WWE Mystery Minis
Mystery Minis by Funko (the people who create zillions of bobblehead-like figures) are nothing particularly new - there are tons of sets on the market now, ranging from Frozen to The Big Bang Theory, Spiderman to Batman and The Walking Dead to Game of Thrones.
The WWE figures aren't nearly as small as, say, the WWE TeenyMates, and are made of vinyl, which gives them a "perfect for displaying on your desk" feel, if that makes any sense.
The really cool/frustrating thing about Mystery Minis is that they are placed in blind bags, so you're not sure exactly what you're getting. It can be a pricey habit if you're dead-set on getting the whole collection.
What I really like about this collection (and a lot of recent WWE lines, to be honest) is that it's not exclusively about the current roster.
WWE is working very hard to feature all of those folks that were signed to Legends contracts a billion years ago, and this is the perfect opportunity to showcase them.
Included in this line: George "The Animal" Steele (complete with green tongue sticking out and ever-present body hair), Hulk Hogan (bad timing much?), Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, The Ultimate Warrior and.... The Iron f'ng Sheik! Talk about a Hall of Fame-worthy lineup!
The current roster is also represented here, though not as elaborately as one may think. You've got an overly-angry Daniel Bryan, The Undertaker, The Rock, John Cena and Brie and Nikki Bella.
I don't know that a Series 2 is definitely in the works, but if I were to play Armchair Funko Designer, I might suggest some or more of the following additions: Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Paige and Charlotte. And for the Legends, how's about Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jake The Snake Roberts, Macho Man Randy Savage, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sting, Dusty Rhodes and Stone Cold Steve Austin?
Truth be told, The Undertaker is the only figure in the line that really bothers me. I get that these aren't going to be exact representations, and that many of them are cartoony at best. But still, why did they see fit to cut corners on The Dead Man? I can't remember any phase of his illustrious career that The Undertaker didn't have some sort of facial hair, be it a goatee, a moustache and beard, or even peach fuzz like in his early days. And the sandy brown hair is just lazy. It makes him look like an extra from a vampire movie or something, not The Phenom.
Now, I'm not a massive fan of The Rock, but it's hard to deny that this particular figure is completely badass. Sure, he's the smallest overall in this group of seven that I've collected, but part of that is because of the way he's posed here. Kudos to Funko for not ignoring the little details, such as the intricate tribal tattoo on his shoulder and the arched People's Eyebrow.
What isn't to love about this miniature Iron Sheik? Between the spot-on moustache, the menacing eyes, the highly-detailed headgear, and even the slightly pointed boots, the creators get full marks here for capturing the social media legend so... perfectly. I almost had to separate Sheikie from the other figures (especially Hulk Hogan), out of fear that he may try to break their backs and make them humble.
Saving the best for last (not to mention my most recent acquisition), it's The Nature Boy Ric Flair. Woooooo! Between the elaborate flowing ring robe (which even has patterns drawn into it and a gold lining), Flair's 80's hair and the iconic powder blue trunks and boots, this is BY FAR the best part of my collection.
Overall, I really like this collection. The figures are large enough to catch people's attention, without being obnoxiously huge and stepping in to the "action figure" realm. Plus they're well-illustrated (with the exception of The Undertaker) and are kind of neat souvenirs to collect, so long as you don't mind spending 8 bucks or so each and getting a bunch of doubles in the process.
Look, I may not empty my pockets to collect all 12 of these.... but they're unique enough to want at least a few. I also need to clear space for the tons of other "mini" figures WWE is producing.... more on those in the coming weeks.
