It all started with that no-good Stone Cold Steve Austin....
I saw Austin's WWE WrestleMania 38 Elite figure from Mattel and it was far better than the basic version of Austin I had. While I didn't think I would "need" any more from that series, the Build-A-Vince-McMahon figure sure was a nice bonus.
Six months later, I have the whole collection. Because of course I do.
Let's take a look at we have here...
All the figures in this collection are made to look like their various WrestleMania matches.
Such is the case with Bret "Hit Man" Hart. Now, this is an older version of Bret, meant to represent his return to WWE at WrestleMania XXVI when he (kind of) took on Vince McMahon. The face sculpt is perfect for this stage in his life, but his hair in that match is more a greasy brown/black with specks of grey.... instead of the light brown hair we got. But beyond that one detail, the rest is pretty spot on, including his removable T-shirt, blue jorts and black armbands with white trim. Overall, it's a nice rendering of The Hitman from an interesting match in his career.
Speaking of WrestleMania XXVI, Shawn Michaels is also in this collection, dressed up for what was (at the time) his final match when he lost a Career vs. Streak match with The Undertaker. I have to admit, I own approximately 3 million Shawn Michaels figures, so this one isn't necessarily shelf-worthy for me. But it is an accurate rendering from the match, complete with soft-goods chaps and vest and if you're a fan of that particular match, it's not a bad souvenir to own.
Speaking of final matches... we then move to Stone Cold Steve Austin, having what was (at the time) his final match at WrestleMania XIX against The Rock. This is an incredible figure, with a great likeness to The Texas Rattlesnake and, unlike my previous Austin, this one comes with his vest and kneebraces. He's also flexible enough to do a decent Stone Cold Stunner (sorry, Chyna) and I'm totally here for it.
Speaking of final matches... well, it wasn't AJ Styles' final match at WrestleMania XXXVI, but it was his opponent's (The Undertaker), so the theme kind of works. Anyways, this is from the cinematic Boneyard Match at the world's first audience-less WrestleMania, and Styles is equipped with his "The OC" shirt, blue jeans and a shovel to try to bury The Phenom with. It's certainly accurate and a decent rendering of The Phenomenal One, but I'm not sure I would have picked up if not for pieces of the Build-A-Vince being included in the package.
Speaking of the Build-A-Vince figure... it's hard not to love everything about this one. Obviously this is a younger Vinnie Mac from WrestleMania III (you can even have his fingers signalling "Three" (which is how I have him posed on my WrestleMania Tribute Shelf). The tuxedo is a nice touch, too, and it just occurred to me that this may be the final Vince McMahon figure made by Mattel.
While I never figured I would get this entire collection, I'm glad I did. Some serious WrestleMania memories here.