- 09/21/2005 (2:01:56 pm)
- WrestlingFigs.com
Michiel de Graaf
There are many ways to go about collecting wrestling figures. Some collect one toy-line and then move to another one when the first one is complete. Others collect figures of one particular wrestler. I’d like to touch upon the latter in this column.
Now, trying to collect all figures of a highly popular wrestler / character like Hulk Hogan is a near impossible task. I have been collecting wrestling figures for 15 years and don’t think that I have seen half of the figures that were produced with Hogan’s likeness. Even tough I have about 140 different of Hulk Hogan’s figures it is a nowhere near complete collection.
So, I decided to show a much smaller collection, but still one of my most beloved sub-collection. It’s of one of the best big man (and in my opinion THE greatest big man) of wrestling…….. The Canadian Earthquake John Tenta. When he was in his prime I was a very big fan of his. He actually had a finishing move after his finishing move. After giving his opponent the earthquake and getting the three count, he went on and gave his opponent the aftershock. Sure… it was the same move, simply squashing the opponent with his butt, but still.
I remember the segment on the Brother Love Show when he crushed Hulk Hogan well. I was actually cheering for him to do it, but I digress.
I can’t tell for sure if it is a complete collection of his figures, but I can’t be too far off.
The collection consists of a couple of odd items. For instance Remco produced a Shoot-Out Ice Hockey Table Top Game. It featured a team of Faces versus a team of Heels. The good guys had Tugboat as their goalie (by the way it’s the only Tugboat figure produced)….. the bad guys had Earthquake !
Because John Tenta was a pretty well known star in
The other figures in this sub-collection are the Hasbro figure, mini Hasbro figures (the unpainted one is a prototype version) and the Classic Series 6 Earthquake by Jakks.
Looking at the figures it is obvious that Earthquake had two distinctive looks in the WWF/E. He wore blue in his singles career when he was a monster heel and feuded with the Immortal Hulk Hogan. When he was Tag Team Champion along with fellow Natural Disaster Typhoon (previously known as Tugboat) he wore red, white and black.
Oh, I so wished that when John Tenta returned to the WWF/E to join the Oddities as Golga Jakks would make a figure of him. But, it never came about unfortunately.
Anyway…….. this is my salute to one of the greatest big men of the sports, my personal favourite … John Tenta.
-“STOMWIJF” Michiel de Graaf.
