The Jakks Pacific WWE Classic Superstars series is legendary for many reasons. It introduced an official line dedicated to legenday talents for the first time. By the time it was finished, almost all major names from the history of wrestling had been covered, and it is remembered fondly, despite some severe parts choices in some cases and some detail errors in others. That was how Jakks rolled, and we loved them for it. This is the third in a series of posts covering the Jakks Classic Superstars Series, with checklists, and my opinion of the best and worst in each wave. For today, we’re going back to 2007, and covering Series 11-15.
Classic Superstars Series 11:
Checklist:
- Diesel
- Rick Steiner
- Irwin R Schyster (IRS)
- Barry Windham
- Fabulous Moolah
- Ken Shamrock
- 123 Kid
- Hulk Hogan
Note: I bought these all in one shot, at Walmart.
The Best: Diesel is a personal favorite, also the 123 Kid is an excellent version.
The Worst: I had no need for Moolah, but I’m going to go with Barry Windham here, as he was too short with the parts used, and they chose one of his lesser known looks.
Series 12:
- Handsome Jimmy Valiant
- Arn Anderson
- Brooklyn Brawler
- Captain Lou Albano
- Ultimate Warrior
- Dean Malenko
- Hollywood Hulk Hogan
- Killer Kowalski
- Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs
- Nasty Boy Jerry Sags
Note: I’m struggling to remember, but I think I found most of these at Toys R Us.
The Best: This is the best Classic Ultimate Warrior yet. There is also a variation where he is backwards, to show off the details on the coat.
The Worst: Nasty Boy Jerry Sags. The Coat has nice details, but with the molded arms, you couldn’t remove it, and his partner had no coat.
Classic Superstars Series 13:
- Bad News Brown
- The Mountie
- Luna Vachon
- Al Snow
- Ravishing Rick Rude
- Droz
- Bret Hitman Hart
- Brother Love
- Ernie Ladd
- Dusty Rhodes
- Mr. Perfect
- Undertaker (LJN style)
Note: This set was definitely at Toys R Us. Fun Fact: I never found Luna Vachon in a store, and don’t own her to this day.
The Best: I’m partial to the Mountie, as his figures are few and far between. Al Snow is a sleeper as well. Rick Rude would be great if it had details on the back of his pants. Bad News and Brother Love are also excellent.
The Worst: Any LJN would be automatic, so I won’t choose those. Worst here would be Bret, in a dull 1986 attire.
Series 14:
- Ultimate Warrior
- The Model Rick Martel
- Ax
- Smash
- Bob Backlund
- Sensational Sherri
- Abdullah The Butcher
- Diamond Dallas Page
- Honky Tonk Man
- Mean Gene Okerlund
- Stone Cold Steve Austin (LJN version)
Note: This wave hit Toys R Us for me. I also never found Sherri and don’t own her to this day.
The Best: The Model Rick Martel is basically flawless. Ax and Smash are good, as they were only in a 2 pack before this, and Honky Tonk man is also solid.
The Worst: Diamond Dallas Page is a bad set of parts that makes him small compared to others. (hint: It’s Jakks’ Rey Mysterio body)
Series 15:
- Lex Luger
- Razor Ramon
- Outlaw Ron Bass
- Johnny Rodz
- Shawn Michaels
- Tank Abbott
- The Genius
- Tully Blanchard
- Zeus
- The Rock (LJN Version)
Note: This set was at Toys R Us for me, but took some time to track down Razor Ramon.
The Best: Lex Luger is flawless. Tully Blanchard is as well.
The Worst: None of these are too bad, but Razor was a huge letdown at the time with his reused R3 head. Shame on you, Jakks.
Final Note on Series 11-15:
Series 11-15 is when the Classic Series peaked, in my view. A lot of first time names, important looks, and a lot of diversity in talent selected. That was one thing that Jakks did well.
This is part three of a full line breakdown of the Jakks Classic Superstars Series. I’ll be back with Series 16-20 soon.
