Toy Review: WWE Series 46 Jerry Lawler (Mattel)

When I found the Kofi Kingston figure from this series and Jerry Lawler was nowhere to be found, I just assumed that they had put out the case and all of the Lawlers were already bought because he was undoubtedly the "hot" figure in this set.   Little did I know, I would return to this very same Target where I found Kofi Kingston just a few short weeks later and I'd see not one but two Jerry Lawler figures on the pegs.    This whole concept of how Target and Walmart stocks their figures just amazes me because Walmart (at least the ones near me) skipped this series.   So it makes me wonder how these two stores will handle future series where I'm considering figures such as Emma, Summer Rae, Sami Zayn, Adam Rose, Tyler Breeze, Bo Dallas and a few other names.    It also makes me wonder if Walmart doesn't have boxes of these somewhere and we'll see them pour out onto shelves eventually.

Jerry Lawler is without a doubt one of the best professional wrestlers to ever live, truly living up to the idea of what a professional wrestler should be.    When I was a kid growing up, I remember Jerry Lawler best for his feud with Bret Hart.   I thought it odd that a commentator- because he was a commentator only really at the time- was fighting someone the level of Bret Hart, but as I got older I began to realize the legacy of Jerry Lawler.   In Memphis, the guy is bigger than Hulk Hogan.   Oh, and some of the battles he's had are there to back up every bit of it as well.

As a commentator or wrestler I believe I've had most every Jerry Lawler action figure at one point in time.   I remember his Jakks BCA versions, how he was somewhat rare in the Jakks TTL days and then of course his Jakks RA versions through their Classic Superstars line.   My favorite Jerry Lawler figure is of course his classic two pack version with Andy Kaufman, which may only be due to my love of Andy Kaufman and the simple fact that anything to do with him is great in my book.    The whole Lawler-Kaufman thing did help me gain a certain level of respect for Jerry Lawler as well and probably influenced my buying this figure as well.

The figure itself is really spot on and you couldn't ask for more from a basic Mattel figure.   The crowns still line his tights, as they did in the Jakks BCA days, and he has his current shirt with his logo on it and that is just so well done to me.   It reminds me of how Road Dogg is wearing the New Age Outlaws shirt in that battle pack.   If you're going to have "basic" figures so they don't have as much articulation or accessories that's fine but the detail put into these t-shirt designs somehow seems to make the lack of accessories all worth it.    That and the simple fact that this head scan just looks exactly like Jerry Lawler.

Now a flashback elite figure for Jerry Lawler does exist, and I saw it in stores once but I passed on it simply because I knew if I was ever going to get another Jerry Lawler figure it would be in his current attire and not a flashback.   Remember, I am collecting the "new school" here.   As this Jerry Lawler figure has the t-shirt on the elite articulation might seem a bit silly as you wouldn't see how he bends at the stomach any way.    The only thing that would be somewhat nice about getting a Jerry Lawler figure such as this in elite form would be for the crown and perhaps a coat of some kind.    But I'm not going to pay almost twice the price just for those little things.

My only problem with this figure is the t-shirt mold and how the short sleeves make the elbows look funny when they bend.   When they make that L shape they leave a big gap between forearm and t-shirt spot which if it was to happen in real life would be a huge, blood gushing medical problem.    Luckily I'm not moving his arms that much or so much as to notice it regularly so I will let that slide on this otherwise perfect figure of Jerry Lawler.

If you look over the current commentators in WWE you'll find a lot of them are available as Build-A-Figures only.   But if you think I'm buying a Michael Cole figure- even as a basic- you're wrong.   I'm not even sure if I'd buy a Booker T modern looking figure as a basic and I like Booker T.    So it is fair to say that this is the only commentator figure I would buy from the current WWE roster.   (The exception being if WWE went to NXT and gave us a Corey Graves-- I'd be all over that)  I also believe you could have Jerry Lawler fight in this attire so this is somewhat of the essential version of the current Jerry Lawler and for that he has made his way into my collection.