In Brief: Looking at figures of Hogan, Flair, and other rivals who match up with Savage's top toys.

By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Action Figure Spotlight #59: Top 5 Opponents of Randy Savage

The announcement of Randy Savage’s pending induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on Monday generated considerable buzz with collectors. Beckett.com ran an article on Savage’s top cards, and many collectors tweeted pictures of their favorite “Macho Man” action figures.

In December 2012, the PWTorch.com Collectibles Column spotlighted five Randy Savage action figures in the sixth Action Figure Evolution feature, available HERE. Instead of rehashing that list, here’s a look at five action figures of the “Macho Man’s” greatest rivals.

(1) Ricky Steamboat - 1986 LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars Series 3. Savage and Steamboat had the first great wrestling match since Vince McMahon’s national expansion when they battled for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania III. Nearly 28 years later, that match is still talked about as one of the greatest in WrestleMania history.

Savage and Steamboat both made their action figure debuts in the third series of LJN’s WWF Wrestling Superstars from 1986. The Steamboat figure has him striking a martial arts pose, dressed in black tights and boots. It’s an easy figure to find, with loose figures selling for $5-15, depending on the condition.




(2) Hulk Hogan - 1990 Hasbro WWF Series 1. Hogan and Savage had one of the longest running relationships in pro wrestling in the 1980s and ‘90s, both as opponents and partners. They headlined house shows in 1986 when Hogan was the WWF World Champion and Savage was the workhorse Intercontinental Champion. They teamed as the Mega Powers from 1987 through 1989, then headlined WrestleMania V as opponents as Savage’s yearlong WWF World Title reign came to the end.

By 1994, both men had taken their acts to WCW, where the friends-to-enemies-and-back-again story played out again. When Hasbro launched its WWF toy line in 1990, Hogan and Savage were both part of the first series. This figure of Hogan has him in a “Hulk Rules” shirt and is pretty easy to find loose, usually selling for just $5-15. Mint-on-card figures are tougher to find and considerably more valuable, usually selling for $60-100.




(3) Diamond Dallas Page - 1999 Toy Biz WCW Smash N Slam Wrestlers. Page has credited Savage with turning him from a mid-card player into a legitimate main eventer during WCW’s hottest run in the 1990s. The pro-WCW Page and the NWO’s “Macho Man” had some of the best matches in WCW during 1997. This figure has Page in blue jeans, a vest and a black “DDP” T-shirt.

It is very easy to find and incredibly affordable, with loose figures selling for just a couple bucks and mint-on-card figures selling for around $10. This figure matches up nicely with Savage’s Smash N Slam figure, which was sold in a two-pack with Elizabeth.




(4) Lanny Poffo - 2005 Jakks Pacific Classic WWE Superstars Series 15. The brothers Poffo never locked up in a WWF ring, nor was their relationship ever acknowledged on television. But, Lanny and Randy feuded in dad Angelo’s International Championship Wrestling (ICW) outlaw promotion. In 1989, after Savage defeated Hacksaw Duggan to become the “king” of the WWF, Lanny was there to read a coronation poem.

Poffo’s only action figure was as “the Genius” in the 15th series of Classic WWE Superstars. This is an easy figure to find, for around $10-15 loose or $20-30 in the package. Savage was never included in Jakks’ comprehensive line, so fans will have to match this one up with a “Macho Man” toy from Mattel.




(5) Ric Flair - 2014 Mattel Defining Moments. Savage and Flair battled in the WWF in 1992 as Flair taunted, “Elizabeth was mine before she was yours!” They traded WWF title wins that year, until Flair eventually bested him that fall. Savage and Flair resumed their feud in WCW in 1994, and again traded world title wins in 1995.

Mattel recently released this new figure of Flair, which presents him in his classic power blue trunks, with a removable black robe and big gold belt. You should be able to find this figure for around $25 at some retail stores or online. It matches up well with the Randy Savage Elite Series 23 figure from 2012, which has Savage in the gear he wore in his WrestleMania 8 match with Flair.




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

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2015 Collectibles Columns

- January 11: Exclusive Interview w/Leaf CEO Brian Gray. (Free) (VIP)

- January 7: Japanese Wrestling Figures Spotlight. (Free) (VIP)

- January 3: Introduction to Japanese Wrestling Cards. (Free) (VIP)

- January 1: Action Figure Spotlight #58 - A.J. Styles. (Free) (VIP)

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