Wrestling is as big of a sport in Asian countries as it is here in the United States. In Japan, not only is Sumo wrestling a respected sport, but professional wrestling is also immensely popular. So, it is not surprising that the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) would have Asian Pacifics amongst its ranks. These are some of the figures I have so far:

Taka Michinoku WWF Slammer Series 2 1998, Jakks Pacific Individual Figure Unfortunately, I'm not a big wrestling fan. So, I'm not too familiar with the wrestler Taka Michinoku. What I do know is that his real name is Takao Yoshido and that he is known for a move called the Michinoku Driver. Again, outside of this information, I don't know a great deal about the WWF...or, much about the toy line. So, if you know, please e-mail me.

Taka Michinoku WWF Bend-Ems - Series 8 1998, JusToys Individual Figure Here's another figure of Taka Michinoku...this time, it's by another company called JusToys, which made a whole line of bendable WWF toys. The figure is pretty non-descript, easily being the same mold as the other Bend-Em figures but with a different paint job. The figure does come with a card that gives a short biography. Again, if you'd like to share any stories about Taka, please feel free to e-mail me at loren@javier.com.

The Rock Backlash Super Stars 2000, Jakks Pacific Individual Figure Knwon for his quote "Know Your Role," The Rock is easily the most popular Asian Pacific American wrestler in American professional wrestling. As I mentioned before, I don't know much about wrestling, but unless I avoid the media all together, it's difficult to escape images and video clips of this guy in action. Hell, I even so him on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. The Rock was born Duane Johnson, a child of African-American and Samoan descent. He graduated All-American football star from the University of Miami and then entered the World Wrestling Federation as Rocky Maivia, the name he used for a few years. Then, as his fame and popularity grew, he became known solely as "The Rock." This figure is one of many sculpted in the likeness of this wrestler...it's even not the best one. The sculpt is okay...a bit exaggerated and stylzed. Not a great deal more other than the figure.

Rikishi Phatu Wrestlemania XVII - Series 8 2000, Jakks Pacific Individual Figure Rikishi means "strong man," and it is the term given to those who engage in the sport of Sumo. But, in this case, he is a professional wrestler of Samoan descent engaging in American professional wrestling. He was born Solofatu Anoai and was known in the WWF by many other names, including Alofa, Headshrinker, Fatu and The Sultan. After a long absence, he came back with a new look, a new name and is hotter than ever. According to the December 2000 issue of Lee's Action Figure News and Toy Review, Rikishi figures are hot. Everybody's looking for them...which would explain why it was so difficult for me to find one. He is known for using his weight to crush his opponents into submission and his finishing move is called Stink Face which I'll obviously leave to your imagination. The figure was sculpted using a technology called "Real Scan," which allows Jakks Pacific to create extremely close likenesses. So, the figure looks great. Compare the figure with the photo they have on the packaging. It's uncanny. The figure is also "Tron Ready," which means that he can interact with other wrestlers in a "Titan Tron" environment/play set.

The Rock Wrestlemania XVII Rebellion 2000, Jakks Pacific Individual Figure This figure is really nice looking...perhaps one of the best that I've seen of The Rock. Jakks Pacific employed its famous "Real Scan" technology to capture The Rock's likeness, down to his cocky confident expression. The figure is also "Tron Ready," which means that he can interact with other wrestlers in a "Titan Tron" environment/play set.

The Rock WWF Sliders 1999, Oddz On Comes in 3-Pack with The Undertaker and Ken Shamrock This is a fun toy and one of the few not produced by Jakks Pacific. The toy, produced by Hasbro subsidiary Oddz On, features three stylized wrestlers (in this case, The Rock, The Undertaker and Ken Shamrock) and places them on a roller ball that allows them to slide across the table. You can then engage in two suggested games -- Title Fight, where you place the Sliders in the middle of the table and slam them into each other until the fall off the table, or Target Training, which employs is 3 targets that comes with the Sliders. It's a fun idea! Also, interestingly enough, the Slider of The Rock looks more like him than the others do their real counterparts.

Wish List for WWF The following are items I still need to complete the set. If you notice any other items that should be added, please e-mail me. Mr. Fuji (LJN 10" Series 4) Haku (LJN 10" Series 6) Yokozuna (Justoys Bend-Ems Series 3) Rocky Maivia (Justoys Bend-Ems Series 5) Yokozuna (with Goldust, Justoys Wrestling Ring) Yokozuna with Sumo Smash (Hasbro WWF Series 8) Yokozuna with Sumo Smash (Hasbro WWF Series 11) Rocky Maivia (Superstars 5) The Rock (Superstars 8: Team Corporate) Rocky Maivia (Best of Series 2) The Rock (Signature Series 3) The Rock (Signature Series 4) Rocky Maivia (STOMP) Yokozuna (Special Edition - KayBee Toys, Red Card) Yokozuna (Special Edition - KayBee Toys, Yellow Card) Yokozuna (Playmates' Ringmasters) Yokozuna (with Ahmed Johnson, Playmates' Grudgematch) The Rock (KayBee Toys Edition, Series 6) Rocky Maivia (Shotgun Saturday Night) Rocky Maivia (Wrestlemania XIV) The Rock (Live Wire 2 - K-Mart) The Rock (Full Loaded 1) The Rock (Full Loaded 2) The Rock (Sunday Night Heat) The Rock (Raw is War) The Rock (Road Rage) The Rock (K-Mart Figure with Grapple Gear) The Rock (with Owen Hart, 2 Tuff 3 The Rock (with Austin, 2 Tuff 4) Taka Michinoku (with Brian Christopher, Grudge Match) The Rock (with Austin, Grudge Match) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 1) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 2) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 3) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 5) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 6) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 8) Rikishi Phatu (Titan Tron Live, Series 8) The Rock (Titan Tron Live, Series 9) The Rock (Titan Tron Live Smackdown 4) The Rock (Titan Tron Live Smackdown 5) The Rock (Titan Tron Live Smackdown 6) The Rock (House of Pain) Rikishi Phatu (Rulers of the Ring 2) The Rock (Back Talkin' Crunchers 1) The Rock (Back Talkin' Crunchers 2) The Rock (with Triple H, Double Slam 5) The Rock (Raw Heat 1) The Rock (Raw Heat 2) The Rock (Raw Heat 3) The Rock (Maximum Sweat 1) The Rock (Maximum Sweat 3) The Rock (12" Federation Fighter) The Rock (with Triple H, Finishing Moves 1) The Rock (with Jericho, Finishing Moves 2) Rikishi Phatu (with Triple H, Finishing Moves 2) The Rock (Back Allery Street Fight)

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