POP! New Japan Pro-Wrestling – Kenny Omega

Jim Cornette has previously noted that he would prefer wrestling to go back to its territory days, but I feel like he doesn’t understand that it already has – just on a far bigger scale than anyone could have anticipated. Thanks to the internet and the rise of streaming, WWE no longer has a monopoly over wrestling product in a given market. Sure, they’re far and away the most dominant company, but there are viable alternatives in a way that simply didn’t exist when I was a teenager growing up in suburban NSW.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (or Shin Nihon Puroresu if you want to be that person) are one of the biggest alternatives out there. In operation since the early 70s, a number of WWE stars past and present have actually spent some of their formative years with them – Finn Bálor, Tommaso Ciampa, Daniel Bryan, A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, to name just a few of the current crop. Yet they’re far more than a simple feeder organisation; for fans who love wrestling as an entertainment form but are burnt out on the WWE’s oft-simplistic approach, they offer something genuinely different. And if you pay close attention, you might see a few wrestling trends take hold before they’re exported to the world.  

Today we’re talking about one of NJPW’s current biggest stars – Kenny Omega. Love him or hate him, Omega has helped establish a model of success for a wrestler outside of the WWE. Admired worldwide for his distinctive look, clever character work and athleticism in the ring, he’s achieved a level of mainstream recognition that would once have been unthinkable for a non-WWE star. There are many others more qualified than me to give you a career overview, but his Wikipedia page is a good a place as any to start with.

In years past, this might have meant that he got an action figure. But in 2018, it means that he’s one of the first NJPW wrestlers to be transformed into a POP. However, he’s not the first. While Kenny’s box is marked as “1”, the Young Bucks 2-pack actually beat him to the shelves several months ago.

I guess the pose is meant to be a rough approximation of his in-ring gun pose, while not being totally overt. It works well enough, and it helps him stand out on the shelf among my host of other wrestling POPs. The outfit is a good look too; I can find a photo of Kenny in this outfit, but I’m not actually familiar enough with his wider career to pinpoint when this was. If you know, feel free to sound off in the comments. Last but not least, given that his distinctive curly hair wouldn’t necessarily translate well to the POP format, I think Funko have hit a good compromise with this braided look.

It’s not perfect, of course. There are some points where the paintwork could be a little better – particularly around the hairline – and the gluing could be a little less obvious, but it’s easily on-par with any of the WWE figures. My main complaint is more to do with scale.

While POPs have never been the benchmark for scale accuracy, Kenny appears to be slightly smaller than his fellow wrestling brethren. Kenny is billed as around 6’ in real life, while Finn Bálor is billed as slightly shorter – but would you guess that to look at this picture?

Granted, some of this is likely due to the initial waves of WWE POPs being released during a period when the style was considerably more cartoony than it tends to be today. Even the newer releases have preserved that aesthetic. But it irks nonetheless; anyone buying Kenny is more than likely doing it to include alongside a bunch of other wrestling POPs who now look disproportionately large. It’s not enough to suggest not buying it, but it’s annoying. Still, Kenny has quite a variety of looks, and it’s entirely possible we’ll see more of them released in future. Perhaps one of them will rectify the issue.

Back in the real world, there are serious questions as to whether Kenny will eventually make his way to the WWE. For myself, I’m kind of indifferent. I’m sure some great matches would come out of it but I can’t help but feel that the rigid nature of WWE’s creative system would probably curtail his best traits. Speaking to Singapore’s Business Times in November this year, Omega noted:  

“I am sort of very much a part of representing an alternative. If my motivation was money, I would already be in the WWE. I was down on the current product and I wanted to create a style and have matches that my friends, my family and other athletes could watch and enjoy. There's a certain kind of wrestling fan that will only like a certain style. They think that's the right way and that's okay but I'm not trying to impress those people. Those people are already kind of set in their ways. I'm trying to open the world to a different style, what pro-wrestling has the potential to be."

The rumours will likely continue for the foreseeable future – but in the meantime, you can still have your dream matches in POP! form. Scale issues aside, Kenny Omega is a great start for the line, which will hopefully actually include some Japanese wrestlers soon too.

POP! WWE - Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania XII)

Long time between drinks, eh? Life has been a bit chaotic the last few weeks, in part because I’m transitioning into a new role at my day job. Fun fun fun! But here we are again today. Hopefully things will be back to a more regular schedule shortly, but of course we’ll have to wait and see.

Shawn Michaels was one of my favourite wrestlers as a teen, but I have no real memory of how that happened. I was pretty indifferent to D-Generation X, so I can only assume I saw him pull off an impressive match on an old VHS or something. Given the limited access we had to WWE TV product in Australia back in the late 90s, it may have even have been as simple as seeing a photo of him and being impressed by his look.

His flamboyant in-ring work and outfits helped endear him to multiple generations of wrestling fans, both as a member of tag team The Rockers, as a solo star and then part of D-Generation X. A good relationship with management helped keep him in the limelight throughout his long career, but these days he works behind the scenes as a trainer. Now there are plenty of stories about his backstage shenanigans – and of course, the Montreal Screwjob is always going to loom large in his legacy – but the man’s talent can’t be denied. He’s one of the absolute best to ever step in a ring, and was one of the few wrestlers who was lucky enough to go out on a high. 

We did already get a Shawn Michaels POP, a year or so ago. It wasn’t bad, but it also just kind of looks like a dude with long hair and flamboyant pants. This particular figure is quite a bit more distinctive; it’s based on Michaels’ entry gear for Wrestlemania XII. He ziplined to the arena, and it looked amazing! You can watch it here, if you’re so inclined.  

In POP form, it isn’t quite as spectacular as the real thing. There’s a bunch of sculpted detail to capture all the intricate elements of the real outfit, but many of them remain unpainted, which is a bit of a shame. The prototype -- pictured above -- had quite a bit more coverage.

Perhaps the biggest issue though is that the face doesn’t really capture Shawn Michaels' likeness. He’s a very distinctive-looking guy, but at the time he didn’t have facial hair – so it’s tougher to capture his likeness in the limitations of the POP format, in comparison to say, Mick Foley.

Still, the white and silver outfit is quite unique among the WWE POPs yet produced, and it certainly stands out on the shelf. So Shawn Michaels is a good, if not quite great POP. I feel like the definitive one may still be to come, further down the line.

Don’t forget, you can stay in touch with me via the following means:

Twitter – @lupinebookclub

Facebook – www.facebook.com/lupinebookclub

You can also buy my horror e-book, Lost Tunnels, here  

Braun Strowman (WWE Elite Series 58)

Ah, Mattel. You inspire such mixed feelings in toy fans. You’ve done some great lines (like DC Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Classics) while also consistently refusing to listen to fans, making questionable management decisions, skimping on accessories and generally conflating “bare minimum” with “great work”.  

But one thing Mattel does do well is wrestling figures. Sure, not all of them are perfect – but they pump them out at a frighteningly fast rate, they consistently improve the quality and the pricepoint has been maintained at a reasonable level. So today, we’ll take a look at their most recent version of WWE’s terrifying heel Braun Strowman.

I’m pretty newly returned to wrestling, so I haven’t really seen Strowman's ascent to stardom. But from a newcomer’s perspective, he’s pretty likeable – and he’s getting a bit of a push at the moment, having recently won the 50-man Royal Rumble. Unlike certain other wrestlers we could name, he seems to have both the charisma and in-ring skills to leverage it successfully.

Strowman has had a couple of Elite figures before – once in Series 44, which depicted him in his Wyatt family garb, and another in Series 52 which came with a wheeled stretcher. Though all share some parts, this one looks to be a virtual re-release of the Series 52 figure; the primary difference at first glance is the head, though a closer examination reveals a few different paint apps on the pants. 

The likeness in the sculpt is quite good, much better than the (okay) paint would suggest. I’m sure there are already customisers out there already working on better paint jobs, but I’m happy enough with what I have. Normally I prefer more neutral faces on action figures, and Mattel certainly has a mixed record for delivering yelling faces. But for Strowman I’ll make an exception; he is a big unit who spends a lot of time yelling at his opponents. 

This makes for a fun figure, but he’s certainly not perfect. Though his articulation is mostly pretty good, his shoulders appear to be on pegs, rather than swivels. His arm movement is considerably more restricted than…well, any other Elite figure I own. This is a problem, because unlike many of his bigger WWE brethren, Strowman can actually wrestle, rather than simply delivering big hits. Additionally, the beard means it’s all but impossible to turn his head.

Paint is solid, especially on the tattoos. It’s a shame he doesn’t have any stubble on the sides of his head, but at this price point I think it’s a forgivable admission.

Accessory-wise, he comes with an ambulance door (not pictured), and a stand with a stylised portrait of Strowman on it (also not pictured). The stand is handy, but I’m so-so about the portrait that it comes with. Personally, I preferred the backstage diorama look from previous series. What would be far better is interchangeable hands. I’m sure I’m not the first person to express this sentiment, but it would really take things to the next level. One open hand and one fist is okay, but it would be good to be able to get a bit more variety -- especially considering the guy's catchphrase is literally "Get these hands". 

Braun Strowman is a solid figure that looks great on the shelf, but the lack of shoulder articulation definitely hurts him. Also, given Strowman's inclusion in this week's Money in the Bank match and his overall popularity, it seems more than likely that we'll see more more Strowman merch in the near future. Recommended for diehard fans, but not strictly necessary if you picked up the Series 52 version. 

POP! WWE - The Iron Sheik

Pro wrestling has always been known for its larger-than-life characters, but in the WWF’s golden era of the 80s and early 90s, they went REALLY big. Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior…and of course, the subject of today’s review, the Iron Sheik.  

Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (or حسین خسرو علی وزیری in his native Persian), the Iron Sheik was once a real Graeco-Roman wrestler, and former soldier in the Imperial Iranian Army, who moved to America and burst into the zany world of professional wrestling. Arriving in the then-WWF as the Iron Sheik, he’d grow to become one of the best-known heels in the history of wrestling.

Iron Sheik’s gimmick was questionable, even by the looser standards of the 1980s. Presented primarily as a sinister Middle Eastern heel to Hulk Hogan’s All-American babyface, he’d show up in the ring holding banners depicting the real-life monster Ayatollah Khomeini and denounce the American way of life. It was pretty edgy at the time and generated a lot of heat in the ring, but it seems pretty tasteless to modern eyes. Even more so when you look at the way aspects of the Cold War were played out in the region, all while this stuff was all airing…

There was plenty of drama in the ring, and it was far more extreme outside. Drug addiction consumed much of Vaziri’s life from the 1980s, and one of his daughters was murdered in 2003. In tandem with other events and injuries, his career and earning potential were derailed numerous times.

Still, he’s enjoyed something of a comeback in more recent years, establishing himself as something of a NSFW Twitter sensation. In character as his wrestling persona, the Iron Sheik shoots off all manner of profane insults at anyone and everyone, naturally reserving his worst bile for Hulk Hogan. Naturally enough, this means that he’s the ideal character to be rendered in the kid-friendly Funko POP style!

The POP looks fairly true to his peak attire; he’s wearing a white keffiyeh and a pair of paisley print trunks. His signature curled-toe wrestling boots have been sculpted, which is a great detail. All in all, pretty good attention to detail. There’s a Chase version which features a red keffiyeh, which is cool but non-essential.    

Now, Iron Sheik doesn’t seem to be flying off the shelves at the same speed as many of his WWE contemporaries. Granted, he doesn’t have the same profile among younger fans as someone like The Undertaker, but it does seem like a bit of a shame. Nonetheless, this does mean you should be able to pick him up for a reasonable price.  

Though there’s already been a “Hollywood” Hogan POP, there isn’t currently an era-accurate figure of the Hulkster to face off against the Iron Sheik. Given Hulk’s currently dubious status with the WWE, we’re unlikely to get one anytime soon. Of course, with the recently released Jake the Snake, you can re-enact one particular feud…

Iron Sheik is an interesting piece of wrestling history, marking a bygone era of WWF/WWE. While plenty of wrestlers are still big personalities, the reduced emphasis on kayfabe and greater real-life awareness of scandals in the industry has drastically changed the way the industry works. For better and for worse, the squared circle is unlikely to have anyone like the Iron Sheik step inside ever again.  

Sunday Afternoon Reader, Part 8

Well, my local library had its annual clear-out sale this weekend. I bought a bunch of things, but these are the ones that will probably be of the most interest to you, dear reader. Let’s browse our way through the 8th instalment of Sunday Afternoon Reader!

Unscripted: World Wrestling Entertainment

Authors: Ken Leiker, Mark Vancil

Year: 2003

WRESTLING! I’ve recently returned to wrestling fandom after many years away, so this was a perfect find. Unscripted is a coffee table book, which ostensibly provides a bit of a behind-the-scenes (though still heavily curated) look at some of your favourite WWE Superstars.

“So what?” you ask. Well, in 2018 shoot interviews have been done to death, and pretty much every WWE star has mouthed off on social media at some point. But in 2003, this book would have been quite novel. Kayfabe was on the decline, but glimpses into the inner workings of the company were still rarer than today.

As with most coffee table books, the emphasis is on the images rather than the content. The photography is mostly quite good…but it is coupled with some exceptionally ugly early noughties graphic design and typesetting. There are some interesting tidbits shared within though – Matt Hardy and Lita at home together, Stone Cold with his hunting rifle, Ric Flair calling Triple H “the best performer in the business” (which exemplifies why I have never been a Flair or Triple H fan), Vince discussing his childhood and Undertaker summing up his experience in the industry.

Some of it rings a more than a little sad now. Undertaker has since divorced and remarried, Matt Hardy and Lita split over a decade ago and a number of wrestlers featured are retired or dead. Most depressing of all are the images of Chris Benoit, who was a big star for the company in 2003. Just four years later he would commit the most horrific crimes an already scandal-ridden industry had ever seen. 

Still, this was an interesting read for me, as it was published around the time I stopped paying attention to wrestling. I still played the WWE Raw Deal card game with friends occasionally, but mostly I was busy with the multi-layered commitments of senior high school. Wrestling necessarily took a backseat…also, John Cena was getting a big push by then, and I was entering some of my prime heavy metal years. White boy rappers were not my thing at all.   

Creatures of the Night: In Search of Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves and Demons

Author: Dr Gregory Lee

Year: 2012  

Huzzah! Another addition to the ever-expanding paranormal shelf. I haven’t looked at this in great detail so far, so I can’t say much about it yet. I’ll have to come back to it once I’ve had a more thorough look. At any rate, Dr Gregory Lee has written a number of different books previously, all of them looking at esoteric subject matter.

Books on this kind of subject matter are becoming increasingly hard to come by, at least in my usual haunts. The supernatural publishing boom died off some years ago, and the older books from the 70s to the 90s really just don’t show up in second-hand bookstores as readily anymore.

Indeed, once upon a time I might have even passed this one over as it’s not expressly about UFOs or aliens. But times are tough, and you take what you can get – especially for only two bucks. Also, the cover is designed to look like an old issue of EC’s horror comics, which is a nice touch.

WWF WrestleMania: The Official Insider's Story

Authors: Basil V. Devito with Joe Layden

Year: 2001

Another wrestling book!

This time, we get an overview of the history of Wrestlemania, up to the year 2000. I’ve only skimmed it so far, but it seems fairly comprehensive and has some great photos from the mid-1980s onwards. Liberace once appeared a Wrestlemania? Amazing!

Importantly, you can really see the evolution of the company from cartoonish fun into the Attitude Era. The Attitude Era was still in full swing when this was published, and everything was ADULT and EDGY. Costumes get darker, matches get bloodier, stunts get wilder and the fanbase changes.

Your feelings about this transition will vary. The Attitude Era is apparently held in very high esteem these days, but I didn’t actually enjoy it much as a teen. Sure, it gave us some good characters and matches – but I don’t think it was inherently superior to what’s available today. I was never a big fan of The Rock, Stone Cold or Triple H (though I’ve come to appreciate them all to varying degrees) and the manufactured “edge” seemed contrived even to a wannabe goth kid like myself. 

Similarly to Unscripted, some of it makes for pretty sad reading these days. Given that it’s been more than 30 years since the first Wrestlemania, it’s inevitable that some of the faces you see are no longer with us…but it’s depressing to realise how young some of them went. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Miss Elizabeth, Macho Man Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, Chyna… 

As someone once noted – maybe Matt from Dinosaur Dracula? – wrestling books are always a product of the time they were written. WWE plays pretty fast and loose with the kayfabe canon, but they’re just as happy to do it with their actual history. If you happen to be on their shitlist at time of writing, you’ll be written off as irrelevant, made to look terrible or simply excluded altogether. Given the controversy surrounding Hulk Hogan since 2015 – and the necessity of talking about him a lot in the context of early Wrestlemanias – WWE will probably want to save another instalment for the more distant future. 

The Ultimate Metallica

Author: Ross Halfin

Year: 2010

As I’ve noted elsewhere, I fall into the classic metal cliché of loving Metallica’s first four albums and not wanting much to do with anything after that. In 2018, belonging to their fandom can be slightly embarrassing, as many of their fans really seem to think they’re the final word in metal and this is in no way true.

I don’t say this to try and be trve or kvlt; I have a Master of Puppets poster flag on the wall of my office, I own a bunch of t-shirts and I even bought the Hetfield Funko POP a while ago. I was lucky enough to see them live in 2004 during a lightning storm, which was incredible.

But do I care to hear new music from them? Probably not. Still, for $5 I felt I couldn’t pass up this lavish hardback book, which no doubt cost at least 10 times that on initial publication.

Ross Halfin has been photographing Metallica on and off since the 1980s, so you can trace a course from their young and hungry days through to around 2010. How you feel about Metallica now will pretty much sum up how you feel about that, but either way there is some genuinely nice rock photography. Halfin is a talented guy, and it would be interesting to see some more of his work with other bands.

Interspersed among the photos there’s some notes from admirers and some thoughts from Halfin himself. But the real highlight was the obscenity-laden email on the very last page, which rips into Ross for a variety of perceived sins, including insulting “ROBB FLYNN of the TRULY LEGENDARY MACHINE HEAD” and being “the EXTREME epitome of POMPOUS BRITISH WANKERY”. This, dear reader, made it worth the price of admission alone.

POP! WWE – Mick Foley

I wrote about The Undertaker just over a week ago, and I would say he’s still my all-time favourite wrestler. But Mick Foley comes a very close second. 

Best known for his stints as Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love with the WWF/WWE, Mick Foley was a hardcore wrestler for years before he ever entered the public eye. Yeah, wrestling’s not “real”. Vince McMahon admitted it way back in 1989, we all know that. Give yourself a pat on the back for being so edgy as to say it out loud. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t hurt yourself doing it – just take a look at this video of Undertaker and Mankind if you doubt that’s the case.

And boy oh boy, has he destroyed his body in service the industry over the years. A missing ear, missing teeth, a ton of concussions, busted ribs, burns…this doesn’t even begin to cover the workaday injuries he accrued from doing things like thumbtack matches, barbed wire, beatings with steel chairs and just generally being thrown around the rings. In terms of how all this impacts on a person day-to-day, you should check out this episode of Celebrity Wife Swap from a few years ago.

Yet Foley has emerged from all of this punishment with an impressive lack of guile and cynicism about the industry. Whereas other legends like Rick Flair and Hardcore Holly are seemingly keen to slam everyone they’ve ever worked with, Foley seems to be a genuinely pleasant and likeable character both onstage and behind the scenes. So let’s take a look at the POP! 

It seems like a slightly odd choice to go with a generic Mick Foley as the first release of the character, but maybe he’s just more identifiable in this persona to modern viewers. Either way, this POP is instantly recognisable as Mick. He’s in fairly casual mode here, presumably styled on his post-wrestling days. His shirt has a smiley face, which is a nice reference to Mankind’s “Have a Nice Day” slogan, and he’s wearing a flannelette cut-off over the top, along with some white sneakers. Most people's wives wouldn't let them out of the house dressed like this, but for Mick Foley it's apparently the ideal thing to wear when appearing before millions of people on TV. Indeed, it's probably not unfair to say that Mick Foley looks an awful lot like plenty of the dads who watch WWE, which may explain a few things about his enduring appeal.  

Longtime fans will also recognise that casual Mick here looks pretty close to Cactus Jack, and it wouldn’t be too hard to repaint him accordingly. Or just not…and call him Cactus Jack anyway. 

All pretty good so far, but there is one major flaw – he’s got both his ears! Granted, in real life Mick Foley has part of his right ear, but it’s definitely not complete. Given the unlikelihood of their reusing the mold for other characters – except perhaps Cactus Jack or Dude Love – it seems like a fairly big oversight.

This issue aside, it’s good to see Mick Foley get POP representation. He’s a key figure in WWE’s history, both past and present. Hopefully we see a Mankind figure in the near future too -- maybe in a 2-pack with another iteration of the Undertaker, given their longstanding rivalry.  

POP! WWE – Jake the Snake

My wife and I watched The Resurrection of Jake the Snake on Netflix the other night. Those of you who’ve seen it know it makes for some rough viewing. If you haven’t though, I thoroughly recommend giving it a watch. You don’t have to be particularly interested in wrestling or anything; it’s just a well-made sports documentary which (fortunately) has a happy ending.

I wasn’t much of a fan previously, but this was more to do with timing. Jake the Snake was a huge presence in the WWF during the 80s and 90s, but he left the company in 1997. I didn’t really start watching until 1999, so my first experience of him came in Mick Foley’s first book Have a Nice Day, which tells a few interesting stories about his gimmick. 

Never having been a huge fan of snakes, I didn’t think a lot about him in the intervening years. But I’ve had a renewed interest in wrestling over the last few months, and so I’ve been digging back through some of the history of WWF/WWE. Then the POP got released, and a friend mentioned the documentary was on Netflix…well, I’m definitely a fan now. Better late to the party than never.  

I’ve been watching a few clips online, and the man had HUGE charisma and stage presence. Not to mention that he popularised the DDT, a manoeuvre that’s so ubiquitous in wrestling these days it’s often taken for granted. It’s easy to say these things in hindsight, but his is a name that really should be thrown around in the same way as Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior or Andre the Giant. Undertaker is a frightening, because but Jake the Snake gives off this terrifying serial killer vibe that really helped sell his character.   

Sadly, a few different issues derailed him over the years – company politics, drug issues and drinking. The usual stuff that causes a lot of wrestlers problems, but on a much grander scale. Fortunately, he managed to get his life under control a few years ago with the help of Diamond Dallas Page, and at time of writing he seems to be doing quite well. 

The POP is an excellent sculpt, complete with a giant signature snake draped around his shoulders.  His hair is a little thicker than it was in real life, but that’s just the way the format works. The only real downside is that he can’t turn his head too far, due to the mullet. Paint is really good too! The snakeskin pattern on his boots is well-replicated, as is the Medusa-esque portrait on his right thigh. Granted, these are tampos, but the regular paint lines are pretty clean as well. He’s one of the best I’ve bought in ages.  

There’s also a Chase version of Jake; the sculpt is the same, but the tights are blue instead of green, and the snake is a slightly different colour too. This is a good Chase. It’s fun but not essential to consider your collection complete, which is a marked contrast to this upcoming Chase*. Whichever version you get, Jake the Snake is an excellent POP. He’s essential for any wrestling fan – and maybe even if you’re not, but you enjoyed the documentary and want to make sure he gets a few royalties to better look after himself.

*I’ve sunk a lot of money in Funko products over the last 5 years, but sometimes I feel like they actively hate their fans.  

POP! WWE – The Undertaker

I was a bit of a wrestling fan around the middle years of high school. Not a massive one, but I enjoyed the action, the over-the-top personalities and the campy tone. This was the “Attitude Era” of WWE, which was an interesting time for the company. The departure of a number of big stars like Hulk Hogan had left them floundering a little, and they were trying to figure out where they sat in the market – were they aiming to bring in a new generation of kid fans, or where they trying to cater to their existing and now-adult fans?

As might be expected, they kind of went for both, with predictably weird results. There was a big emphasis on being EDGY and DARK and SEXY, which meant kids were pretty keen to watch while their parents – and older fans – were often less than approving. It was a big financial success for the company…but a lot of really hasn’t aged very well. Still, a number of modern wrestling legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and rose to popularity during this era. Modern day golden boy John Cena also debuted shortly after its end, so I guess you could tack him in there too.

But the wrestler that always leapt out at me was The Undertaker. As a teen who was interested in kind of dark and goth-y things but hadn’t yet properly discovered heavy metal or horror movies, the Undertaker was a bit of a pointer in the right direction. A gateway drug, even. So when I stumbled across this POP a few weeks ago, I thought I should add him to the horror shelf.  

This POP looks to be based on ‘Taker in his "Phenom" phase, a look he debuted in 2004. It was a bit of a hybrid of a number of his previous looks, essentially functioning as an edgier update of his original mortician look. It was a great choice; for fans like myself who haven’t kept up on all of the minutiae of the WWE’s lore, it serves as a good generic look for the character.   

But it’s not perfect; in person, The Undertaker is extremely physically imposing and visually interesting – but this hasn’t always translated well to his toys, because he’s pretty much just dressed in different shades of black. This toy suffers from a little of that, with the only real differentiation between different areas of black being the gloss on his coat to give it a leather look. Nonetheless, it’s a well-sculpted figure which allows him to be instantly identified – something that I don’t feel can be said for quite a few of the other WWE POPs.

Undertaker here was apparently released all the way back in 2014, but I managed to stumble on him in a Sydney record store. He’s probably about due for another iteration, perhaps one focused on his "American Bad Ass" era. Until then, this is a solid piece for the casual and dedicated Undertaker fan alike.