New “No Holds Barred” WWE Two-Pack Revealed for SDCC, Mattel Employees Comment

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PWMania.com Staff
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At the San Diego Comic-Con next week, Mattel and WWE will officially unveil a new No Holds Barred two-pack of action figures.

The 1989 movie featured WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan as Rip, and the late Tiny Lister as Zeus.  Zeus’ appearance in the storylines that year with Hogan and WWE Hall of Famers Randy Savage and Brutus Beefcake coincided with the release of the film.

On Wednesday, July 20, the new figures will go on sale at SDCC. On Friday, July 22, at 12 p.m. ET, they will be made available online at MattelCreations.com. The two-pack includes Zeus and Hogan figures, as well as accessories for both wrestlers, including the winged-eagle WWE Title belt for Hogan. There are also three different heads for Hogan and two different heads for Zeus, as well as a total of seven hands for Hogan and four hands for Zeus.

The WWE and Mattel collaboration first began more than a decade ago with assistance from PJ Lewis, the company’s worldwide head of action figures. He told Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso that the new No Holds Barred product perfectly reflects the magic of the WWE.

“WWE is one of the most culturally relevant IPs in our industry, and in entertainment, and we take great pride in tapping into their superstars’ iconic moments,” Lewis said. “We thought this would be a wonderful one to do. There is this wonderful opportunity to create fun products, and we’re lucky to have such an incredible partner in WWE. Their talent is always so interested in working together. We’re particularly proud of what we’ve done for kids and collectors. We want to resonate with fans of all ages. That’s reflective of their brand, and we have specific designers that are WWE fans.”

The new No Holds Barred item was also greatly influenced by Bill Miekina, a major lead designer at Mattel. He was asked how many times he had watched the film again while it was being made.

“Let’s say I did watch certain parts of the movie quite a bit,” Miekina said. “I wanted to make sure to capture all the details of Zeus’s entrance and make the in-ring look as accurate as possible. And of course, making sure to freeze on just the right frame to capture the ‘What’s that Smell?’ expression at the height of Hulk Hogan’s disgust.”

Miekina continued, noting that they had the best packaging team in the entire toy industry, and discussing how the many departments collaborated to complete this project. Miekina stated that the final packaging exceeded his very high expectations.

“I think all departments—design, marketing, and packaging—just knew from the outset that any execution of these two figures together needed to replicate the face-off seen in the movie poster,” Miekina said. “And I personally feel we have the best packaging team in the entire toy industry working on our brand, so I was not surprised when they exceeded my very high expectations for the final package.”

Miekina added, “When you see the final product and look at a miniature Hulk Hogan as Rip flashing his signature hand gesture at an enraged Zeus in his full entrance regalia, there is such a feeling of accomplishment. And a giddiness and excitement over how people are going to react when they see this for the first time.”

In addition to other events, the WWE SDCC booth at SDCC next week will have a panel discussion featuring Cody Rhodes and Zelina Vega as well as a few surprises.

Below are photos of the new No Holds Barred two-pack:

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