14 Wrestlers Who Definitely Should Have Had Hasbro Figures
3. The Beverly Brothers
Every regular tag team that competed in the WWF from 1992 to 1993 had action figures. While not all of them were released together as teams (Money Inc. and the Natural Disasters spring to mind), even short-lived duos like the New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart) and High Energy (Owen again, this time with Koko B. Ware) were a possibility on your wrestling figure rosters. Why were the Beverlys the exception? They had great-looking gear, and featured regularlyon television, VHS tapes, and pay-per-view. In fact, they were held in such regard that they were awarded a series of matches opposite Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake during the formers brief comeback in 1993. Okay, they were only there to put him over, but the chance to work with the Hulkster was still a nice payday. It wasn't a heel thing either, because the Headshrinkers were afforded a series 10 release when they were still unpopular rule breakers. For some reason their WWF longevity compared to a lot of the newly-arrived duos meant nothing, as was proven when the Smoking Gunns had figures produced for series 11 after mere weeks with the company. The reason for a lack of Beverly Brothers dolls was again down to timing, as at one point a set was in the works. Back in 1991 the team even did a photo shoot to help Hasbro design their figures, as you can see here on these fascinating reference slides: However, by the time production got underway Wayne Bloom (Beau Beverly) had left the WWF and indeed wrestling altogether, leaving Blake flying solo. Hasbro didn't feel he was marketable enough on his own, so the toys were canned. What They Might Have Looked Like:
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.
