Sting, Lex Luger, and Macho Man

WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 Three-pack

Sting, Lex Luger, Macho Man

Mattel WWE elite - Then, Now, Forever (Wal-mart Exclusive)

July 7th, 1996 - These WCW superstars were set to face off against the Outsiders (WWE turncoats, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) and a mystery sixth man at pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach.  The reveal of the sixth man would set up story-lines for years to come.  Am I allowed to mention his name?  To be safe, let's just call him "Hulk H."  No, that's too obvious...let's say "H. Hogan."  Anyway, Mr. America (spoiler! Doh!) turned heel and the NWO (New World Order) was born.  That nugget of information is what makes this 3-pack noteworthy in the history of wrestling, but not as exciting as it could have be had it been released as a 6-pack with the Outsiders and Suburban Commando.

This is the first release of this look for the Stinger.  It was kind of short lived, between surfer-blonde Sting growing his hair out to become Crow Sting.  Anyway, its a new head scan, and it looks pretty good.  There have been some complaints out there that his head is a lil over-sized and that he has no neck.  Still, the eyes and paint are great.  The painted rainbow scorpion on his pants is great, too!

Another new head sculpt for Lex Luger.  All pony-tailed and smug looking!  The only strange thing is the face paint.  While it is accurate to the match, it was a one-time thing.  Some sort of team solidarity with Sting as the leader?  No worries.  I'm sure that this head will be used again sans paint very soon.  Mattel: "Don't like it?  Well, here...buy it again!  And again and again!"  Also, the boots should be white to be accurate..."Buy it again when we make a running production change!"

Oooooh yeah!  He's back in the blog again!  Another Macho Man for the ever-growing collection.  Like Luger, the face paint look is lost as a fleeting moment in time but still looks great.  I just wish that he had picked a more colorful bandanna to go with the rest of the outfit.  It is the sole accessory in this set.

Another Wal-mart exclusive, this may be a hard one to find in the wild.  However, since it is a very match-specific theme, it may be an easy one to pass on for even hardcore wrestling fans.  Price might also be a deciding factor.  It retails for $49.99, which is ten dollars cheaper than buying three separate elite-articulated figures.  On one hand,  it only has the one accessory.  On the other...it's a new Macho Man.  Sold!