Ryan White
Super 7 is working on their come-up, and we talked about their “Invincible” line a couple of months ago. Now they will officially jump into the ring. They will take over the toy line for All Elite Wrestling. AEW, for short, their time will come to an end with Jazwares soon, and this was the way to go, I guess. They just stopped making the figures and brought characters that they already had produced to their website. Their time with this line is to be discussed another time, though.
I cannot say I am looking forward to this partnership. The scale is perfect; the designs are on point. But the lack of accessories is the key problem, and that won’t work with wrestling fans. Pro wrestlers have more outfits than Batman or Spider-Man. To charge the prices they are charging they will need to market better. Commercials, social media posts, etc. have extra hands, robes, title belts. Even if some wrestlers are basic, like the late great PAC. He should still come with a steel chair, as it was apart from his entrance.
They will also have stiff competition; Ringside Collectibles is where most fans go to get their figures. I prefer to still walk into the store and buy mine, but that is just me. What will your exclusives be? How often will you put out waves? Also, the biggest knock for me with Jazwares was the lack of women in each wave. They are a big part of the fabric of wrestling. More so now than ever, but don’t just make women figures; they need to actually LOOK like the women. Not some generic Barbie you can get from the pharmacy.
Also, the way they come out of the gate is very important. Jazwares was not ready for the fandom, and it kicked them in the butt. I remember seeing the first wave being unpacked at Walmart. Standing right there as the worker asked me if I was buying the entire box or just a few, and I reassured her, I just wanted the wave for me and not to resell. She had a huge sigh of relief as these things were hot and no one could find them. But that was all on Jazwares; they released the small ring first and then went months before putting the figures out, and only in certain markets.
As a fan, that is annoying; if you have the line, put them out everywhere. A soft launch will not work at this price point; put them out, give us a ring, more of these talented women and set pieces that will make Mattel blush from jealousy and make them step up their game. Last thing I would say is if I had to choose the first wave myself, here is who I would have. Will Ospreay, Mercedes Moné, Thekla, MJF, Swerve Strickland, and Jon Moxley. I hope this new line is prosperous and successful because when wrestling has two companies, the products are always better.
