10 WWE Legends Curiously Missing From The Mattel Action Figure Line
Who are the toys that Mattel should've made by now?
Despite their small stature, they've been an integral part in the growth and success of the WWE since being introduced in the mid-1980s. Ask any young wrestling fan or avid adult collector what their favourite type of WWE merchandise and many of them will have the same answer: WWE action figures.
Whether licensed by LJN, Hasbro, JusToys Jakks, or most recently Mattel, WWE action figures have been around for 4 different decades allowing for many different WWE superstars to be immortalised in rubber and plastic.
Longtime WWE action figure collectors may remember visiting their local Toys 'R' Us store to find plenty of Hulk Hogan action figures. Just like today, any Walmart or Target is likely to house pegs full of John Cena and Roman Reigns toys. For obvious reasons, some WWE superstars are more important to the line than others.
Still, in the six years since Mattel acquired the license to the WWE brand, some famous characters have been curiously left out. Whether the reasons stem from legal or contractual issues (which many most likely do) or simply differences in prioritisation, these 10 WWE superstars should have certainly had a Mattel action figure produced by now.
10. Ahmed Johnson
The Pearl River Powerhouse came onto the WWE scene like a house of fire in late 1995. Despite being extremely green, Ahmed Johnson was pushed hard and fast during his first year of in-ring action, even capturing the Intercontinental Championship from Goldust at the 1996 King Of The Ring.
In addition to being a popular rookie, Ahmed was one of the first characters created for the JusToys branded BendEms figures that WWE had produced after the Hasbro line was discontinued.
Whether or not Ahmed Johnson's push was very wise or well-deserved, anyone that watched WWE programming during 1996 cannot deny his importance to the show. His feuds with Yokozuna, British Bulldog, Goldust, and later Faarooq monopolised WWE television for the entire year.
A WWE Mattel action action figure of Ahmed Johnson should be relatively high on the list of priorities, given that we're seven years into the line now.
Considering the figures Mattel has produced from this era of WWE history, such as bearded Yokozuna, Brian Pillman and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the omission of Ahmed Johnson is a bit surprising. No WWE action figure collection representing 1995 through 1997 is complete without the Pearl River Powerhouse.