Jakks’ WWE Classic Superstars line of recent vintage has sparked nostalgia in the minds of fans thanks to their striking detail and expansive collection of former wrestlers and personalities; many of them being immortalized in plastic for the first time.  But for myself, and no doubt many others, LJN’s stab at the wrestling figure industry remains the most memorable.  Spanning six years, the collection would come to include the majority of the top wrestlers and personalities within the WWF during the era.  Best yet, multiple editions of the same individual were kept to a minimum, unlike figure lines today.  This guide, split into two parts, is dedicated to retracing the eventful run of my favorite wrestling figure line.

Rewind 22 years: Cyndi Lauper’s a musical sensation, there’s thankfully only one Police Academy film, and professional wrestling is on fire.  Hulk Hogan, a household name even today, is the primary reason why.  Returning to the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983, Hogan wasted no time in rising to the top of the promotion, finally making short work of The Iron Sheik to capture the WWF Heavyweight title in January 1984.  But that was just the beginning.

Hulkamania had been born and owner of the WWF, Vince McMahon, was ready to capitalize.  Bigger venues, TV events, and of course, action figures.  Thing was, the WWF’s first action figure line weren’t even action figures.  Standing anywhere from nine-to-12 inches and made up of a sturdy rubber material, the first series of WWF figures hit the pegs in 1984, courtesy of LJN.  Comprised of nine figures, the inaugural series included vibrant personalities like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, The Junk Yard Dog, and of course, the Hulkster.  Each figure came with a clip-n-save bio card and mini-poster.  Today, these items can fetch quite a few bucks on their own, especially ones from later in the line’s run.

For the most part, the figures from this first series are among the most commonly found today.  However, finding them in pristine condition remains a challenge, much like the rest of the LJN collection.  Like any toy line, variations are bound to surface.  Thankfully, the amount of such figures here is relatively low.  Collectors need not worry about tracing down 11 different Hulk Hogan figures because of a slightly different colored mustache.  These aren’t Star Wars figures we’re talking about here.

From the first series, the only distinct variation was JYD’s chain.  Having collected a fair amount of footage from the time, I never knew his chain to be anything but silver.  Despite this, three chain color variations are out there for you to track down.  The first, and most common, is the sensible silver model.  The next is red, with black being the final variation and arguably, the rarest of the crop.  But make no mistake, finding a Junk Yard Dog figure with any chain today is a tough find.  That’ll happen with removable accessories. 

For years, it was believed that Roddy Piper had gotten in on the variation fun not once, but twice.  You’ll find most Hot Rod LJN figures to be sporting red boots.  However, a deeper red boot, best compared to brown, also exists.  There was rumored to be a handful of Piper figures out there with a shirt that displayed a panther head, as opposed to the words “Hot Rod.”  It has never been proven that any non-customized figures like this exist.  If they do, you can bet they’re a prototype, even though chances are, you’re checking out a customized figure.

The final variation involved The Iron Sheik, who could be found with either a yellow or orange pattern on his pants.  This one’s a bit tough to easily detect and neither one seems to be harder to find than the other.   It should be noted that there are figures scattered throughout the LJN collection that have variations so minor, they’re easy to pass up.  In my experiences, I’ve noticed this is often the case with figures that were released individually and in tag-team packs.  These differences are so minor that they are hardly worth noting and their values have not been altered because of them.

The next series was released in 1985 and was confined to a surprisingly-meek five-count.  King Kong Bundy was easily the most interesting one of the bunch, as his rotund frame and the hard rubber material of the figure combined to make it a potential weapon for young kids or immature adults.  Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine, George “The Animal” Steele and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff rounded out the series. 

There has been much debate about whether two versions of George Steele are out there.  Most versions feature his trademark body hair, but not darkened.  There is supposedly a variation with his hair darkened.  I have seen pictures of some, but for the most part, they look to be customizations.  If you come across one on eBay, proceed carefully; you may be looking at a customized figure.  Greg Valentine also came with different shades of blonde hair, one light and the other dark.  The difference is easy to miss and neither is more valuable than the other.

Perhaps to make up for a minimal offering in 1985, LJN exploded with 16 new figures the following year.  Among the notables were “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk.  This series marked the first in which short-lived characters (Corporal Kirschner), managers (Bobby Heenan, Captain Lou Albano, Jimmy Hart and Freddie Blassie), and lowly enhancement talent (S.D. Jones) got figures.   

Variations were running rampant to keep pace with the unprecedented 16-figure series.  Hart could be found with a megaphone that was either a solid red or peppered with white hearts; Heenan’s shoulders were either plain or had an elaborate sequenced design; Kirschner’s facial hair kept LJN busy, as they released variations that were clean-shaven, had stubble and a full beard; kids could own Ventura with blonde or brownish-red hair; Albano’s shirt with an animated version of himself on it had either red or white lapels, and kids could now have Jones get squashed by other wrestlers in his red or more festive Hawaiian shirt.

For the second half of the WWF LJN collection, check out Part II of my guide.