I Think This May Be Bigger Than A Womp Rat

Ever since I was 6 years old, Luke Skywalker has been my favorite Star Wars character. Whenever I would get Star Wars toys as a kid, somewhere in the lot there would be a Luke Skywalker I would gravitate to and play with above all the others. I wish I still had them all, but I lost them in the great war of 1982 when my sister and I were at war and destroyed each others toys. She threw out all my Star Wars stuff and I played skydiving with her Barbies from our 6th floor window.

Ever since I decided to restart my Star Wars collecting, I made sure I focused on Luke Skywalker, picking up as many pieces of him as possible. From puzzles to action figures to cups to calendars, anything that has Luke on it, I usually picked up. But I can't say I'm doing it all by myself.

My buddy, George, gave me some late Christmas presents and one of the items fits right into my Skywalker collection.

Recently, Hasbro released some Star Wars Titan figures in their Star Wars: Rebels line. I've never seen the show on Disney XD, so I don't know if it's any good. To me, if it has nothing to do with my beloved characters from Episodes III, IV and V, I have no interest. I gave the Prequel characters a chance and wasn't crazy about them. Also, I'm not sure why Luke was released in this line, unless he will make an appearance on the show or will at some point. All I care about is I get a new Luke Skywalker in my collection.

As with all Titan figures, they come in a box with a cellophane front and some art underneath. In this case, we get a Stormtrooper with the classic Star Wars lettering under the Stormtrooper, which is enough to make me squeal like a 10 year old.

I love the back of the box as it a has a great action shot of the final battle between Luke and Darth Vader in Return Of The Jedi. The picture captures Vader down for the count with Luke about to deliver that final blow that chops Vader's hand off. If I was Luke, I would have been like "A hand for a hand, eh Daddy"? That is probably why I will never be a Jedi. Much anger in this one. Then again, there is no such thing as a Jedi Knight, no matter what those cos players tell you at conventions.

I had wanted to keep the box for display purposes, especially since I was digging that picture on the back so much. Unfortunately, Hasbro did not make getting the figure out all that easily. I would have hoped I could have slide the figure out, but no. It was tied down to a piece of cardboard that was glued to the box. What the heck?? I had to tear apart the box to get the figure out so I could cut the elastic like strings off to set him free. After I was done, there was no box. just one long piece of cardboard. It looked like a piece of the skin off an orange if you peel it right.

Here is Luke out of the package. Right off the bat, I like that he's wearing his Jedi outfit from Return. He also looks enough like Mark Hamill for this figure to work out well.

I did say he looked enough like Hamill, not totally like him. There's enough there where you can look at the figure and say, "OK. I see it." Only thing I might have done was darken his hair just a little. Mark Hamill has dark blonde hair. Not very light blonde that the companies have been putting on him since the 70's. I never got that.

The only accessory that came with the figure was his green lightsaber, which I'm glad we got. Of the two lightsabers Luke had, the green by far is my favorite. Not sure why since blue is my favorite color. I thought, and still do, that the green made Luke more of a bad ass than the blue one did. The hilt on this lightsaber is a little bit bent, so I will have to figure out a way to straighten it out since I'm pretty sure Luke had a straight hilt and not the curve on the end that I have seen on some lightsabers.

There is barely any articulation to this figure. Luke's head turns slightly from left to right, the arms do a full 360 rotation at the shoulder and the legs go up in front and that's it. That's not a problem for me. My problem is if we weren't going to get wrist articulation, why is Luke's hand out stretched instead of at his size? It's not like we can pose this figure, so I fail to see the reasoning for the palms out theory with this figure.

Maybe Luke is asking Vader for some long overdue child support? No wonder he chopped Vaders hand off. The cheap Sith Lord.

The paint on the back of the figure is as good as the front is. Hasbro did a bang up job on the paint application. I did not see any splotches or messed up paint on any part of the figure.

That's as much posing as your going to get out of this figure, but I really don't care. It's a new Luke Skywalker figure that has been added to my collection and I am very glad to have it. Once I am able to display my collection, I figure (Pun intended, heh heh) this will have a prominent spot next to my other larger Skywalker figures.

Like most of the free world, I am looking forward to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I usually avoid seeing a newer release with crowds, but I may break that rule just to see this movie. I have been on such a Star Wars kick lately. I've watched New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi all weekend get my Star Wars mojo flowing. The 2 best things about The Force Awakens? We get the original cast back and we are sure to get more Skywalker collectables for me to pick up. That's a win win...for me at least.

Infinite Marvel Legends Superior Spider-Man

When Marvel announced that they would be cancelling the Amazing Spider-Man book and replacing it with a new title called "Superior Spider-Man", I remembered feeling outraged. How dare you cancel one of the cornerstone titles in your universe, I remembered thinking. Then I found out that Peter Parker wouldn't be Spider-Man in the new book, It would be a reformed Doctor Octopus, inhabiting Parker's body. My radioactive spider blood boiled over and reached critical mass. I was pissed, to say the least.

Then I calmed down and read the book. I have to admit, Dan Slott did a good job writing this book, While I could never find myself rooting for Doc Ock, I kind of liked a more darker Spider-Man/Peter Parker who thought he was better than everyone else. I always knew that Peter Parker would return, so I just enjoyed the book until the return of my beloved hero.

One of the things I liked about the new Spider-Man was the costume. It's a pretty bad ass suit and I was kind of hoping that Parker would have kept it a bit longer before returning to the traditional red and blue suit, but that didn't happen. Still, I was glad to have the real Spider-Man back and didn't give a second thought to the Superior Spider-Man suit. Plus, we didn't have to see those spider legs that Ock put on the suit late. Thank God.

When Hasbro announced a new line of Spider-Man figures, I of course was interested in seeing which characters we were getting. When I saw that a Superior Spider-Man figure was getting made, I knew I would be adding one to my Spider-Man collection. When I saw the prices of the figures, I knew I would be finding another way to add one to my collection. Thankfully, I found one on eBay for 10.00, shipped, that was out of the package. I didn't mind cause I would be opening it anyway. I put in a bit and won it, saving myself 10.00 in the process.

Seeing this figure in person, out of the package, I was pleasantly surprised how good this figure looked. This has to be one of the cleanest Spider-Man figures I have seen in quite some time. The paint is brilliant. There is not one sploch or messed up line to be found on this figure. Because it was an opened figure, it did not come with the Goblin's leg like it did in the package.

I love the eyes Hasbro gave this figure. Almost translucent, Almost like the Spider-Man figure that was released a few years back that had light up eyes that conveyed Spider Sense (Still looking for the figure, btw). As you can see, the paint on this figure looks great. The red just pops out at you and complements the black paint well. They did a good job painting the spider on his chest, but the webs doesn't look right, especially on his head. They look crooked in the most noticeable place on the figure, so there's a strike right there.

The back looks as good as the front. Well painted and the spider on his back is painted as well as the one on the front is. But you can see the messed up web lines on the back of the head also. I guess the guy who painted them on has a problem with heads.

The articulation on this figure is pretty good. The head has a full head spin and can look up and down. The shoulders can go back and forth, but has limited up and down movement due to the neck piece on this figure. There are biceps swivel, bend at the elbows and wrist spin. There is an ab crunch, hip swivel, thigh swivel, knee bend, ankle swivel. The leg can also kick up, but can't go back at all. It just goes off to the side a bit. I'm not a huge fan of posing my figures, but it's nice to know that I can get some cool poses with this figure if I really wanted to.

Even though I didn't get the Goblin's leg, I did get the interchangeable hands that came with the figure. As you can see, I got a pair of thwipping hands to swap out with the figure. The hands come off rather easily, so I had no trouble sticking these onto the figure.

I like the idea of having interchangeable hands. I would have also liked it if this figure came with a set of closed fists and some webbing that could be slid under the wrists so it could look as if he was shooting webs from his web shooters, but I guess we can't have everything we want.

Plus, would it kill Hasbro if they added stands to these figures again?

Overall, I like the figure. I think Hasbro did a great job with this figure, some minor issues aside. I like the sculpting and paint job on this figure. The articulation on this figure is just enough for me and the interchangeable hands help me with posing, if I chose to a some point. I would recommend this figure to any Spider-Man/Marvel fan for their collection. Aside from the Marvel Select Disney Store Exclusive, this might be the only time this figure is made for a while, so get yours before, like Doctor Octopus, it fades away.

Five Spider-Man Related Figures I Want For My Collection

When I decided to re-focus my collecting energies on my Spider-Man collection, I knew I would be in for a huge task. So many fantastic Spider-Man related stuff was released and I barely picked up any of it. I actually don't mind being behind the eight ball because I get to hunt for the stuff I really want and there is a lot.

On the flip side, there are a few things that I had never seen released before. With the long history of Spider-Man, there are a lot of variations of the outfit that has never seen the light of day in figure form, statue or otherwise. So I started thinking what 5 Spider-Man or supporting characters I would love to see get released as a figure or statue.

For The Little 1970's Kid In Me.

I grew up a child of the 1970's. That is when I discovered Spider-Man. I remember seeing the cover of Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man and after reading it, I was hooked. Now that I am older, there are 3 different Spider-Man figures I would throw my wallet at a store clerk to pick up.

Let's start with the very first Spider-Man cartoon. Sure, there are webs missing from his outfit, but this is one version of Spider-Man that I believe was the very first exposure to the character for many fans. While I am not shocked that a figure of the 1967 cartoon hasn't been released, I think a 6 inch figure would be a fantastic addition to any Spider-Man collection. Maybe even release a line of figures including Green Goblin, Scorpion, Mysterio, Dr. Noah Body and J. Jonah Jameson among others.

OK, maybe this one is a bit cheesy, but who wouldn't want an Electric Company Spider-Man in their collection? Me, that's who and I like me some cheese. This was another incarnation of the Web Head that I looked forward to seeing each time I watched the Electric Company. If I didn't hear that theme song at some point during the show, I was a disappointed little geek. Don't know the theme? Come on, sure you do. Sing along with me.

And yes, that is Morgan Freeman doing the narration. Your welcome.

Of course, the Yankees fan in me doesn't like that he's a Mets fan.

Grrrrr.

If there is a figure that begged to be made into a 1/6th scale, its this version of Spider-Man. I think it would be a brilliant figure if Hot Toys made this. I would love having a Spidey figure with his web shooter and belt on the outside of his outfit like in the show. Yeah, the show was cheesy and there wasn't any super villains, but I loved that show and still do. I have a couple episodes on DVD and I enjoy watching them. I have never owned a Hot Toys figure, but if this one was ever made, I would make sure it would be in my collection. God, I wish I could customize figures.

How About Some Supporting Characters?

Now, I wouldn't call it a crime that Betty Brant has not been made into a figure, but I am a bit shocked. I am guessing it's because Mary Jane and now Gwen Stacy has been immortalized on film and cartoons as Parker's loves, but how about something for the very first gal he had the hots for? Maybe you could stick her in my proposed 1967 Spider-Man cartoon line? Come on Hasbro, get it done!

Now this is a stunner. Why hasn't Uncle Ben, the basis for Peter Parker being Spider-Man, not have been made into a figure by now? This has to be one of the all time biggest omissions in Marvel toys history. I would have thought that there would have been one made for the Rami movies, but nope. Nothing, zip, zilch, nada. I'm hoping that one gets made some day. Aunt May has been made a few times, but shockingly, no Uncle Ben to be displayed with her on a shelf.

Now, these are just some of the figures I would love to add to my Spider-Man collection. This is, of course, subjective to my taste. I'm sure some of you could come up with a few other characters that you would like to see get made. Leave them in the comments below so I can smack my head and look stupid for not mentioning that character in the first place. Either way, I think there are a lot of variations of Spider-Man and some characters that could be made into figures. The Spider-Man universe is one of the more vast in comic books and there will always be character that will be made into a collectible to be put in your Spider-Man collection.

My Geeky Christmas Wish List

It looks like Batman didn't get what he wanted this year. Or maybe getting caught in one of The Joker's traps has something to do with the humbug up his butt. Either way, I'm sure this look is not the one he thought he would have by the Christmas tree.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. It's the one day of the year when I feel that we can have peace and harmony.... and presents. Maybe it's the greedy miser in me, but I love seeing wrapped presents under the tree with my name on it. As a kid, I remember getting such cool gifts as Mego Batman, Spider-Man and Superman figures, Mego Batman Command Center, Star Wars figures, Remco Batman CSF Copter and the Coleco Pac Man Mini Arcade are some of my favorite presents I recieved as a kid. I cherish my memories of opening those gifts and playing with them to death. Or in the case of my mom, headaches because I would play my Pac Man game early in the morning when everyone was sleeping. I was such a stinker.

Now that I am an adult, not much has changed. I still want to open gifts and enjoy the heck out of them. I may not play with my toys anymore, but it doesn't mean I don't love what I own and would be thrilled if I was able to open my presents and find the following under my Christmas tree.

NECA Batman

I had both of these figures pre ordered with Big Bad Toy Store, but because they kept getting delayed and in one of my biggest blunders, I cancelled the order. Now that they are out and I have seen both at various comic book stores, I want them, I want them, I want them! As much as I am a '66 Batman fanatic, I happen to think the '89 Batman is a nicer figure because it doesn't have that ugly ab joint that the '66 Batman has. Still, I want them both.

Kotobukiya Art FX New 52 Batman Statue

I have been wanting this ever since I first saw the picture of it. After seeing it in person, I wanted it even more. I love the metallic finish to the suit and the fact that it's magnets that keep it on it's base. Some people complain about the suits the new 52 DC characters have, but I don't mind them. Through the ears since his introduction back in Detective Comics #27, The Batman's outfit has gone through several changes. I actually like this outfit and I love how Kotobukiya made this statue.

DC Direct Silver Age Batman And Robin Statue

I am a sucker for anything classic Batman. I have seen this statue before and have drooled over it each and every time. This statue recreates the classic Carmine Infantino 1964 redesigned Batman. Infantino's Batman is one of my top 5 favorites and if I coul ever locate this statue for a decent price, I will add this to my Batman collection.

Kotobukiya Luke Skywalker Statue

I almost picked this up on several different occasions. I have added some great pieces to my Luke Skywalker collection over the course of the year and would have loved to have been able to pull the trigger each time I came close to. Even though the facial sculpt isn't all that close to Mark Hamill's, I do like this statue a lot. Love that Luke is decked out in the Bespin fatigues. This looks like the scene in Empire Strikes Back when he is looking to save Han, Leia and Chewbacca from the Empire in Cloud City. Take my money, please.

Walmart Exclusive Amazing Spider-Man Figure

It's times like this I wish I had a Walmart close by. Because there isn't one in NYC, I missed out on this figure but I would love to find it. I was wondering why an Andrew Garfield figure wasn't done, but then I saw this figure and have been trying to score one ever since. This figure has alluded my grubby hands,  but I will have it one day.

Hamilton Beatles Figures

I have been wanting these since the 90's. I actually had the John Lennon figure that my mom bought me, but was lost in one of my many moves. Not only do I want it back in my Beatles collection, but I want Paul, George and Ringo too. I don't feel that any Beatles collection is complete without these figures. There is barely any articulation in these figures, but who cares? It's the Beatles and I must have them.

Of course, there is a lot more goodies that I'd love to find under my Christmas tree this season, these were the ones I thought of right away. But, to be honest with you guys, I do love what ever my family and friends get me because they are some of the most thoughtful people around. Besides, the holiday season isn't about gifts. It's about spreading joy and love across the globe and if you ask me, the world could use a lot of love these days. Enough hate and crime and war. I think a great man once sang Give Peace A Chance. It's high time we try what Mr. Lennon sang.

Newest Luke Skywalker Addition, Black Series

You would think that living in NYC would make my toy hunting for the new figures easy. I live in one of the biggest cities in all the world. There are stores galore here. We have Toys R Us, Target, Kmart, Walmart (Outside of the city, of course), Cosco, Sam's Club, to name a few. Not to mention a few comic book stores and a few smaller shops that sell toys and other products that would appeal to a geeky SOB such as myself.

But, that doesn't make finding such cool items any easier.

I have been looking up and down NYC and Westchester for the new 1966 Batman figures and have come up ridiculously short. I have been looking for POP Vinyls, Spider-Man, Man Of Steel and have come up either short or have seen them once, never to be seen again.

I have also been looking looking for the new Luke Skywalker Star Wars Black Series 6 inch figure to add to my Skywalker collection and again, was coming up short. I found Darth Maul, R2D2, and the Sandtrooper pretty easily,  but no Luke.

Until today.

 Behold the Star Wars Black Series Luke Skywalker in X-Wing Fighter gear. 6 inches of New Hope goodness. Crazy articulation and it's mine, all mine! Mwhahahahaha...um, let's continue.

I love the packaging. Luke came in a black box (hence the name, Black Series, duh!) with Star Wars in lighter black lettering, outlined in silver. A dark drawing of Luke is off to the right of the lettering, enclosed in a circle. The box hs a huge window front showing off the figure and accessories. Underneth, there is Luke's name in red lettering.

Here's the back of the box. There is a silhouette of Luke, about to climb into his X-Wing Fighter. Above that is some info about the character, a quote from the movie as well as Star Wars in that off black lettering we saw on the front of the box and Luke Skywalker in red lettering under with what I assume to be the numbering of his place in the series, which is number 1.

Here's a close up of the back of the box.

And Luke is out of the box.

Right off the bat, I am very impressed with the detailing of this figure and how sturdy it feels in the hand. But, as with a lot of newer figures, it is having trouble standing up on his own, so I had to prop him up against the wall.

You've been at that Canteen on Tattooine again, haven't you?

I think this figure bares a pretty good likeness to Mark Hamill. Probably one of the very best likeness I have seen on a figure that is not Hot Toys or anything higher end. I like the streaks in the hair to accentuate the hair color. He comes with his little mole on his face. Oh, and the head pops off if you ever wanted to switch heads with Darth Maul, you can.

Love the detail on Luke's chest rig. I know some reviews I read had mentioned that the chest rig  was painted sloppy, but I am happy to report that mine was done well, with no excess on it. Actually, the paint job on this figure is done very well.

Channeling my inner Schumaker to show off some Skywalker butt. Actually, I wanted to show off the detailing of the uniform. Love the wrinkles. Hasbro made this figure to look like Luke's been hanging out in it for a while. Great detailing.

Luke came with some accessories. His lightsaber, a helmet and a blaster. All are made of a rubbery plastic material, which is kind of cool. I just don't know how durable the accessories are.

That helmet is awesome looking. The detailing on it is fantastic. The rebel markings on it just pop out at you and the helmet was also painted to look really dirty. You can tell it's been in a war.

The lightsaber is a nice size. Looks like he can slice your arm off from about half a mile away. The blade comes off and you can hook the handle to his belt.

Luke's fingers come curled so it can wrap around the blaster. The can be squeezed to firmly wrap itself around the the blaster.

This figure is pretty articulated. It has a ball joint head, swivel/hinged shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles and hips; a hinged neck, ball joint torso, double jointed knees, swivel at the top of the boots.

The one problem I have is finding a position to keep Luke upright. Since there are so many points of articulation, there are so many different poses to have Luke stand in. It just takes time to find that right pose to keep Luke in fighting shape. I did notice that there was holes in the bottom of his boots so I may find a stand for him to stand on.

I have to admit, I love this figure. It's easily became one of my favorites in my collection. I love that it's 6 inches rather than the smaller 3 inch figures we are used to seeing. Some collectors were complaining about the choice of outfit they have Luke in. If it was up to me, I might had him in his Bespin outfit, but I am quite ok with the X-Wing Fighter outfit.

Guys, if you like, no scratch that, LOVE Star Wars, then you have to find a way to add this figure to your collection. The price point is a bit pricey. In most places, you can get him for 19.99. I paid 22.99, plus tax because I had to buy him in Toys R Us in Times Square, the middle of tourist central, so I had to pay a little more for mine. But, even then, I think it's worth it. I doubt you will find a better Luke Skywalker figure on the market.

Yes, I Like Pro Wrestling And Here Is My Favorite Wrestler

I don't discuss Pro Wrestling very much, but here's the truth. I love Pro Wrestling and have since I was about 12. It's not because I'm ashamed or anything. It just never really came up here. And boy, have I have watched it all since then: WWF then WWE, NWA, WCW, WCCW, Mid South, Mid Atlantic, Pro Wrestling USA, AWA, UWF, ECW and any other promotion that was shown on TV here in NYC. Technical wrestling, brawling, Fall Count Anywhere, Last Man Standing, Steel Cage Matches, Ladder Matches, Tag Team Matches,  I love them all.

I remember my first time watching it too. It used to come on here on WOR-TV Saturday nights after Racing From Aqueduct, which would usually be around 11:30 PM unless a Mets game either was from the west coast or went to extra innings. I don't remember what the date was or who was wrestling. What I do remember was Pat Patterson, who was working as a commentator next to Vince McMahon, went to interview Ivan Kolloff. There was a discussion regarding Russian wrestlers vs American wrestlers. Patterson defending American wrestlers vs Kolloff upholding the virtues of the Soviets. After a few minutes, Kolloff hauled off and slapped Patterson and stormed off set. Patterson gets up and rips his suit off and is screaming bloody murder and being bleeped after every second word. McMahon is screaming "Pat Patterson is angry and Ivan Kolloff better have left the arena" Me? I'm just sitting on my bed with my mouth wide open. I was hooked immediately.

I had seen wrestlers like the Masked Superstar, the Wild Samoans, Pat Patterson, Sgt. Slaughter,the WWF Champion Bob Backlund, George "The Animal" Steele, Andre The Giant, The Magnificent Muraco, who was the Intercontinental Champion, Rocky Johnson, Tony Atlas and colorful managers like The Grand Wizard, "Classy" Freddie Blassie and Capt. Lou Albano. I did have a favorite at the time. The "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka was a guy who had just turned face right around when I started watching, was having the first vicious feud I had ever seen with Muraco. I loved that rage he had when he was angry, but I loved his Superfly Splash off the top rope even more. But I wouldn't say I went GaGa over the guy. Then one show, there was a wrestler who was called "Dr. D" David Schultz. He was beating up a ham and egger (Bobby Heenan representing, yo!), so I wasn't too interested. Then I saw his manager. Here was a loud mouth who was yelling instructions, had a sneer on his face and was wearing a kilt. Who the heck was this guy? During the interview after the match, I found out he called himself "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and he was the best manager in the business. I found out much later he was managing only because he was recovering from injuries sustained during his vicious Dog Collar match with Greg Valentine at Starcade months earlier. He later added Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff to his stable and his career in the WWF was off and running.

Piper interviewing Frankie Williams right before pummeling him

Then, he started to host an interview segment called "Piper's Pit" and that's what made he's known for. At the time, it was pretty innovative. Buddy Rogers had a segment called "Rogers Corner", but it was boring as heck. I would have rather watched paint dry. "Piper's Pit" was anything but boring. His first segment, he insulted a writer for the WWF Magazine, who used to host a segment at that spot. The next week, he called an injured Eddie Gilbert's dad stupid for letting him wrestle The Masked Superstar. Piper was so funny as the host. He would complement the rule breakers and embarrass the good guys. He would assault wrestlers like Frankie Williams,  insult Rocky Johnson, and tell Andre The Giant he had a teeny tiny brain. His most famous segment was when he attacked my former favorite Jimmy Snuka by breaking a coconut over his head and then whipping him with his belt. That started off a feud with Snuka that lasted a year. Piper's Pit may have made Piper's career, but it made him my favorite wrestler and I watched everything and listened to everything he said as well.

I was there at Madison Square Garden the night he beat up Capt. Lou Albano, kicked Cyndi Lauper and power slammed her manager Dave Wolfe as well as the next show when he wrestled Hulk Hogan in the first wrestling match aired on MTV. It was called "The War To Settle The Score" and it was a classic. I realize that using the word "classic" and Hulk Hogan in the same sentence is stretching it a bit, but trust me, it was. The electricity in the crowd that night was so electric, you could cut the air with a night. By then, cheering Piper openly was becoming dangerous as I would have cups thrown at me or I would be cursed out. The end of the match had Piper disqualified when Orndorff and Bob Orton interfere in the match. They were about to beat up Cyndi Lauper when Mr. T made the save. Piper and Orndorff beat up on T until Hogan made the save. The interviews leading up to Wrestlemania was classic and Piper stole the show on Saturday Night Live. I wish I could have been at Wrestlemania. But my mom decided my grades weren't up to snuff, so I couldn't go. Back then, there was no pay per view, so I had to wait until the results were posted in the NY Post the next morning. I was crushed to read that Piper and Orndorff had lost. Piper and Orndorff feuded for a while and he "boxed" Mr. T at Wreslemania 2. After, Piper left to film "They Live", which is a Sci-Fi Classic.

If you have not seen They Live, see it!

When Piper returned, he became a fan favorite and hosted Piper's Pit where he now complemented the good guys and insulted the bad guys. He also feuded with wrestlers like "Adorable" Adrian Adonis, Bob Orton, Ric Flair, Harley Race and Bad News Brown. He won his only singles title around this time when he beat the Mountie for the Intercontinental Title. He then had his best match when he wrestled Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 7 and dropped the belt to Hart. After, he would only wrestle sporadicaly, mainly serving as color commentator with Vince McMahon on WWF TV. He left and later showed up in WCW to feud with Hogan before returning to WWE after. He shows up every now and then to host a Pit which is always entertaining.

God, I still wish I had this

I really don't have much of a Piper collection. When I was a kid, I got the Piper LJN figure and had the poster that came with the figure on my wall. I also got the Hogan figure and had Piper beat him for the belt, which he wore. I also had a picture book that the WWE put out. I also had a cup that 7-11 had sold with a Big Gulp and the later Hasbro Piper figure from the 1990's. All of this got lost due to various moves and I hope to one day get them all back in my collection, as well as other things so I can have a shelf dedicated to Piper. Here's what I do have:

I have always loved the Unmatched Fury line. The figures were pretty realistic and had a base to pose them on. When I found out that Piper would have a figure in this line, I knew I had to have it and grabbed it when I saw it.

The Entrance Greats was a Christmas gift my buddy, George got for me. The figure also has a stand, but this stand plays a few seconds of his entrance music. I love this figure and was thrilled when I tore open the wrapper and saw Hot Rod underneath.

Speaking of Hot Rod, this was a t shirt I had wanted ever since I was a kid and saw him sporting it on Piper's Pit. Thanks to the magic of eBay, I now have this shirt as a part of my geeky wardrobe.

I had shown this pin off in a blog from last year. I picked this pin up for a buck at SuperMega Fest in New Jersey. There wasn't a lot to be had at the show, but I was more than happy to add this pin to the Piper collection.

One of my most cherished experiences was meeting Roddy at the Big Apple Comic Con a few years ago. I was extremely nervous, which I never get when meeting a celebrity. Waiting on line, I met his son, Colt and struck up a conversation with him until it was my turn to meet Piper. When I got up there, I basically spilled my guts to the man like a little girl meeting the Beatles circa 1964. Piper was the best. He listened intently to everything I said, laughed at a few comments, was genuinely pleased when I told him he was my all time favorite and even asked about my family. He signed these 2 pictures for me and posed for a photograph with me.

When I get my man cave, there will be only 2 photos of myself on my walls. A picture of me at the old Yankee Stadium and this picture of me and the "Rowdy Scott". I want to blow it up and have him sign it for me before framing it. I got Albano to sign the Piper's Pit photo at the same show. I just need Cyndi Lauper to sign it so I can add it to my future man cave wall.

I do have the Piper DVD that the WWE put out not too long ago as well as Hell Comes To Frogtown. I'm always looking for the Pit's burnt on a DVD as well as They Live, but I want that on Blu-Ray and I'm not sure its been released on Blu-Ray just yet.

I apologize for the long read. I guess when you admire someone for as long as I have, there's a lot you want to say about the individual. I know if he was a jerk when I met him all this would have been flushed down the toilet like when I met Graig Nettles. But when you know the man is as decent in real life as he's bad in the world of Pro Wrestling, then you know he's doing something right. Ether he's beating up someone or insulting them with his quick tongue or acting in a movie Piper is one of the most entertaining individuals to ever have stepped into the squared circle. He's as big a reason for the popularity of wrestling in the 80's as Hogan was. To this day, he is wildly cheered when he appears on Raw and that is a well deserved cheer for a man who gave his life to wrestling. He was Rowdy before being Rowdy was cool and that's a fact. When you can't throw rocks at a man who carries a machine gun, the only thing I can do is say thanks to for making my childhood a different, yet entertaining one.