Inside Mattel’s Years-Long WCW Throwback Project
A piece of the past is returning for pro wrestling collectibles.
Mattel, which is WWE’s primary action figure distributor, has seized hold of old-school nostalgia with a crowdfunding campaign. The toy giant is creating the WCW Nitro entrance stage, a spectacular tribute to WWE’s onetime rival.
The project began in October 2021. It features remarkable detail—right down to the distance between the arches—and immediately harkens back memories of Monday nights in the 1990s. Depending on the number of crowdfunding backers, the project will also come with exclusive Rey Mysterio and Scott Steiner action figures, as well as potentially “Diamond” Dallas Page, Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior.
Bill Benecke, a manager within Mattel’s product design department, articulated the process of turning this from vision into reality.
“This has been a really epic journey,” says Benecke, who has been with Mattel for 15 years. “We have such a treasure trove of moments to draw from with WWE, and we want people to connect with a moment in time through something physical. We spend a lot of time thinking about what’s going to pull those strings, and that happens here.”
The man responsible for creating the magic is Mike Kadile, a Mattel staff designer. He has wanted to create an entrance stage like this for a decade, even building stages for Raw and SmackDown. Those were massive projects with fully lit-up decks but never materialized because the cost to buy them was too prohibitive. When he was asked to make the Nitro stage, he did not hesitate to jump at the opportunity.
“The nostalgia has been so addictive,” says Kadile. “We were cautious and careful that people aren’t overly intimidated by the size of it, and we’re also thinking about those people who love toy photography. We put our hearts into it. Once you get it all set and lit up and put a figure in the center, it becomes real. After I set it up, I couldn’t stop looking at it from every angle.”
Courtesy of Mattel
The care that went into the project is evident in the details. Purposely designed to be modular so collectors can fit it on their shelf, the tunnel of the entrance stage is lit by more than 100 LEDs with six programmed animated sequences. There are four sets of adjustable lights, a removable and repositionable entrance ramp, and two premium fabric WCW Monday Nitro banners, authentically scaled and textured WCW letter blocks.
An immense amount of thought was given to each element, particularly the action figures. The six figures represent different stages of WCW during the Nitro era, with each capturing a moment in time. The Mysterio figure features him in the gear he wore from the July 8, 1996 edition of Nitro (as well as the ’96 Great American Bash). Though the Warrior’s run in WCW was disastrous, his figure captures the unbridled excitement surrounding his debut from August ’98.
“We’re trying to tell a story with the figures and their look,” says Benecke. “That look hasn’t been realized in an action figure form in a long time and never in anything less than a limited quality. We’ve wanted to do something with the Warrior debut for a long time.”
The collector community is a key part of Mattel’s WWE line. Crowdfunding allows Mattel to engage its constituents directly. But it also comes with a risk, as there is no guarantee this will reach production.
A fascinating subplot will be whether the project reaches the minimum order quantity negotiated with the factory, which is 5,000 units, allowing production to move forward. After that, additional tiers can be hit (unlocking the DDP figure at 7,000 backers, the Warrior at 9,000 and then Hogan at 11,000), but it is a race against the clock with the deadline set for Friday night at 11:59 PT.
“Crowdfund is an incredible opportunity,” says Benecke. “It moves the project away from retailers. They might love an item but can’t make the space for it, so the project dies. Now we can take it directly to the people who care the most.”
In the event that the crowdfund campaign does not reach 5,000 backers by the end date, the project will be canceled and all purchases will be refunded. But if the entrance stage comes to fruition, Kadile believes it will lead to a very special addition to a collection.
“When you put your figures on this, you’re going to be transported to a moment in time when you were watching WCW,” says Kadile. “You’re watching with your grandfather, you’re back in time watching with your friends. The nostalgia is there. That feeling is the feeling I want people to feel.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.