Action figures have long been seen as more than mere toys. Where children might see something fun to play with, adults see something potentially worth money. Wrestling toys are no different than those featuring superheroes or cartoon characters. While wrestling, in general, might not enjoy the same reputation as other hobbies and fandoms, there are still millions of fans who used to be kids and never lost th🅷eir passion. Either because of nostalgia, investment, or because of the indescribable need to stockpile obje𒀰cts felt by collectors everywhere, these people flock towards the toys that feature the heroes of their youth.
Through a combination of rarity and desirability, some of these action figures end up being worth a small fortune. Though most of the really expensive ones feature popular wrestlers who were celebrated throughout their careers, being a beloved icon is not enough to shield someone from the ongoing march of capitalism. These legends also had terrible toys made in their name. Being famous and popular could not save them from being featured on some of the worst merchandise in wrestling history. With modern action figures being made from actual scans of the wrestlers’ face and body🧸, the quality of the likeness has ge𝓀nerally improved, but the companies still have the occasional brain farts that are worth laughing at.
To show that the toy industry can produce both delight and horror, we have found the absolute wor𝐆st wrestling toys ever produced and decided to juxtapose them with the most valuable ones available on the collectors’ market. My biggest takeaway from all the research done for this article is that the quality of action figures has improved tremendously with time, and that I used to play with some pretty ugly toys as a child.
30 ꦉ WORST: Shawn Michaels – Hasbro Series
Shawn Michaels was only a year or so into his singles run at the time this atrocity was produced, and hi𒀰s trademark look had not been set in stone. However, as someone who has watched way too much wrestling in his lifetime, I can confirm that the Heartbreak Kid never put on an outfit that made him look like the Terminator only stole the pants from that poor biker. This action figure makes him look like Stretch Armstrong heading to a Judas Pr🍒iest concert.
29 ꦅ WORST: Ahmed Johnson – WWF S.T.O.M.P. ꧂
I get going for a cartoonish look, but have these people ever se💮en Ahmed Johnson from the waist down, or did they only have a picture of his face? Ahmed was one of the most imposing wrestlers the WWF had in the mid to late 90s. He was almost a throwback to the chemical days of the 80s. The only way this particular action f🎀igure could ever hope to look like Ahmed Johnson was if they caught him on day 100 of a hunger strike.
28 VALUABLE: “One Warrior Nation” and “Marble Statue” Ultimate Warrior♛ - Jakks ($3500 to $5000)
Jakks went all out with this series of four exclusive action figures featuring the Ultimate Warrior at different times in his career. These sculpts were created with the blessing of the Warrior, and there are only 20 copies of each of them. This obviously helped drive the price up, with two of them reaching a higher price range than the others. This is weird when you consider that the “besওt” ones are those representing the Warrior in WCW, a definitive low point creatively, as well as one made to look like a nonexistent marble statue. Sometimes the market moves🔯 in mysterious ways.
27 🐓 WORST: Wildman Marc Mero & Sable – Managers Serie♔s
“The Wildman” Marc Mero looks as surprised as we are to see how bad his action figure is. The eyes popping out of his face are reminiscent of Judge Doom revealing he is a toon at the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. If it wasn’t for 🌳the fact that this particular toy is accompanied by Sable (who herself looks like she was captured mid-nap for her sculpt), you would think that this is supposed to be Jimmy Hart in his underwear.
26 WORST: Sable – Jakks Pacific Collector Figure 𒁃
A few years later, Sable would get her own action figure, having effectively surpassed her (soon to be ex) husband in popularity. The🐈 WWF wanted to capitalize on that newfound fame, which is why they released about a half dozen toys of Sable, all with a varying degree of authenticity. This one is pr🍌obably the worst offender, with an outfit that resembles Barbarella more than anything Sable has ever worn in the WWF. This figure is supposed to be a rarity at only 5000 copies, but the collectors market did not buy.
25 💛 🌜 VALUABLE: Macho Man Randy Savage – Wrestling Superstars 89 ($10,000)
The Macho Man was one of the biggest stars of his era, but he is also one of the select few, like Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, whose legend keeps growing after he retired. Because of that, anything bearing his likeness will always be worth a bit more, even if it isn’t all that rare. For example, this action figure from 1989 was mass produced, but it’s worth $10,000 if it is still unopened and in excellent condition. Even if you just 🍬happen to have the poster 🎀that came with it, that’s worth about $200.
24 🎶 𓃲 WORST: Vader – Jakks Pacific
If you have ever seen Vader in your life, you know that he was a very stocky wrestler known for brutality and strength. He had tremendous power, in a barrel-chested kind of way, looking more like the guys on Strongman competitions on late night ESPN than your traditional bodybuilder. His action figure is obviously nothing like that, portraying him with a waistline t🐻hat would make any corset aficionado think “tone it down, buddy”. At least they got the mask right!
23 WORST: Rowdy Roddy Piper - Jakks🗹 Pacific 2007 Toy Fair Exclusive
Roddy Piper was an exceptionally talented per𝔍former. He was able to keep an audience captive through his wrestling as well as with his intense promos. He was basically a sports-entertainment genius, but still had his issues. For example, let’s consider Wrestlemania 6. For a match against Bad News Brown, an African-American wrestler, he painted half of his body black. This was obviously a bad idea for multiple reasons, one which angered Brown in real life, and one which already lives in infamy through the WWE Netw🧸ork. Unless it was for a series called “Worst Ideas In Wrestling History”, an action figure wasn’t exactly deserved.
22 VALUABLE: Hart Foundation Boxed 🦂– LJN ($2000)
About half a dozen tag teams got a boxed set edition which included both partners in thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe same packaging instead of two individual figures in a plastic shell with cardboard backing. Most of them are worth a few hundred dollars if the box is intact, but it’s The Hart Foundation which will net you the biggest loot. The soon-to-be Hall of Famers are worth much more than The Killer Bees or Strike Force, going for as much as $2000 if the box is in mint condition.
21 🌠 WORST: Mark Henry - Royal Rumble 2009 🐽
This action figure is labeled as beiꦿng from the 2009 Royal Rumble. I remember that particular Rumble; I watched it live on Pay-Per-View. Though Mark Henry’s performance wasn’t that memorable, I do remember that he was wearing a singlet. That’s what he wore for all of his career. Jakks Pacific decided to take things in another direction, thinking Henry needed a change of wardrobe. The action figure is indeed looking pretty slick, with a facial expression that’s in the mood for some loving instead of butt-kicking. It’s ju💞st that even during his “Sexual Chocolate” phase, Mark Henry was usually a bit more prudish.