POWER WASH

LUIS LEARNS ABOUT THE MAGIC ERASER

What the LJN collection looked like before their bath

Luis Vega

The fig bath

Madeline Vega

FOR THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE A PASSION FOR COLLECTING, figures see wear and tear even when they’re in a bag and not being played with because their paint is rubbing off on each other. But these LJN wrestling super stars saw a lot of Avon sample lipsticks turned into fake blood and other regular playtime action. Madeline has been saving two bottles of three-in-one baby shampoo/ conditioner/bodywash that were basically finished years ago because she knew one she would fill those bottles with water and run a fig bath. What she didn’t know was that she’d have to bust out a Magic Eraser to scrub away—gently!—what an old baby toothbrush couldn’t handle. Big John Studd was so dirty... The trick to cleaning old rubbery toys is to focus only on the parts that are actually dirty and not rub any parts where paint is peeling. —MV

The Killer Bees

Madeline Strum Photography

Ricky "The Steamboat" Dragon

Madeline Strum Photography

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

Madeline Strum Photography

WRESTLING SUPERSTARS

If you were located in the northeast and a fan of wrestling in the mid-’80s, it’s more than likely that you were a huge WWF fan. As the promotion was getting ready to gobble up local territories and make a nationwide push, wrestling’s profile was higher than ever. If you were a young fan, you were obsessed with collecting the LJN Wrestling figures.

I was blessed to have two older brothers, one of whom was a huge wrestling fan who passed his love of wrestling on to me. When I showed an interest in wrestling and the figures, he was more than happy to indulge me and help me start collecting them.

While the rest of the country went gaga over Hulk Hogan, my flag was firmly planted in the Macho Man camp. His figure quickly became the favorite figure in my collection. As the months became year, and the years added up, my collection grew. I probably had close to 20 LJN Wrestling Superstars.

We recently uncovered a bunch in the basement and after giving them a good ol’ fashioned fig bath (thanks MWF Podcast) and finding an eager buyer (via the CheapHeat podcast), I decided to part ways with some of my childhood favorites. These figures will always hold a soft spot in my heart as they were really were my entry point into wrestling figure collecting. —LV

Tito Santana

Madeline Strum Photography

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Madeline Strum Photography

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Madeline Strum Photography

SUPERSTAR SHOWCASE

Every year for the past 37 years Wrestlemania has taken place. It’s an event that has been dubbed the showcase of the immortals. After more than a year playing to the sterile Thunderdome crowd of video screens, 25,000 fans were in attendance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay (the sports capitol of the world now with the NHL and NFL Champions both hailing from Tampa Bay, and let’s not forget the Tampa Rays playing in the World Series) on both nights of the event, and they were treated to an absolute spectacle.

Bianca Belair with her SmackDown title

The highlight of each night was the coronation of the young women who are now champions, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. Bianca and Sasha put together an instant classic that is already being hailed as one of the greatest women’s matches of all-time. Rhea continued her huge ascent as the flag-bearer of the Raw Women’s division in pinning Asuka. I can’t wait for the return of Becky Lynch (hopefully sooner rather than later) to put on classic matches with each of these woman. Also, not to be forgotten, is Charlotte Flair who missed Wrestlemania due to COVID and pregnancy scares but now seems to be raring to go. The men’s matches saw the continued dominant reigns of Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns. Reigns has never been better. Sheamus and Apollo captured the midcard titles, but the male match that drew the most attention featured Bad Bunny. In the lead up to Mania, all the attention paid to Bad Bunny had been much maligned. Little did everyone know that Bunny had moved to Tampa to train round the clock over the past few months to really hone his craft. He (with the help of Miz, Morrison, and Damien Priest) put on an absolute show. It was the best celebrity wrestling match ever. Bunny was surprisingly tremendous.

Rhea Ripley with her Raw title

The two-night Mania was an excellent showcase of the huge talent on the roster. Hopefully they can keep up this momentum as they have a stable of young stars that’s poised for stardom. —LV

The Hart Foundation, Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

Madeline Strum Photography

Adre the Giant

Madeline Strum Photography

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Madeline Strum Photography

Big John Studd

Madeline Strum Photography

Cheap Heat Podcast

Ever since the early days of David Shoemaker and Peter Rosenberg on Grantland, I’ve been a huge fan of Cheap Heat. The weekly podcast covers all the current events happening in the squared circle while mixing in brilliant pop culture references. Even though the cast has changed, the additions of Stat Guy Greg and “The Majent” Bryan Diperstein (purchaser of my LJN Killer Bees and Hart Foundation) have kept the content feeling fresh. It’s my favorite wrestling recap show for fans with a life. —LV

Major Wrestling Figure Podcast

Matt Cardona, Brian Myers, and “Smart” Mark Sterling share stories of their collections, weekly purchases, and upcoming figures, along with phenomenal tips on how to clean your figures (like the fig bath on Page 17) to get them ready to sell make this weekly podcast one of my favorites. The reverence they have for wrestling figures is so infectious that you’ll want to “Scratch That Figure Itch” and “Let ‘Em Breathe.”