By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Matt Bloom, the current Lord Tensai and former A-Train, has one figure that is especially popular with collectors. If Tensai takes off, more collectors could be looking for this toy.




Action Figure Spotlight 22: Jakks-Pacific WWE Ruthless Aggression A-Train
Originally released: 2003
What you can expect to pay: $7.50-10.00 (loose); $20-35 (packaged)
Recent sales: $8.00, $14.99 (loose); $19.99, $23.75 $27.56, $37.99 (packaged)

Lord Tensai has arrived in WWE. If this character is able to make an impact, collectors may develop interest in a 2003 figure of the man playing the role of Tensai.

Matt Bloom first surfaced in the WWF in the late-1990s as Prince Albert, the personal piercing and tattoo artist for Darren Drozdov. Over the years, he teamed with Test as T&A, joined forces with X-Pac and Justin Credible as X-Factor, and eventually became Scotty 2 Hotty’s partner as the “Hip Hop Hippo.”

Bloom enjoyed his greatest success when he put the comedy act aside and became the monster A-Train in the early-2000s. Under this persona, he was even given a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 19, even though it was a handicap match.

Bloom eventually left WWE and became a top wrestler in Japan as Giant Bernard. WWE appears ready to capitalize on his rise in Japan with the Tensai character. The body hair that almost led to a run as George Steele, Jr. is gone, replaced with Japanese markings. Tensai has also been paired with manager/mentor Sakamoto.

If WWE has big plans for Tensai and he gets over with the fans, collectors will probably want an action figure to add to their collections. It will be quite a while before Mattel makes its first Lord Tensai figure, so collectors will have to turn to an older figure of Matt Bloom as A-Train. Talented artists will undoubtedly customize these older figures and turn them into Tenzai as well.

Albert was a regular on WWE TV from 1999 to 2001 when Jakks was cranking out toys, so there are plenty out there. However, many of these are older style Jakks figures of which collectors aren’t especially fond.

The best figure of Bloom was released in 2003, when Jakks began producing its Ruthless Aggression style of figures that became the standard for WWE toys. A-Train was included in the first series of these figures, and although it wasn’t especially popular at the time, it has become somewhat tough to find still in the package. Loose figures typically sell for only $7.50-$15.00, but packaged figures have been commanding as much as $35 lately.

That price could increase if the Tensai character is a success.

Do you have a question about wrestling collectibles, or a unique item that you’d like to share? Contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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