Figure Review: The Warlord
| The Warlord Elite 87. 2021 |
There’s a lot of excitement in the wrestling figure world these days. Lots of new independent companies popping up, some fun podcasts are thriving and new and old fans are rediscovering the hobby of wrestling figure collecting! It’s the best time to be a collector! Naturally, Mattel is at the forefront of the game with their WWE line. Continuing the tradition of delivering some of the best figures of the past and present in their Elite line, the company recently revealed that we fans will get a chance to grab a figure of one of the most memorable and intimidating stars of the 80s and 90s: The Warlord! Featured in his Powers of Pain tag team attire, this isn't Warlord’s first figure rodeo! He’s received many other figures through the years and while this new figure looks absolutely terrific, I wanted to showcase and pay tribute to what I believe is his best figure ever…
Released by Mattel in 2017, this amazing figure represented The Warlord in his Space Gladiator-Masters of The Universe phase from the early 90s. He was managed by the Doctor of Style Slick at first but after he left, Warlord’s career was guided by a little wiener named Harvey Whippleman. Warlord didn’t exactly do much in terms of feuds outside of a series with British Bulldog over who was stronger but it didn’t really matter because to us kids, anytime he came out, he scared the living daylights out of us! One look at him and tell me you wouldn’t run the other way! Naturally he received a Hasbro around that time and rightfully so. This man was made to be an action figure!
This particular action figure from Elite Series 50, is a bit different than previous figures and I in fact this is actually the most complete version of Warlord’s early 90s run. What makes this figure so great is that it features a SLEW of removable accessories to make him seem more like a space mutant than a mere man. Included is his belt, shoulder pads (apparently from planet Krypton), his phantom of the opera mask and for the first time ever in action figure form, his W staff, which was always the missing piece of the puzzle! Jakks and Hasbro couldn’t get it done so thank goodness the Brand That HeMan Built was able to save us completists.
Yes yes I get that he didn’t need the staff in real life to look intimidating. Agreed. And yes it was a silly for a grown man who looks like a spaceship to carry around a Halloween prop but it always bothered me that his figures never came with it. So give me my victory here!
The body and headsculpt and absolutely incredible and look exactly like Warlord did then and present day as well. That big barrel of a chest and mean, nasty snarl are exactly what made Warlord so intense back then. Yeah the cool space gear helped and all but after he took all that off he STILL looked menacing. The paint applications on his trunks and knee pads are fantastic as well. Warlord always had cool looking lightning themed attire and it just made him seem more menacing as well as leading to a good addition to your Halloween decor!To put it nicely, this figure is not good news for your Tito Santana or Austin Aries figures…
Warlord didn’t get a ton of merchandising in his day but thankfully companies like Jakks, LJN, Hasbro and now Mattel have ensured the legacy of this memorable big man who even former world champion and current movie star Batista cited as his favorite wrestler! I’d say that’s high praise!
Thanks to a combination of being just a fantastic looking figure and the news of the Powers of Pain Elite coming out soon, this figure has taken off in price on the aftermarket and has become quite desirable by fans who missed out. So if you can find this powerhouse for cheap or via a trade, I suggest you do so. Because even on a shelf of freaks, giants and monsters, The Warlord stands out on his own and is a must own for any fan who remembers the days when scary beasts like him ruled the roost and made us hide in fear whenever he’d come out.
-Chad
