By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Ultimate Warrior’s collectibles are among the most valuable of all WWE Legends.

In the 1980s, the toy aisle at the local retail store was full of big, muscled up superhero toy lines: Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, and Justice League of America, just to name a few. No wrestler – perhaps even no human being – ever looked more like one of those superhero toys come to life than the Ultimate Warrior.

Warrior was the perfect type of character for the WWF merchandising machine. The former Dingo Warrior debuted in the WWF in 1987, and by 1988 the WWF was selling his t-shirts, jackets, hats, poster, and banners at live events and through a WWF Magazine catalogue. The WWF may have sold a lot of Warrior merchandise, but not much of it has survived. The items that pop up for sale on eBay and other collectibles sites today often fetch big bucks.

One of the top Warrior items from that era is a blue and white satin jacket that screams 1980s. The back features a colorful shot of a jacked up Warrior. One recently sold on eBay for $122.50. Warrior’s first WWF t-shirt was white with red trim around the neck and sleeves, with a small cartoon drawing of the Warrior beating his chest. Originally selling for $10-15, these shirts have recently been fetching $75-100.




The WWF also sold a lot of different Warrior posters during a time when kids wallpapered their bedrooms with posters of their favorite athletes, actors, and rock stars. Old wrestling posters are tough to find in good shape without thumbtack holes and tears and can command big money. One Warrior poster from 1990, which shows him posing with the WWF title in front of a colorful lightning storm, recently sold for a whopping $102.50.

Action Figures

Warrior’s first action figure was released as part of LJN’s WWF Wrestling Superstars in late 1988 as that toy line was coming to an end. It is the top figure in the entire toy line and very tough to find in decent shape. Loose figures in good condition can sell for several hundred dollars (one recently sold for $150) and packaged figures are almost never seen; one recently sold for more than $2,000.




Warrior was also a key part of Hasbro’s WWF toy line that was launched in 1990. Hasbro made a different Warrior toy for each of the first three series: the first had green tights, the second had white and the third had purple. All three are easy to find loose and not incredibly expensive usually selling for less than $10. Much scarcer – and more valuable – is a 12-inch talking doll of the Warrior from Hasbro, usually selling in the $100-150 range.

Warrior returned to the WWF briefly in 1996, and Jakks Pacific included its first Warrior toy in the second series of bone-crunching action (BCA) figures later that year. From about 1998 to 2000, that Warrior toy was incredibly hot with collectors, usually selling for $60-80. The price has since dropped, with packaged figures fetching around $25.

Things got much better for Warrior fans when Jakks launched its Classic WWE Superstars line in the early 2000s. The first series of these figures included a Warrior figure based on his WrestleMania VI WWF Title victory over Hulk Hogan. Jakks would go on to produce several more figures until the line ended in 2009.

Warrior even struck a deal with Jakks to make extremely limited custom figures that are only available through his website, such as a WCW One Warrior Nation figure. Only 20 copies of each figure exist, and Warrior’s asking price for one of these signed figures is $800. Some have sold recently on the secondary market for nearly $2,000.

Mattel has also released several Warrior figures since taking over the WWE license in 2010. Warrior’s most popular Mattel figure to date is his Defining Moments 2 figure, an extremely detailed toy that captures his WrestleMania VII retirement match with Randy Savage. Other figures depict Warrior during his first Intercontinental Title victory (Legends Series 4), WWF Title victory (Legends Series 6) and WrestleMania debut (Basic Series 16).

Trading Cards

Somewhat surprisingly, Warrior hasn’t been featured on many trading cards over the years. Warrior made his trading card debut on three cards in the 1990 Classic WWF set. Like many Classic products, these cards were mass produced and are worth very little today. Action Packed, Fleer, and Topps all made WWF/WWE cards from the 1990s through today, but none of those sets ever included an Ultimate Warrior card.

Warrior’s most recent card was included in the 2007 Donruss Americana set. He is featured on base card #43, and there are also two Private Signings cards of Warrior in that set. Both are autographed, and one features a swatch of clothing worn by Warrior. Each card is very tough to find and prices are very volatile, selling anywhere from $60 to $150.

With the Ultimate Warrior back in the fold with WWE – at least to some extent – don’t be surprised to see new Warrior merchandise in the very near future.




PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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