By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Looking for an action figure of Daniel Bryan? Here’s a quick list of five key figures.

Action Figure Spotlight #60: Daniel Bryan

John Cena changes shirts every couple months. Sting and the Ultimate Warrior had colorful face paint and ring attire. Hulk Hogan went from the red & yellow of Hulkamania to the black & white of the NWO and back again. Daniel Bryan ... well, his hair and beard get a little big longer each week.

Bryan is arguably the best and most popular wrestler in WWE, and perhaps in North America. But, his look doesn’t hasn’t changed enough over the last couple years to where Mattel can crank out a new must-have figure for kids and collectors every few months.

As a result, Bryan’s action figures have never gotten as hot as those of contemporaries like C.M. Punk and A.J. Lee, or legends like Warrior and Randy Savage.

But, Bryan’s overwhelming popularity has driven enough interest in his figures that even if collectors don’t need five different Bryan figures, many want at least one. Here are five key Bryan figures from Mattel’s WWE toy line.

(1) Mattel WWE Elite Series 28. Daniel Bryan got white-hot in 2013. His popularity culminated in a clean WWE Title victory over John Cena at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, we all know how things went from there. This figure captures Bryan’s brief moment in the spotlight, complete with a pre-WWE Network logo WWE Title belt and a yellow “Yes! Yes! Yes!” fan sign.

This figure was released last summer, and you may still be able to find one at your local toy store for the suggested retail price of $18.99. If not, packaged figures are easy find online for close to retail price. Loose figures are often sold without the WWE Title belt and sell for $5 or less. Loose figures with all accessories usually sell for about $15-18.




(2) Mattel WWE Elite Series 32. Remember those couple weeks when WWE thought it was a good idea to turn their hottest babyface heel and have him join the Wyatt Family? Almost a year after that aborted angle, Mattel released this figure of Bryan that comes with a removable Wyatt Family jumpsuit. Of all of Bryan’s figures, this one most closely resembles the Bryan of today, with long hair and a full beard.

You can probably find one in your local store or online for $18.99. Because of the likeness captured in this figure, it is often sold loose on eBay with WWE and World title belts from other figures for far more than the SRP. One recent loose figure with two belts recently sold for more than $40.




(3) Mattel WWE Basic Series 11. Hey, who is that guy? Bryan’s first action figure was released in early 2011. With his short hair and stubble, he’s almost unrecognizable compared to the Bryan of 2015. During the second half of 2014, this figure was found in abundance at secondary retailers like Big Lots for $10. You can probably find a loose figure online for $5-7.




(4) Mattel WWE Elite Series 12. Much like Bryan’s first basic figure, his first Elite figure also depicts him with short hair and stubble. This figure is notable for being one of the first figures to include a detailed Elite-style U.S. Title belt. When this figure was released in 2011, many collectors reported seeing the figure at their local retail stores with the title belt stolen out of the package. Today this figure sells for about $30 mint in package, or $15-20 for a loose figure with the U.S. Title belt.




(5) Mattel WWE Superstar Entrances Series 4. These figures are sold exclusively at Walmart, and feature wrestlers’ signature shirts painted on with accurate detail. This particular figure has Bryan in his gray “Respect the Beard” t-shirt that was popular in 2014. This figure is available in Walmart stores now for about $7.99.




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

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