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Post by alabamaslammer64 on Mar 17, 2021 16:57:35 GMT -5
Jazwares I think will eventually start making those guys and it will force WWE to start making more deals to stop Jazwares from making them. The only problem with that is that they can't put the WWE logo on anything, as far as I know. So if they made, let's say, a Haku figure, it would be weird to have one without a WWE logo on it. And that goes for any WWE wrestler, past or present. But why would wwe be put on a haku figure? I mean it would be weird having wwe on a figure that was wwf at the time anyway, the only people it would possibly bother is moc collectors. |
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Post by alabamaslammer64 on Mar 17, 2021 17:00:08 GMT -5
Oh yeah, it's definitely a bad deal for a lot of talent. Especially anyone who is still active. WWE get global licensing rights, priority appearances, etc, while the payout really isn't that great compared to the cut WWE takes. Guys like Steiner, Rock n Roll, etc who are/were still very active on the indies are probably leaving money on the table if they signed a Legends deal. But it probably makes a lot of sense for estates who have limited opportunities to monetize the wrestler's career or folks like Crush, Adam Bomb, etc who are best known for a gimmick WWE controls. I just meant that in terms of costs to WWE, it's a very low risk financial agreement for them. There's not a great reason why they aren't signing talent to legends deals beyond that they simply don't want to. In the past plenty of talent said they would love to sign, but were never approached by WWE. But opportunities like Pro Wrestling Tees, Jazwares signing legends, and others hopefully open up more mutually beneficial and flexible financial opportunities for retired wrestlers. In reality, it’s more complex than you laid out. While I can’t get into specifics on a lot of what you touched on there is actually a huge roster of available Legends. It’s even larger than the talent on both RAW and SmackDown combined. To long time collectors it may not seem this way since their focus is on first time in the line talent and those particular available Legends are less numerous at the moment. You have to look at it similar to it being its own balanced roster. You can’t sign infinite talent or else you limit or even eliminate the chance of getting the ROI of signing the deals. There are only so many “slots” to fill with various merch. Some talent will drop off each year and new talent will replace them. Some may come back into the fold at later date. Some remain stable for years and years. Some don’t want to sign at all. Some may not have a chance (Does anyone ever just google the names of the requested talent to see what’s up and why things could be challenging?). We’re also 10 years into the line at this point and a lot of the achievable talent has been done. But with that said, it doesn’t mean for a second it’s not a priority for me to push for those who should be included in the line. It’s why we got Chyna, Hurricane, Mabel, Valentine, Christian (back briefly) and others. More 1st time in the line talent are coming. Returns to the line are coming. New signings will continue. So Mattel has a large number of legends that could be done, but yet Mattel keeps doing repaints? Lol. |
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voicesinmyhead
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 4, 2009 19:21:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,592
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Post by voicesinmyhead on Mar 17, 2021 17:03:48 GMT -5
It all boils down to money. Mattel is not going to go out of their way and pay extra $$$ when they could use existing WWE legends and get paid. It sucks imo because we know there are plenty of superstars who will never get a figure outside of a WWE deal. Jakks signed a lot of people that WWE wouldn’t normally do and Mattel is much bigger company than Jakks. It’s strange to see someone like Vampiro who’s wrestled for multiple different promotions not have a recent figure for example. I’d love to see Ultimo Dragon, Kidman (who is a WWE employee) and a few others. It has nothing to do with Mattel “not going out of their way.” Mattel doesn’t have the final say. WWE does. |
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Post by WCWThunderRosa on Mar 17, 2021 17:06:47 GMT -5
In reality, it’s more complex than you laid out. While I can’t get into specifics on a lot of what you touched on there is actually a huge roster of available Legends. It’s even larger than the talent on both RAW and SmackDown combined. To long time collectors it may not seem this way since their focus is on first time in the line talent and those particular available Legends are less numerous at the moment. You have to look at it similar to it being its own balanced roster. You can’t sign infinite talent or else you limit or even eliminate the chance of getting the ROI of signing the deals. There are only so many “slots” to fill with various merch. Some talent will drop off each year and new talent will replace them. Some may come back into the fold at later date. Some remain stable for years and years. Some don’t want to sign at all. Some may not have a chance (Does anyone ever just google the names of the requested talent to see what’s up and why things could be challenging?). We’re also 10 years into the line at this point and a lot of the achievable talent has been done. But with that said, it doesn’t mean for a second it’s not a priority for me to push for those who should be included in the line. It’s why we got Chyna, Hurricane, Mabel, Valentine, Christian (back briefly) and others. More 1st time in the line talent are coming. Returns to the line are coming. New signings will continue. So Mattel has a large number of legends that could be done, but yet Mattel keeps doing repaints? Lol. They are repaints because they’ve already done most of them. Did you even read what he said? |
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Mar 17, 2021 17:06:58 GMT -5
In reality, it’s more complex than you laid out. While I can’t get into specifics on a lot of what you touched on there is actually a huge roster of available Legends. It’s even larger than the talent on both RAW and SmackDown combined. To long time collectors it may not seem this way since their focus is on first time in the line talent and those particular available Legends are less numerous at the moment. You have to look at it similar to it being its own balanced roster. You can’t sign infinite talent or else you limit or even eliminate the chance of getting the ROI of signing the deals. There are only so many “slots” to fill with various merch. Some talent will drop off each year and new talent will replace them. Some may come back into the fold at later date. Some remain stable for years and years. Some don’t want to sign at all. Some may not have a chance (Does anyone ever just google the names of the requested talent to see what’s up and why things could be challenging?). We’re also 10 years into the line at this point and a lot of the achievable talent has been done. But with that said, it doesn’t mean for a second it’s not a priority for me to push for those who should be included in the line. It’s why we got Chyna, Hurricane, Mabel, Valentine, Christian (back briefly) and others. More 1st time in the line talent are coming. Returns to the line are coming. New signings will continue. So Mattel has a large number of legends that could be done, but yet Mattel keeps doing repaints? Lol. If you read above: “To long time collectors it may not seem this way since their focus is on first time in the line talent and those particular available Legends are less numerous at the moment.” “More 1st time in the line talent are coming. Returns to the line are coming. New signings will continue.” |
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Mar 17, 2021 17:18:18 GMT -5
In reality, it’s more complex than you laid out. While I can’t get into specifics on a lot of what you touched on there is actually a huge roster of available Legends. It’s even larger than the talent on both RAW and SmackDown combined. To long time collectors it may not seem this way since their focus is on first time in the line talent and those particular available Legends are less numerous at the moment. You have to look at it similar to it being its own balanced roster. You can’t sign infinite talent or else you limit or even eliminate the chance of getting the ROI of signing the deals. There are only so many “slots” to fill with various merch. Some talent will drop off each year and new talent will replace them. Some may come back into the fold at later date. Some remain stable for years and years. Some don’t want to sign at all. Some may not have a chance (Does anyone ever just google the names of the requested talent to see what’s up and why things could be challenging?). We’re also 10 years into the line at this point and a lot of the achievable talent has been done. But with that said, it doesn’t mean for a second it’s not a priority for me to push for those who should be included in the line. It’s why we got Chyna, Hurricane, Mabel, Valentine, Christian (back briefly) and others. More 1st time in the line talent are coming. Returns to the line are coming. New signings will continue. Hello Steve, Thank you for jumping in on this, it is appreciated. I am interested in the comparison to how Mattel runs their Legends program compared to how Jakks Pacific ran theirs. If Mattel wanted to hire someone to pursue unsigned Legends, can you indicate if WWE would allow that? I am just wondering if that fundamental difference between Mattel 2021 and Jakks Pacific 2001 is a Mattel thing or a WWE thing. When Classic Superstars launched 18 years ago there was no Legends program in place with WWE. Things have evolved over the last almost 20 years and WWE now manages their own robust Legends program. We are unable to sign talent deals on our own at the moment although I have brought up the possibility in many discussions. It’s just not possible at the moment. Given that, we work closely with licensor to attempt to acquire the talent that collectors want to see included in the line. There are ebbs and flows in new signings and just because these are the current parameters, it doesn’t mean it’s eternal. We’ll all continue to work together to try to deliver the figures you want to see. |
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taserface
Superstar
Joined on: Oct 28, 2017 16:10:39 GMT -5
Posts: 993 
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Post by taserface on Mar 17, 2021 17:29:24 GMT -5
Hello Steve, Thank you for jumping in on this, it is appreciated. I am interested in the comparison to how Mattel runs their Legends program compared to how Jakks Pacific ran theirs. If Mattel wanted to hire someone to pursue unsigned Legends, can you indicate if WWE would allow that? I am just wondering if that fundamental difference between Mattel 2021 and Jakks Pacific 2001 is a Mattel thing or a WWE thing. When Classic Superstars launched 18 years ago there was no Legends program in place with WWE. Things have evolved over the last almost 20 years and WWE now manages their own robust Legends program. We are unable to sign talent deals on our own at the moment although I have brought up the possibility in many discussions. It’s just not possible at the moment. Given that, we work closely with licensor to attempt to acquire the talent that collectors want to see included in the line. There are ebbs and flows in new signings and just because these are the current parameters, it doesn’t mean it’s eternal. We’ll all continue to work together to try to deliver the figures you want to see. That truthful answer is much appreciated. Gives a little insight to us But as a longtime collector yourself, you see where we are coming from right? In 2021 so far of 70-75 Elite / Ultimate style figures, 3 new old school names. Not very good. Especially when you see these small companies making figures of at least upper mid carders and former champs Your product is superior and your passion is much appreciated as well as your interaction on here. We just have to vent lol Keep up the good work |
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Post by Next Manufactured’s Sweater on Mar 17, 2021 18:46:49 GMT -5
They have to have legends deals. Unlike Jakks, where they would sign someone independently of a WWE Legends deal, Mattel can’t/won’t do that and only does wrestlers signed to deals. The reason so many legends aren’t signed is you have a 75 year old WWE CEO who still holds grudges from 50 years ago and won’t swallow his pride to make himself even more money. It’s beyond frustrating for an old school collector like myself. There are so few figs I’ve gotten because there’s really no one new they’re producing. While some of that may be true, you also have to take into account some wrestlers don't want to sign with the WWE because they can make more money on the independent circuit. I believe Scott Steiner is a good example of this as he says the contract with the WWE isn't worth enough for what they have to do (appearances and such, and not being able to work with anyone other promotion). DDP and Jake the Snake’s WWE contracts haven’t stopped them working with AEW... |
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Post by WrestlingFigWig on Mar 17, 2021 19:08:18 GMT -5
Hello Steve, Thank you for jumping in on this, it is appreciated. I am interested in the comparison to how Mattel runs their Legends program compared to how Jakks Pacific ran theirs. If Mattel wanted to hire someone to pursue unsigned Legends, can you indicate if WWE would allow that? I am just wondering if that fundamental difference between Mattel 2021 and Jakks Pacific 2001 is a Mattel thing or a WWE thing. When Classic Superstars launched 18 years ago there was no Legends program in place with WWE. Things have evolved over the last almost 20 years and WWE now manages their own robust Legends program. We are unable to sign talent deals on our own at the moment although I have brought up the possibility in many discussions. It’s just not possible at the moment. Given that, we work closely with licensor to attempt to acquire the talent that collectors want to see included in the line. There are ebbs and flows in new signings and just because these are the current parameters, it doesn’t mean it’s eternal. We’ll all continue to work together to try to deliver the figures you want to see. Thanks for chiming in, Steve. Much appreciated. |
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Post by PJ on Mar 17, 2021 19:13:16 GMT -5
While some of that may be true, you also have to take into account some wrestlers don't want to sign with the WWE because they can make more money on the independent circuit. I believe Scott Steiner is a good example of this as he says the contract with the WWE isn't worth enough for what they have to do (appearances and such, and not being able to work with anyone other promotion). DDP and Jake the Snake’s WWE contracts haven’t stopped them working with AEW... I think their figures were to far along so Mattel was able to release them. |
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Post by ~*Young $ Money*~ on Mar 17, 2021 19:42:33 GMT -5
Hello Steve, Thank you for jumping in on this, it is appreciated. I am interested in the comparison to how Mattel runs their Legends program compared to how Jakks Pacific ran theirs. If Mattel wanted to hire someone to pursue unsigned Legends, can you indicate if WWE would allow that? I am just wondering if that fundamental difference between Mattel 2021 and Jakks Pacific 2001 is a Mattel thing or a WWE thing. When Classic Superstars launched 18 years ago there was no Legends program in place with WWE. Things have evolved over the last almost 20 years and WWE now manages their own robust Legends program. We are unable to sign talent deals on our own at the moment although I have brought up the possibility in many discussions. It’s just not possible at the moment. Given that, we work closely with licensor to attempt to acquire the talent that collectors want to see included in the line. There are ebbs and flows in new signings and just because these are the current parameters, it doesn’t mean it’s eternal. We’ll all continue to work together to try to deliver the figures you want to see. Steve, I doubt you’d be able to answer this but I’ll ask anyway. When Renegotiating a contract with WWE could that be something you guys try to include? Thst you’re allowed to sign talent |
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Post by Next Manufactured’s Sweater on Mar 17, 2021 19:51:26 GMT -5
DDP and Jake the Snake’s WWE contracts haven’t stopped them working with AEW... I think their figures were to far along so Mattel was able to release them. DDP debuted in AEW over a year before Sting did, and Sting’s Legends 7 figure was cancelled. If Legends 10 was too far along by late 2019 for DDP to be cancelled, Legends 7 would’ve been too far along as well. |
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Post by Mongo Bears on Mar 17, 2021 19:58:39 GMT -5
Thank you Steve!
Hopefully you all have started work on another new elite macho man for me.
.....Also I’d love another elite Stunning Steve, Hollywood hogan, Rick Rude, SHERRI, jimmy hart, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Mr Perfect, Harlem heat, Acolytes, etc
(Sorry ftitl people)
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Post by Ministry of Darkness on Mar 17, 2021 20:04:32 GMT -5
WWE stipulated they want control over who gets signed and made, and they haven’t exactly been in a hiring mood during this pandemmy That's probably why Jakks could get away with signing legends independently and with Jeremy being ambitious signed legends that he could. Mattel's WWE contract probably states that Mattel aren't allowed to sign legends not approved by WWE. |
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Post by PJ on Mar 17, 2021 20:14:46 GMT -5
I think their figures were to far along so Mattel was able to release them. DDP debuted in AEW over a year before Sting did, and Sting’s Legends 7 figure was cancelled. If Legends 10 was too far along by late 2019 for DDP to be cancelled, Legends 7 would’ve been too far along as well. Has DDP been on AEW other than that one time? Honestly I don’t remember any other appearances. Sting and Roberts are active members. The only thing I can think of was maybe Jake was still under contract when his figure was in production. But Sting’s contract had ended prior to his figure going into production and that’s why he wasn’t part of the preorder? |
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marklud
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 5, 2009 21:10:30 GMT -5
Posts: 1,770
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Post by marklud on Mar 17, 2021 21:27:48 GMT -5
Hello Steve, Thank you for jumping in on this, it is appreciated. I am interested in the comparison to how Mattel runs their Legends program compared to how Jakks Pacific ran theirs. If Mattel wanted to hire someone to pursue unsigned Legends, can you indicate if WWE would allow that? I am just wondering if that fundamental difference between Mattel 2021 and Jakks Pacific 2001 is a Mattel thing or a WWE thing. When Classic Superstars launched 18 years ago there was no Legends program in place with WWE. Things have evolved over the last almost 20 years and WWE now manages their own robust Legends program. We are unable to sign talent deals on our own at the moment although I have brought up the possibility in many discussions. It’s just not possible at the moment. Given that, we work closely with licensor to attempt to acquire the talent that collectors want to see included in the line. There are ebbs and flows in new signings and just because these are the current parameters, it doesn’t mean it’s eternal. We’ll all continue to work together to try to deliver the figures you want to see. You're the best, Steve. Please know that your efforts are appreciated. (And that most of us would flip out if Mattel was able to sign talent deal on its own again  ) |
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Post by TheLastDude on Mar 17, 2021 23:33:48 GMT -5
I always love it when someone thinks they're the first one to say "Hey, why doesn't Mattel make these guys?" as if they're refusing to do it and not that they can't do it.
Everyone that keeps being listed is either a no-go, blacklisted, was in the concussion lawsuit, doesn't care to make a deal with the WWE, or doesn't care about/understand merchandise deals.
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Di-Di-Dis-Distribution Problem
Mid-Carder
Elite baby blue attire H or Bolt boots, or P & G or Roman God
Joined on: Mar 1, 2018 16:03:17 GMT -5
Posts: 482
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Post by Di-Di-Dis-Distribution Problem on Mar 18, 2021 1:31:00 GMT -5
Vince...
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Post by kirk815 on Mar 18, 2021 2:22:34 GMT -5
DDP and Jake the Snake’s WWE contracts haven’t stopped them working with AEW... I think their figures were to far along so Mattel was able to release them.
Is there any proof that DDP was under a Legends/action figure deal when he was showing up on AEW? I think his last figures (E36/B68) were released over 4 years ago?
I just assumed he didn't renew his Legends deal when DDP Yoga was taking off (kind of like how Kurt Angle recently stated he turned it down so he can work on his side business he is starting) or negotiated a better deal that gave him more leeway due to his side business.
I believe the last time he showed up on AEW was January 2020 and with the pandemic impacting his Yoga side hustle, it would make sense if he resigned a Legends deal to get some cash flow in last year (would match up to the usual 12 monthish time frame of a fig being released with the new fig set to hit around May/June). Pure speculation on my part though.
Regardless, if there is one thing that is consistent about Vince/WWE, it's that they aren't consistent. They don't treat everyone or every situation the same for whatever reason and they can also be extra/petty/vindictive/ruthless depending on the situation.
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Post by disorder on Mar 18, 2021 7:34:45 GMT -5
The legends contracts don’t stop them from working anywhere else, it just gives wwe the right to refuse an offer the legend may get.
A lot of guys don’t sign, because while under a legends deal, wwe tries to protect the worker and their name sake. They don’t want the guys going out there and doing a million signings and appearances, because in the end, that hurts the stars value.
Wwe act as their agent to get the legend the best deal possible. A lot of these guys refuse, because they want full control and want to work with a different agent.
Yes, they will be leaving money on the table..but longevity wise, they could make more just by the value of their name.
If you over saturate the market with yourself, nobody will want you years down the road.
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