Finally, WWF Hasbro Memories has come BACK to Good Brothers Wrestling!  Did you miss us?

If you’re new, we’ve been going series by series, taking a look at my personal favorite toy line of all time (and I’m not alone) – the Hasbro WWF figures from the first half of the 1990’s.  Or Hasbros, for short.  Or, as I call them, my wrestling men.

These figures are so well loved that Mattel started a tribute line last year, which is still going strong. I’ve heard there’s actually a new Hasbro-style blue ring hitting stores as soon as this month.  What an exciting time to be alive!

Before we get started, make sure to go back in the archives and catch up on all of the earlier series reviews for Hasbro and Mattel Retro.  It’s cool, we’ll wait here.

WWE Mattel Memories: Retro Series Three

WWE Mattel Memories: Retro Series Two

WWE Mattel Memories: Retro Series One

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series Six

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series Five

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series Four

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series Three

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series Two

WWF Hasbro Memories: Series One

SERIES SEVEN

Well, we’ve waited a long time for this, and it’s finally happened.  Series Seven marks the first time the Hasbro line isn’t packaged on blue cards. Series Seven is packaged on yellow cards, and each series for the rest of the line will feature a new color.

Series Seven also pushes the number of figures released in 1993 to 22 – two more than Hasbro produced over Series Three and Four in the year before.  That’s a lot of playing options!

Like Series Six, Series Seven consists of six figures. Unlike the series prior, Series Seven features characters who had decidedly more staying power than the short timers that Series Six offered.  It truly feels like the continuation of that New Generation that was teased all the way back in Series Four.

So let’s get to the figures.

CRUSH

GRADE: A

Crush was first introduced as part of Demolition back in Series Two, but this new gimmick is vastly different.  As Demolition dissolved and Smash started a new career repossessing stuff, Crush went back to his Hawaiian roots.  “Kona Crush”, as this variant of the Crush character came to be called (and there were a lot of variants), is probably best remembered for his feud with Doink The Clown.  After putting over Doink, Crush went on to almost bodyslam WWF Champion Yokozuna on the deck of the USS Intrepid.  Crush got the big sumo up, but hurt his back.  It would be Lex Luger who would get the bodyslam and Crush would instead go on the shelf until the end of 1993.  At that point, he’d return as “Evil Crush”, with facepaint and a whole new color scheme.

So unfortunately, by the time this Crush hit stores, the gimmick had already ran its course. Fortunately, “Kona Crush” is immortalized forever in four inches of plastic.  With his bright colors and his toothy expression, Crush makes a great addition to the line.  Most notably, I’d like to nominate Crush for sickest mullet in all of Hasbrodom.  I mean, just look at the sharp angles.  That cut is so fresh, my S6 Ric Flair is busted open just looking at him.

Crush’s mold resembles that of the classic S3 Hogan, with the bent arm and narrow stance.  He looks totally tough.  His Real Wrestling Action is the Kona Crusher, which is the same as the Hulk-A-Plex – a wind up arm.  Crush’s real finisher at this time was a claw-type maneuver. Since Crush is a power guy, the idea behind the Kona Crusher is to just wind-up Crush’s arm and have him waylay his opponent with a punch. Shaka Brah!

Since we had the Demolition Crush as kids, we never bought the Kona version.  It’s a little puzzling, too, since this was a whole new gimmick.  I was able to get Crush in a package deal with three other figures (Owen, Razor, and S10 HBK) for a little more money than I care to mention.  He’s a great figure though, and a great later entry in the line.

KAMALA

GRADE: B+

If you only remember Kamala from his run in the early 90’s, you may be surprised to know that the Ugandan Giant worked a couple of main event programs with Hulk Hogan back in the 80’s.  On his third and final WWF stint, Kamala was treated something like a wild animal, brought to the ring by manager Harvey Wippleman and handler Kim-Chee.  He wasn’t much for wrestling – he didn’t even know that you had to pin someone on their back – but he was an impressive sight with his huge tribal mask and his painted belly.  By 1993, Kamala had turned face and was being managed by Slick.  That summer, he left the WWF and retired.  Yep – another character gone before the figure hit shelves.

Timely or not, it’s still pretty awesome that a Kamala figure exists at all.  Sadly, Hasbro really dropped the ball on the sculpt.  6’2″, 390 lbs, Ugandan Giant – let’s make him a handleback!  You know Kamala is always leaving his feet and flying around the ring, right?  Yeesh. What a way to ruin a cool looking figure.

And Kamala DOES look cool! His face paint and belly paint, his shell necklace, his…sarong? It all really captures the spirit of the real Kamala.  Again, this is what the whole Hasbro line is all about.  It’s just too bad about that sculpt.  And also too bad they didn’t spring to make his mask an accessory.  It would’ve been the largest accessory in the line, but well worth it.

Kamala’s Real Wrestling Action is the Kamala Krush, which I’m guessing is supposed to resemble his real life Ugandan Splash – a diving splash onto his opponent’s back. The handleback is good for that, I guess, but it still severely inhibits the figure.

Pictured is my original Kamala, who was strangely my only Series Seven figure to make it from the 1990’s to the present day.  Did Kamala eat all those other figures? We can only assume he did.

You’ll note the star on Kamala’s belly – there’s also a variant with a moon on his belly that can fetch you a good sum on eBay.

NAILZ

GRADE: B

Nailz may be the gimmick that most perfectly captures earl 90’s WWF.  The story goes that Nailz was a nasty former convict out for revenge against the Big Boss Man, who Nailz claimed abused him during his time in lock-up.  Nailz’ ring gear was a bright orange prison jumpsuit.  It was never explained if Nailz was a fugitive, on work release, or just too poor to buy normal clothes.  After his big match with Boss Man at Survivor Series ’92, Nailz was supposed to go on to feud with The Undertaker.  Unfortunately, Nailz had a real-life altercation with WWF owner Vince McMahon and was fired before 1993.

Nailz’ figure captures the man pretty well – an angry blonde guy in an orange jumpsuit. In that way, the Nailz figure is a homerun.  If anybody had ever wanted a Nailz figure.  His RWA is the Jailhouse Jab – a wind-up arm.  His body sculpt is very similar to S1 Million Dollar Man, but he’s bulkier.

I think the problem with the figure is the problem with the gimmick itself.  What good is a convict for other than a feud with Boss Man?  At best, he seems better fit to use as a Dick Tracy or Ninja Turtles henchman.

My original Nailz was lost to time (escaped?), but I was able to get this one for just $13.02 + shipping on etsy.  A real steal! (Shout out to my Facebook bud Rob D’Angelo from the WFIGS group for the tip!)

OWEN HART

GRADE: C+

Making his Hasbro debut in Series Seven is “The Rocket” Owen Hart!  The younger Hart brother returned to the WWF in 1991 and started The New Foundation with Jim Neidhart.  Neidhart was released in his New Foundation gear as part of Series Five, so Owen can now complete that tag team.

Of course, nothing lasts forever.  The Anvil was fired from the WWF in 1992 and Owen moved on to form High Energy with Koko B. Ware.  Koko was also released in Series Three (not in High Energy gear, but still, you could use your imagination), but by the time this Owen hit toy stores, High Energy was over too.  By mid-1993, Owen was moving from “Rocket” to the “King of Harts” gimmick.  Sorry Hasbro, life comes at you fast.

It’s great that Owen was celebrated in Hasbro-form, but I’m just not a fan of this figure.  The likeness just isn’t right. Was Owen’s face that puffy?  I also hate his gear, but since it does mirror the brightly colored New Foundation and High Energy days, I can’t really deduct points for that.

What I will deduct points for is his mold.  Owen’s sculpt is similar to Jim Neidhart’s, with an extended clothesline arm (his RWA is the Rocket Blast) and a wide stance.  Owen also inherited Jim’s small feet and his propensity to fall on his face.  I just can’t stand a figure that won’t stand.

Another wonderful bonus for the Owen figure is his head tends to turn white over time.  Unfortunately, my original Owen is gone forever, and double unfortunately, I had to pay a bunch of money to buy him again.

SHAWN MICHAELS

GRADE: A+

And now we come to one of my favorite Hasbro figures of the entire line.  Shawn Michaels made his Hasbro debut as part of the Rockers Tag Team 2-Pack back in Series Two.  Of course, a little sweet chin music and a broken Barber Shop window led to a new gimmick for Shawn, and this solo figure reflects the early stages of the Heartbreak Kid.

If you’ll recall from my Series Two review, the S2 Shawn was pretty dreadful.  This Shawn, however, rocks hard on every front.  First is his sculpt, which is identical to another Hasbro favorite – S1 Macho Man.  I don’t know why, but there’s just some magic in the mold. Shawn’s arms are pull and release, which allows him to perform his Conceited Crunch RWA.

The original plan for S7 Shawn appears to have been a Jake The Snake-style mold with the spring-loaded arm.  If you check out the 1993 Hasbro magazine ad above, or any of the figure listings on the back of the S7 figs, you’ll see what that would’ve looked like.  Luckily, before production, Hasbro made the decision to switch.

Another great thing about S7 Shawn is his color scheme. The totally 90’s tights. The black gloves. The shades. The tattoo. That sweet mullet.  Does this not scream “I’m just a sexy boy”?

In spite of our rule for not buying wrestlers twice, S7 HBK was just too sweet to pass up.  To make up for having a new Shawn Michaels in the MBWF, we painted some White Out on S2 Shawn and called him Robert Michaels.  Sadly, our original S7 Shawn was lost, so I had to grab this one on eBay for 20 bucks.

RAZOR RAMON

GRADE: A-

We finish up Series Seven with another debut…the one and only Bad Guy!  Razor Ramon was a huge part of The New Generation, so finally getting a figure was a big deal for us toy collectors in 1993.

Hasbro did not disappoint with this figure either.  They capture a lot of Razor’s little details perfectly.  That curly hair over his forehead, his stubble and the gold chain accessory all accentuate an already great figure.

The big details are all there too.  Great likeness and expression and the gear, with all of the little razors on his knee pads and Ramon’s name on the back of his vest, is spot on.

Razor’s RWA is the Razor Rage, which amounts to a clothesline arm.  His body mold is similar to S2 Macho King, which is a good thing.  Unfortunately, for some reason, Razor’s body is off balance, so he falls down a lot.  I have to deduct a point for that.  I also have to complain about the gold chain, which is way too thin.  Apparently a lot of people’s chains either broke or disappeared, because finding a Razor with a chain on eBay is hard and expensive.

As I’ve said for most of these S7 figs, my S7 Razor did not make it to 2018.  OK, I’ll just admit – I paid $140 for this Razor (with chain), Owen, Crush and S10 Shawn Michaels.  I still maintain it was a good deal for what I got, and also completely insane.

WRAP-UP

SERIES SEVEN GRADE: B+

With three really good figures and none that were truly putrid, Series Seven is easily a B+ player and far and away better than Series Six.  Four wrestlers make their debut in the line here, and the two returning superstars are in wildly different gimmicks.

The standout figure is easily Shawn Michaels, one of my favorite figures Hasbro produced.  But Razor Ramon and Crush are also very fun additions.  I’d call Crush the sleeper, since I slept on him for 25 years and am only now seeing how awesome he is.

Worst figure is Owen, which pains me to say, since everyone wanted an Owen figure.  The old gimmick, the bad likeness and the stability issues just add up to bring Owen down a peg or two.  Still, he’s not terrible like, say, a S6 Ric Flair.

Note: S7 Shawn Michaels would be repackaged in S10.  S7 Shawn would also return in S10 as a repaint.

Note: S7 Razor Ramon would be repackaged in S10.  S7 Razor would also return in S10 as a repaint.

Note: S7 Crush would return in S11 as a repaint.

Continue to watch GoodBrothersWrestling.com for our next review.  It could be Series Eight if I can find a Bret and a Taker, but it will likely be the long awaited Galoob WCW review!

Also, shout out to FB.com/Hasbromaniacs for hooking me up with the sweet retro championship belts!