Kings Of The Wrestling Knockoffs

Tonight: Super Main Event--KnockoffMania

    This all started many years ago when my brother, the famed Austin "Thunder" Storm, was looking for a Christmas present for me. He was short on cash and at the time the hot toy item was the AWA line of wrestling figures made by Remco. It was like $7 or $8 for two of those.

   With time running out before the holiday season, he passed a pharmacy in a mall. He stopped in to buy something for me for Christmas and low and behold, he came across these knockoff wrestling figures. They were only $4 for two and were about the same size as the Remco toys and could also double as flunkies for the Masters of the Universe line. For the money, my brother got me four wrestlers (two sets) of what would have normally been the cost of one set of name-brand toys. 

    Christmas came around and I opened my gift: four wrestling figures I had no clue who they were and had never seen anything like them in my life. I was just a kid and, even back then, appreciated the fact that my brother took $8 of his hard earned money to get me a gift. The package had a pair of ring ropes on red background with two figures in clear plastic. I think they were called "Championship Wrestlers" but the exact name escapes me. I read on the package that a "Free Poster" was included inside. 

    The odd thing was I knew these were knockoffs, so how can you have a poster? I opened it up and there was, indeed, a poster inside. There were mug shots of the toys (similar to above) with stars around each picture. A lot of effort was put into this multi-color poster on a quality slick paper. All for wrestling knockoffs. That is what amazed me, a lot of effort was put into this line despite it being a knockoff. 

    The original names on the poster included Bad John (featured above), Tomahawk Kid (also featured above), Mr. Tattoo, Killer Bandit, Masked Devil and the guy I called "Iron Eagle" because he had a big red eagle on his tights. I couldn't think of anything else and I was a fan of the movie of the same name. The guy with the headband above with the elf ears I just call Mr. Mystic and the guy named "The Gambler" is named that because he reminds me of a cross between Kenny Rogers and Hal Borland of Tool Time.

    I played with the wrestlers that holiday and even bought a third set with my allowance so that I "had them all." Eventually, I sold some of them to a friend of mine who was getting into wrestling while I began to grow out of playing with toys.

    As I grew older, I began to appreciate this line as I started collecting certain toy lines and kept coming back to these particular knockoffs as a real gem.

    My collection of Remco figures has been sold here and there over the years and my MOTU figures found a home on E-bay, so, after a while I started collecting and examining knockoff toys. I am by no means the Mr. Know-it-all of knockoffs, but I do have a pretty good collection and study each line that I collect. Knockoffs fascinate me how some toy lines come very close to ripping off the "real deal" and others are similar, but a far cry from what you pay as a name brand.

    Cleaning out the closet a few years ago I found what I had left of my "Championship Wrestlers" line. Bad John and Killer Bandit. I don't know why I remembered their names, but I did, and started comparing them to some knockoffs I had purchased. 

    The new wrestlers were cheaply made. The hip joints either didn't move or broke when moved. The arms rarely stayed on and the single coat of paint slapped on made the toys look really, really cheap.

   What's In A Name?--- The wrestlers I had as a kid, however, were very much different. First, I can remember the poster and how a company went to the effort of having photos taken of toys and had an ornate poster constructed on quality slick paper. Maybe I'm easily impressed, but, hey, I was impressed. 

    Also, the company took the time to name the wrestlers. Knockoffs with names is almost unheard of out there. Taking the time to sit down and brainstorm what to call this knockoff figure is original, even if it took about 30 seconds to think of all the names (which it may have: come on, "Bad John" or "Mr. Tattoo" are pretty lame). It would be interesting if I could find out the rest of the names of the figure line and just how many figures were created for this line. Being a knockoff, I'm not even sure the company knows.

    These figures all had metal pinned hip joints. This may not seem like a big deal, but considering I've seen about 100 knockoffs that are either plastic ball and joint figures or just the simple clamp together, one-piece style (similar to the WWF Jakk's Pacific figures), this is some quality craftsmanship.

Pinned hip joint

Not only does this line have pinned hip joints, but knee pads were painted on many as detail to give them a real feel. Also, explained below, a telltale sign of this line is the left hand. The hands are all molded together as were most knockoff lines have individual fingers on the left hand.

Notice the individual fingers on the cheap-o models.

     It Is All In The Details---The figure detail also impressed me for a knockoff line. For instance, Bad John's head is pretty detailed with his hair and beard. This figure could have been used as a Nordic barbarian or some other MOTU knockoff head as well, but in either case the detail is great for a knockoff. A figure has scars all over his face, Mr. Tattoo has, of course, two tattoos on his chest and the guy I called "Iron Eagle" has blue eyes. Some figures had different colored eyes, not just black dots for eyes.

    Mr. Tattoo (left) and "Iron Eagle" had some pretty ornate paint details

    Most wrestling knockoff lines, includes the stereo-typical masked wrestler. I have seen many of them that just had a bald headed figure with a masked painted on or face paint smeared on to give them that Road Warrior/Sting appeal. The Masked Devil figure has the mask created especially for that line. The boots are 'warrior' boots, the trunks have the MOTU fur look with Hercules metal bands on the arms. The head molds could be used for other toy lines, Bad John being a Viking is a perfect example. Arak Son of Thunder was another Remco line and Tomahawk Kid could have fit into that knockoff series as well. The only difference between the Cobra Mask figure that was a wrestler and the one used for a Dungeons and Dragons knockoff line is the paint scheme. So, I find it remarkable that this toy line would go the distance to have a masked figure created. The outlines of eye, nose and mouth openings in the mask are exactly true-to-life of a real wrestling mask. The trim and detail are like no other in any toy line of that time or any other time, from near as I can tell.

Masked Devil mask details

    Details, Details--- These figures are finely detailed in the molds of the heads, but the thing, for me anyway, that stands these knockoffs apart from any other of its time is the detail put into the paint scheme of each wrestler.

    These figures were as true to wrestling as can be for not being a line specifically created by a single wrestling organization. The Remco figures had leg molds with wrestling boots and arm molds with varying muscle definitions. These figures were all using the same basic parts for the bodies, but had intricate painting designs to keep them true to wrestling. The leg molds had 'warrior' boots, but the paint on all the figures went above the short boot all the way to the mid-calf. Why? Because wrestling boots typically went to the mid-calf. Laces are even painted on each pair of boots. 

    The "Cobra Mask" figure has laces down the back which lend it to look more like an "old school" mask.

Killer Bandit has three coats of paint with fire and stars on his tights. 

Killer Bandit has skin tone, white and red on his chest and a yellow streak on his trunks.

Bad John has his initials put on his costume and Masked Devil's name isn't only printed on his shirt, but there is a star above the "I" just for added detail. 

     Mr. Tattoo's trunks have a pretty ornate design on them and Iron Eagle has stripes down the side of his trunks, pretty detailed for a line that isn't tied to any major federation or toy company. 

    Kneepads are added to some of the figures and Tomahawk Kids' hair tie in the back matches his tights. The makers had such a keen eye for detail on this line in my opinion.

Details like scars on this figure defined each character

Figures even had small details like hair ties that coordinated with their tights.

    The Same, Yet Different--- Many wrestling knockoff lines have figures that are almost dead ringers for actual wrestlers. How many balding, blonde haired figures with handlebar moustaches and headbands are out there? Literally thousands. There are knockoffs of Sting, Hogan and everyone in between. Early knockoff figures had Andre, Snuka, Hogan, Piper and Iron Sheik with slight differences that bogged down the toy world and irritated the makers of "real" toy lines. 

    These figures, however, had slight similarities to real life wrestlers but nothing glaring. Most of the similarities lie within the paint scheme and the design of the tights.

    "The Gambler" as I like to call him, has Hogan-like similarities in the face (see above), in particular the headband and beard, but looks more like a buff Santa Claus than the immortal Hulk Hogan. The guy with the elf ears, I call him Mr. Mystic, has Hogan's exact yellow boots and tights with the classic red kneepads. The Cobra Mask figure has a mask that from the front looks like Mr. Wrestling II and has an almost exact replica of Big John Stud's tights (white with blue stars).

Cobra's tights are basically the same as Big John Stud's

    Telling Signs--- This particular line is easy to find if you know what you are looking for in a knockoff. I haven't seen any new ones produced in several years and assume that they were made exclusively in the 80s.

    Each wrestler has a "v" on their boots

"V" design on outside of boots

    As mentioned before the left hands are molded together and the middle or "underwear" are the same furry design with a belt with designs on it.

Diamonds and stars on the belt line, along with "Hercules" bands on hands are defining signs of this particular line.

 The bodies all had the exact same muscle tone used, which is not as cut or defined as other knockoffs. The plastic also had a shine quality to it.

The cheaper knockoffs have a more ripped chest and more defined arms and biceps.

    Similar face molds have been found in recent knockoff lines, in particular the "Way Out Wrestlers" by Way Out Toys of New York. It may be the same exact company that produced the Remco-style line, called by some the Mr. Tattoo line.

    Most of the line featured rather soft plastic head molds, almost rubber to the touch. Many of the lines out there today use a hard plastic, solid mold.

    The championship belts are also different than any other line I have encountered before. The belts used today are primarily a hard plastic gray belt with a gold centerpiece of an eagle.

Newer knockoff line belt

    However, the belts used in the Remco-style line was a softer, bendable plastic. Most belts were black with a very basic eagle design painted in silver on the front. A few belts were yellow with a red centerpiece.

Mr. Tattoo knockoff line belts

    Interesting note: only Tomahawk Kid featured an all blue belt. No other wrestler to my knowledge had the all blue belt.

Kids blue belt

    If you've made it this far reading and may have information on this line or even a few of these guys laying around the house, drop me a line. I enjoy researching these kinds of things (obviously) and want to know more. timlinscott@diodecom.net is my e-mail address.

    Another line I have found fascinating is a knockoff of the WWF Titantron figures known as Professional Wrestling Champion (PWC)