles in green, red, and green & black tights. Most of these figures can be found for well under $10.

Styles’s best figure from ToyBiz is a rare 12-inch action figure that is of much greater quality and detail than the basic toys. The 12-inch figure has more points of articulation, an X Division Title belt, a removable blue and black hooded vest and removable elbow, knee, and kick pads. This figure was tough to find in stores and usually fetches $60-75 on the secondary market.




Styles was one of the first toys produced when Jakks Pacific took over the TNA toy license in 2010. He was included in the first two series of TNA Deluxe Impact figures. Series 1 had Styles in white and light blue tights, while the series 2 figure had more of an X Division throwback look, with Styles in blue trunks. Both figures are easy to find for $10 or less.

In 2011 Jakks produced a cool Legends of the Ring Styles figure that was sold exclusively at ShopTNA.com. This figure captures Styles’s first X Division Title win and comes with the title belt and a removable black hooded vest. The figure sold out quickly and is tough to find today, usually fetching $40-$60 on the secondary market.




If you’re looking for the figure that most closely resembles the modern day A.J. Styles, check out the Jakks TNA Deluxe Impact Series 11 figure. Styles has an unshaven look, black pants and black gloves, looking more like the Bullet Club member of 2015. This figure is scarcer than most of Styles’s other toys, but can still be found for around $15 or less.




VHS Tapes

Sunday’s PWTorch Collectibles Column on VHS tapes sparked quite a bit of activity on Twitter. Several readers announced plans to sell their old wrestling tapes online. If you’re a tape seller or collector with a unique story to share with readers, feel free to send it along.

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

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