Review By:
Robert Greenwood
Today I take a look at the new
Walmart exclusive wave of
WWE Elite Series Flashback figures from
Mattel which include
Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and
Alundra Blayze. Each figure comes with a piece to re-create
Shawn Michaels' Heartbreak Hotel Interview set.
WWE Elite Flashback series: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels by Mattel
They think he's cute and they know he's sexy. The heartbreaker, the show stopper, founding member of the Kliq, the Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels,
aka Michael Hickenbottom, is represented here in his pre-DX and Post Rockers look.
Mattel has been on a non-stop streak with no signs of stopping and this flashback series, which builds the titular character Shawn Michaels interview set the "Heartbreak Hotel," is just astounding to look at.
This Elite flashback has captured not only the physical look of HBK's face, but his entire outfit has been faithfully recreated in toy form. The little nuances from his chains that connect the vest, his removable sunglasses, it's all here. He comes packed with the curtain and Heartbreak Hotel sign to help flush out the interview set.
With him and the addition of the Flashback Razor Ramon (apart of this set), you can now relive their famous ladder match for the WWF
World Intercontinental Championship belt.
Is there anything negative to say about this figure? Yes, and this is as nitpicky as can be. When you remove his sunglasses, he has two small holes on either side of his temple. Honestly, that is a stretch, but finding fault with a toy that depicts the wrestler as he looked at that moment in his career, I really can't find anything off (maybe the face sculpt isn't photo realistic? But, that would be pushing it a bit.)
When people think of Shawn Michaels, this is the Shawn most attuide fans will remember. The Shawn that lost his smile, the one who destroyed kayfabe by hugging it out with heels and faces alike in the middle of MSG. Shawn the epitome of arrogance.The over-the-top renegade who cared only for himself and put on instant classics in the ring.
"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels has now come home to collectors and fans alike. Mattel has hit high expectations with a very important figure in the annals of wrestling. A must buy and the only HBK figure that a collector will need.
WWE Elite Flashback Series Doink the Clown by Mattel
Send in the clowns. The master of carnival carnage has made the Elite treatment as part of the Heartbreak Hotel interview set.
What can I possibly say about Doink the Clown? Mostly that he was played by at least two different wrestlers over the years and had a decent push during the time before the Attuide Era. Then, when WWE let most gimmicks go, he was pretty much gone.
As far as the figure is concerned, he is as basic as can be. Sure, he is an Elite figure and he comes with all the articulation that should be expected for such.
Yet, I feel there are a few factors that make this figure not as exciting as others. First of all, his face sculpt is nice, but it honestly doesn't look like Doink (maybe just a little). It looks more like a generic clown-like wrestling figure. I feel that he would work better as a clown-themed thug to place with a Joker action figure, which wouldn't be a bad idea if fans are looking to make army builders using Doink as lackeys. For any Joker figure, it would work great.
Unfortunately, his only accessory is the leg lamp from the Heartbreak Hotel set, which is really a shame. If they could have added crazy unique clown themed items, this figure would have been given a breath of freshness and potentially a perfect figure to own.
As for now, the only real reason people may buy him is to get said leg lamp, which is sort of wasteful.
I love the Elite series and how Mattel takes big steps in having a very robust collection of wrestlers from every era of WWE, but some figures are a hard sell and without the leg lamp, Doink may not be a figure many people rush out to buy.
WWE Elite Flashback Series Razor Ramon from Mattel
The "Bad Guy" of the pre-attitude era makes his jump into the Elite ranks as part of the Heartbreak Hotel interview set.
Razor Ramon, aka Scott Hall, came to WWE and crafted his gimmick based on the film Scarface. He was a greasy tough guy who took on anyone who came before him.
The figure is, by far, the centerpiece of this series. A stand out figure for collectors and fans alike.
Where do we start with? How about that he wears an actual fabric shirt modeled after his over- the-top Hawaiian style shirts he would where to the ring.
He is covered in gold chains that would make Mr. T almost show respect. His face is sculpted exactly as he looked during the early 90s with the gelled back hair into a greasy ponytail and he is chewing on a toothpick, which is a signature part of his look.
The articulation of Razor is by far the best of this whole line and I almost wished that Shawn Michaels had as much as this Razor figure.
This figure looks, feels and poses like the "Bad Guy" himself and is a must own piece in the whole WWE Elite Flashback series.
Only wish it included the Intercontinental title and a ladder so fans can recreate the famous Wrestlemania 10 ladder match with the Show Stopper, Shawn Michaels.
WWE Elite Flashback Series Alundra Blayze
Before today's modern woman's revolution and years before the term "Divas," the WWE had one of their best and brightest stars to come. She would have potentially changed women's wrestling after stigmas of it being a niche market, something almost as an afterthought. This, unfortunately, did not happen.
Her name was Alundra Blayze. But after holding the women's title for 342 days she left and did one of the most controversial things ever broadcasted on professional wrestling. By jumping to the WCW and throwing her WWE (WWF) Championship Title in to a trash can on a live broadcast at a rival wrestling show. She was, for the most part, blacklisted and basically faded away to the history books.
Years later, Alundra is now a Hall of Famer and has come out as an Elite figure, but is she worth the money?
As far as the sculpt, she just passes representing what Alundra actually looks like. Her look is stylized and maybe a complete reuse of tooling, but it holds up and since she is a part of the Heartbreak Hotel interview collection, she will be needed to complete the set.
The figure has a ton of articulation, but for some reason her upper body on the review sample seems to not want to hold a straight-up stance (she tends to lean a bit to either direction). She is packed with her Title and a piece of the Heartbreak Hotel interview set.
The figure is a solid Elite style figure but it's missing the subtle details that would make someone scream "I need that Alundra Blayze figure in my life! "
Yet, making her a part of the Heartbreak Hotel interview set helps to ease a buyer into owning a figure of a wrestler who never got the recognition she honestly deserved. Now fans can create dream matches that weren't possible and may never happen in real life.
Thanks to the folks at Mattel for sending us these figures free of charge so we could review them. Check out more images fo all the figure below in our
GALLERY!
