By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Ric Flair's first toy was produced in 1985, and his most recent action figure was released in 2008.




Wrestling Figure Evolution Timeline #3

(1) 1985 Remco AWA Series 1. Ric Flair’s name was synonymous with the NWA in the 1980s, but his first action figure was actually part of the AWA toy line. Flair came packaged with Larry Zbysko with a label that read, “NWA Champion vs. AWA Challenger!”

(2) 1990 Galoob WCW Series 1. Flair’s next figure captured the legend from the fall of 1990, when the “Nature Boy” was part of a Four Horsemen group that included Sid Vicious, Arn Anderson, and Barry Windham. It was around this time that Flair was also masquerading as the masked Black Scorpion, but no toys have ever been made of that character.

(3) 1993 Hasbro WWF Series 6. By the time Flair’s first WWF toy was released, he was already out of the company and back home in WCW.

(4) 1999 Toy Biz WCW Four Horsemen Gift Pack. Toy Biz cranked out a lot of WCW toys in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but made very few toys of Flair. This one came in a special Four Horsemen package with Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, and Dean Malenko.

(5) 2008 Jakks-Pacific WWE Classic Superstars Ringside Fest Exclusive. This figure, available exclusively at Ringside Collectibles’ Ringside Fest 2008, captures Flair as he appeared at his WrestleMania 24 retirement match, complete with detailed blue robe and WWE Hall of Fame plaque. To date, this has been the last Flair figure produced in the U.S. Flair’s time in TNA prevented Mattel from issuing a WWE Legends figure of Flair and, somewhat surprisingly, Jakks never produced a TNA Deluxe Impact toy of Flair. “The Nature Boy” will probably surface in a future Mattel WWE set.

Collectibles News

- Some collectors have expressed their frustration with the new Leaf Originals Wrestling product. The chief complaint is that the cards do not feature any sort of certificate of authenticity on the back or “certified autograph” stamp on the front. This issue will be explored in an upcoming Collectibles Column.

- TNA’s website is offering collectors a new exclusive Sting figure. This new figure features Sting with detailed Joker-like face paint and a cloth robe. The regular price of the figure is $29.99, although it is currently being sold for $19.99. ShopTNA.com has offered a handful of exclusive Jakks figures before, all of which have sold out very quickly and don’t often surface on the secondary market. The new figure can be seen here at ShopTNA.com .

PWTorch Collectibles Specialist can be contacted at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com .

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