By Geno McGahee
If you’re going to play with action figures, there are none better than those of the WWE. They are meant to be thrown around, beaten up, and they are colorful. Mattel has teamed up with the WWE to bring some interesting variations to the wrestling figure and ring. They have followed the trends with children and realized a few things that others have not. The “Create a WWE superstar” and “Ring Builder” toys are meant for today’s children, noting their interest in things like Minecraft. These two items give the kids more than just some guy to fight. It gives them the ability to make their own guy and even construct their own ring.
I got the “Rocker Set” of the “Create a WWE Superstar,” and it comes with a guy that looks like a rocker with plenty of accessories and options. The number one thing though is durability. If this wrestler is going to be tossed off of the top of the cage and through a table, he needs to be made of some stern material. Thankfully, he is. The figure is made very well and even though it’s designed to come apart multiple times and put back together, that does not impact its toughness.
The basic model comes with a figure with a Mohawk and he is obviously very upset. Perhaps his favorite rock concert was canceled. He was, after all, the rocker. He comes with a Jason Voorhees style mask, the head of Kane from the WWE, a Legion of Doom shoulder pad, extra feet, some scary pointy things for his wrists, a robe and a hood. You also get some tattoos.
So, I sat there with my two children, Munch (10) and Julie (5) and we began giving The Rocker different looks. No matter what look I gave him, he still looked so angry, but you need to be angry for this sport. The Rocker was ready to rumble and my daughter quickly had him battle some of her other action figures and he did very well. I found both of my kids enjoyed the interchangeable parts and different looks they could give the Rocker. You can also have the Rocker hold Kane’s head and make him really insane. That was my take. My children felt differently, but that is the great thing about these figures. You can make them however you want. There are plenty of options.
The Create a WWE Superstar “Ring Builder” is another area where Mattel succeeded. Once again, a wrestling ring needs to take a beating and this one is ready for it. It also does a good job of simulating the noises. When your kids are having their favorite wrestlers go at it, you will know it.
There are 20 different combinations with this set and the ones that my children and I came up with were very cool. There is plenty of room for creativity. My son, who doesn’t really play with action figures, sat down and found the building and rebuilding of the different rings very interesting. You can make a normal ring where my guy “The Rocker” will take on all foes, or you can play around with the other options, including some extreme sort of matches.
A platform can be staged high above the ring for the wrestlers to climb and battle it out. Thankfully, the Rocker is not afraid of heights. It comes with a WWE title belt that you can put on your wrestler or hang it from the rafters for one of those Money in the Bank matches with the chains that the set provides.
The Ring Builder is a great place of battle for the figures. It’s durable and large, and all the kids (or you) can come up with all sorts of novelty matches using the different accessories. The limits are your children’s imagination.
I had fun, but my children had much more fun, with the new Create a WWE Superstar and Ring Builder. The WWE has always done well with supplying the children with interesting gimmicks and match types and this is another evolution of action figure play. One of the greatest things about this is the fact that you can have one wrestler and he can play the part of four or five different guys as he heads into that ring. It means that the munchkins won’t get so bored with it.
Constructed well, interesting and can keep the attention of the children. You can’t get any better than that. I highly recommend both products to any parents out there looking for something to give their children or any adults out there that enjoy playing with action figures.