The Hasbro line of WWF toys is much-heralded and remains a favourite amongst wrestling action figure fans everywhere, with the articulation and cartoony feel putting them ahead of the static LJN range that had preceded it, not to mention WCWs similarly-limited Galoobs. To this day they are not particularly rare or expensive a few notable exceptions aside but as they were released from 1990-1994, a time when most collectors were still wide-eyed children, they remain a nostalgic favourite with fans across the world. However, as great as Hasbro figures were, the company was occasionally lazy in its output. Did we really want that second Jim Duggan figure wearing the singlet he donned for a couple of months in 1993? Was a repaint of the Bushwhackers from grey, black and white camos to brown and yellow ones something collectors had been yearning for? Was it really necessary to put out a second Yokozuna figure, identical to the first except for different colour tights? And lets be honest, how many variants of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and, erm, Crush, did we really need? The question is, what could have been released in place of the ones mentioned above? Which wrestlers missed out entirely on those 4 ½ inches of immortalising plastic, and the chance to reap the benefits of that monthly five-figure royalty cheque? Here we run down the candidates, the only rule being that common sense has to prevail. Yes, a Steve Austin Hasbro figure would have been awesome, but the line was long dead by the time he broke onto the scene, so it makes no sense to include him. Similarly, Hasbro never made managers, non-wrestling on-screen talent, or women, so they are out too. Instead we will focus on wrestlers active at the time who genuinely could have had a figure released and we will explore some of the reasons it never happened. It is worth noting that it took months to go from the design stage, through production and then to the finished product, hence the first set of figures released in 1990 being based on wrestlers looks from mid-1989. That six month or so period is important to remember as we traverse the list.
The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart.
James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.
