I’m a self-confessed vintage toy nerd. I collect vintage wrestling action figures from the 80’s & 90’s. I started purchasing some vintage toys out of nostalgia. Well, WWE and Mattel sucked me into their new stuff. I now buy a few figures a month. You can view photos of my collection on my Instagram account.
The lineup for WWE Elite series 65 is a huge step above Elite 64. You have four ‘first time elites’ along with an updated Rusev and Roman Reigns.
The Ronda Rousey elite will be the most desirable action figure in this set. Eric Young and Aiden English may not get a ton of television time at the moment, but they should still sell well as they are first elites of those superstars.
The WWE Superstars included in Elite 65 Ronda Rousey, Nia Jax, Aiden English, Rusev, Roman Reigns and Eric Young.
Ronda Rousey – This could be difficult to find. Her basic recently hit retail and is a hot seller, so this elite will be in demand. I wish the elite was in her actual wrestling gear, but they released images of Mattel’s Ultimate Elite series, which had the Rousey with more articulation points. I hope that series isn’t north of $50, like S.H. Figuarts or NECA figures.
Eric Young – Not only is this Eric Young’s first elite, but it is his first Mattel action figure. He had some action figures in the past when he was in TNA, but those were mostly garbage. SAnitY isn’t on television a lot, but it’s a cool figure and will pair nicely with Killian Dane and Alexander Wolfe’s elites (when they also come out in 2019).
Nia Jax – This is technically Nia Jax’s first elite, but the ‘diva’ basics used to mostly have elite articulation (before they changed that in 2018). I like that this figure has two different heads. It’s needed since Jax changes her hair up quite a bit. It was a nice touch by Mattel.
Rusev Day (Aiden English and Rusev) – They were the hottest act on Smackdown Live for a good chunk of late-2017 and early-2018. They are no longer together (and Aiden English has basically disappeared from television), but should still be two figures needed for your collection. Rusev elites haven’t done great at retail, but the Rusev Day shirt could help it move off the shelves.
Roman Reigns – Reigns is currently off television to battle leukemia. Usually not being featured weekly on RAW or Smackdown can hurt action figure sales, but he’s in everybody’s thoughts right now. I hope everyone picks this figure up in support of his current fight.
Elite 65 should be found at retail in February 2019.
Elite 66’s lineup has leaked, but I will write up a post once MOC pictures are released, which should be in the next month.
You can pre-order everything at RingsideCollectibles.com. I’m not getting paid to plug them (although it would be nice to get a nice discount – wink wink). I just recommend them. I’ve been pleased with every purchase. You can also check out WalkOutWear.com for pre-orders with free shipping.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.