Wrestling has always been big business but it was during the wild days of the 80s when WWE grabbed a stranglehold on the market and became the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. When Vince McMahon took over from his father he turned the WWE into a million dollar business thanks to his genius ideas and the colorful personalities of wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Young children were captivated by these men fighting in their undergarments and McMahon realized he needed to cash in on this with as much merchandise as possible.

Along with t-shirts wrestling action figures became a big part of the WWE's merchandise plan and enabled kiddies to act out their own matches at home with their favorite wrestlers. But it wasn't just the WWE that realized the currency in merchandise. Rival promotion WCW got in on the act while other large companies, including TNA (now Impact) and New Japan Pro Wrestling, have released a wide variety of figures over the years.

From the first awkward looking rubber creations of 80s wrestling greats to Mattel's modern day WWE figures brimming with details, wrestling figures are now just as loved by collectors as they are young fans. Over the years there have been some amazing figures produced, as well as some not so good ones. Going on a deep dive of all things wrestling figure related I've come up with the 15 best and 15 worst wrestling figures of all time.

30 Best: And His Name Is...

As the face of the WWE for the past 15 plus years, John Cena has become a household name amongst sports entertainment fans. Debuting as The Prototype, Cena went on to become the biggest name in the wrestling business during the 2000s, particularly with young children. His mantra of "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" became his calling card as Cena went on to hold multiple championships, currently tied with the great Ric Flair for the most WWE Championship wins at 16. As Vince McMahon's number one Cena has been a the forefront of the WWE marketing machine and has had more action figures made in his likeness than most wrestler combined.

Of all the figures, one of the best came courtesy of Wicked Cool Toys who manufactured a ginormous 31 inch (2.5 feet!) John Cena figure.

The figure featured nine points of articulation so you could move his arms and legs and was highly detailed. Cena came with an orange and green cap, wristbands, and black shorts, ready for action. There are other variations of the figure with Cena wearing different colored gear, but either way, it's a fantastic figure worth a place in any collection.

29 Worst: That's Questionable

In the 80s, Hulk Hogan was the reason people tuned into the WWE (then known as the WWF). Standing over six foot five with flowing blonde locks, a bleached blonde handlebar mustache, and an ever-present tanned chiseled frame, Hogan was Vince McMahon's idea of the perfect wrestler. He had multiple title reigns during his year's at the WWE and helped put the company on the map before departing for WCW where he transformed from the vitamin eating good guy to Hollywood Hogan, an egotistical heel who became part of the biggest fraction in pro wrestling, the NWO (New World Order). His run in WCW during the late 90s helped the company overtake the WWE as the biggest wrestling organization in the world before things all went wrong due to multiple reasons and the company eventually folded in 2001.

During his time in WCW, a number of wrestling figures were created in the mold of Hogan but the vibrating Hulk Hogan was easily the strangest. Lot's of figures during that time had special functions, such as pulling back a figure's arm for it to release a chop or swiveling hips so the figure could attack opponents from multiple positions. This Hogan figure had a button you pressed causing the figure to vibrate violently, causing Hogan to look like he was having an epileptic fit. It served absolutely no purpose and was a very strange decision. Consider Hogan had a grown-up movie released a few years ago and the thought of a vibrating Hogan becomes even worse.

28 Best: He Even Looks Prickly

Mick Foley's most famous moment in a WWE ring was when was thrown off the top of the cage onto the announce table during his epic Hell in the Cell encounter with The Undertaker at King of the Ring in 1998. Performing as his alias Mankind, Foley made sure nobody would ever forget his character as he took a scary bump that had everyone wondering if he'd ever wrestle again. While the match helped highlight his Mankind persona, it also began his slow face turn and the introduction of his other two alter egos, the lady-loving Dude Love and violence craving Cactus Jack. While Mankind was the most popular, I along with many wrestling fans, have a soft spot for the flannel-wearing Cactus Jack, and Mattel's 2016/2017 recreation of the character was one of the better incarnations of the dangerous character.

The figure sports Jack's famous "Wanted Dead or Alive" t-shirt, also a massive seller for the WWE, and came with animal skin patterned pants and boots. There's also a red flannel shirt you can put on Jack along with a road sign to use during hardcore matches. The detail of Foley's face was fantastically recreated and featured his scruffy beard and long hair. Even Foley himself enjoyed this one, as seen in this short clip whereby he reviews his own action figure with two of his kids.

27 Worst: A Little Too Rowdy

The Deluxe Classic line of wrestling figures was a limited series released to celebrate major moments in the history of the WWE. Standing nine inches tall, the collection featured the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and a replica of Rowdy Roddy Piper wearing his controversial body paint from Wrestlemania VI.

During that particular pay per view, Piper was pitted against African American wrestler Bad News Brown. For some reason, Piper thought it would be a great idea to go blackface and painted half his body black. It was an unusual move and left most people in the arena in shock and created an awkward tension when the match began. While Piper always stated it was never meant as a racist remark and was done to give the feud life, it's still regarded by many as one of the lowest points in the WWE's history. There's certainly no way in heck something like that would happen in the modern era, although that didn't stop Jakks Pacific from creating a figure that was half white and half black as part of their Deluxe Classic line. Thankfully, only 100 of the figures were made, and although they did come with Piper's trademark t-shirt and kilt that could be worn by the figure, that still didn't make up for the figure's color. Big with collectors, I think I'd rather not have this one displayed on any shelf in my home.

26 Best: The Legend Himself

As far as I'm concerned the late great Macho Man Randy Savage was the best to ever step foot in the squared circle. A masterful wrestler with an unmatched intensity and a gimmick that's never been bettered, Savage was the ultimate 80s wrestler. If it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, I've no doubt he would have been the top star of the company. After Savage departed the company in the 90s there were years of hostility between the wrestler and the company. It took Savage's passing in 2011 for the WWE to finally reach out to Savage's family to put the past behind them, with Savage eventually being posthumously added to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

Since then there has been a raft of Macho Man merchandise released by the WWE, with the Defining Moments action figure the most authentic replica of Savage.

This collection of figures highlighted some of the major moments in WWE, with the version of Savage seen in the picture above based on his Wrestlemania 7 attire for his retirement match with Ultimate Warrior. Savage lost and became a commentator but few will forget his entrance and the purple and white outfit he wore. This figure was wearing an identical costume to Savage, including the cowboy hat and sunglasses. The figure even has the tassels flowing from Savage's jacket and helps projects his larger than life personality. He might be gone but figures like this mean his memory will never be forgotten. RIP Macho Man.

25 Worst: This Figure Is Terrifying

As one half of the tag team The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg Jesse James was the mouthpiece of the six-time tag champions. He was a major part of WWE's Attitude Era, joining the fraction D-Generation X and is now one of the main players behind the scenes. Despite his accomplishments, Road Dogg was saddled with one of the worst action figures of all time.

Released as part of the Maximum Sweat collection by toy company Jakks Pacific, this figure looked nothing like the actual Road Dogg. While he was slight of stature in real life this figure is absolutely massive, looking like he's been doing more than just pumping weights in the gym to get his figure. His face was also positioned so it looked like he was screaming and it's hard to tell whether he's doing so in pain. The big kicker with this figure and what set it apart from standard wrestling figures was the fact it could sweat. That's right, the figure came with a small bottle of fluid you would squirt on it so it looked like it was sweating. It's a horrible idea and I hope whoever came up with it was never invited back to production meetings again.

24 Best: One Of The Greatest Ever Made

Few wrestlers have had such an impact on the wrestling scene as The Undertaker. The deadman has one of the best gimmicks in wrestling history and has participated in some of the greatest matches of all time. Who could forget his Wrestlemania XXIV match with Edge or his shock loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30? And let's not forget the time he threw Mankind off the top of the Hell in a Cell and almost ended him! He's also had a plethora of action figures made in his image over the years, with the Elite Series 23 model of his iconic Wrestlemania XII costume up there with the best.

Taker took on Diesel and won in a decent match but it was his costume that had many fans hyped. Decked out in a black overcoat with a thick purple tie, blue gloves and boots, and his customary top hat, this classic image of Taker was recreated fabulously by Mattel. A throwback to a different era of wrestling, the figure even included the menacing Phantom of the Opera-esque face mask the Phenom wore after severely injuring his nose during a match. This figure was made for the old school fans and was a great collector's item.

23 Worst: Maybe Stick To Basketball

It's hard to believe but Dennis Rodman not only appeared on WCW but wrestled in a number of matches, joining with the NWO and teaming with Hulk Hogan. He even had a tag match with Hogan against Diamond Dallas Page and former adversary Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz. As you can imagine, Rodman wasn't much of a wrestler but helped draw ratings for WCW in their battle with the WWF.

Released in 2000 as part of the Power Slam collection of wrestling figures, this replica of Rodman was actually very detailed and featured many of Rodman's actual tattoos, including his fuzzy pink dice, Harley Davidson motorcycle, and flaming ankh around his belly button. While the figure was as close to Rodman as possible his attire was shocking, with the figure coming with a silver jacket and bright pink fedora. Rodman also had a weapon in the form of a basketball backboard. While I understand the basketball connection, why on earth would Rodman be carrying a backboard around with him?

22 Best: Ready To Brock

There's a reason the Elite Series of Mattel figures has been so successful. The attention to detail that goes into the recreation of WWE superstars by the design team is second to none and they hardly ever put out mistakes when it comes to the final product. The Elite Series 19 Brock Lesnar is no different and another tremendous example of how great wrestling figures can look when done right.

Looking every bit as buff as the real-life version of Lesnar, this figure also had the current undefeated Universal Champion's trademark fighter gloves and black and red shorts. Appearing as intimidating as the man himself, many of Lesnar's tattoos are also featured on the figure, including the bewildering sword on the center of his chest that looked like a males private part. This figure also featured Lesnar sporting a hostile scowl, a welcome change to some of the recent Lesnar figures. Quite a number of newer models have featured Lesnar with his mouth open screaming and looking really weird - very much like when he and Taker battled at SummerSlam in 2015 - but this figure captured Lesnar at his brooding best. It even includes a removable training shirt so you can keep Lesnar ready between matches.

21 Worst: That's Not A Lion

The Ring Masters series of figures was an inventive idea from WCW and ToyBiz that imagined wrestlers as their finishing moves. So Brett "The Hitman" Hart who used the Sharpshooter as a finisher became a mafia hitman and Goldberg who destroyed his opponents with the Jackhammer was envisioned as a construction worker. Chris Jericho got the short end of the straw when his figure was modeled after a lion tamer, thanks to his finisher of the same name.

Although the finishing move - commonly known as a Boston Crab and made famous by Jericho in WWE as the Walls Of Jericho - was an effective and crowd-pleasing maneuver, there's nothing exciting about this figure. Jericho's wearing a safari jacket with animal skin tights and came with some horrible accessories. Not only did he have a flimsy whip and old looking chair inscribed with the words WCW, but the toy came with a small cat with a fake mane to represent a lion. So while Brett Hart came with a selection of weapons, including a Tommy Gunn, and a sleek black coat, Jericho was stuck with a cat and a chair. Jericho definitely lucked out with this figure and its release was probably another reason why Jericho jumped ship from WCW to WWE.

20 Best: You Can See Him, And That's A Good Thing

The Defining Moments series of WWE figures has to be one of the best limited edition releases, so much so that this is the second figure from that collection to feature on this list. While the first was the great Macho Man Randy Savage in his Wrestlemania 7 gear, the next is John Cena when he went by the name of the Doctor of Thuganomics. As this character, Cena was known for wearing hip-hop inspired clothing and dropping disparaging raps about his opponents before wrestling them. Cena even released a rap album during this period of his career, and while you might not believe me, it's actually pretty good. Looking back on it now, it was a pretty cheesy gimmick but was a huge step in helping get Cena over with the youth before he turned his attention to "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect."

As with all the Defining Moments figures, this toy of Cena was extremely detailed and a fantastic representation of the Doctor of Thuganomics. The figure came with a padlock chain around Cena's neck, a baseball cap, knuckle rings reading "WORD" and "LIFE," along with a basketball jersey that could be put over Cena's bare chest. This figure captured everything Cena was about during his early years and was another great toy from Mattel.

19 Worst: He's Playing A Dude Disguised As Another Dude

Despite being marketed as being part of the Road To Wrestlemania collection, this figure of Shawn Michaels was actually released leading up to Shawn Michaels match with returning legend Hulk Hogan. Billed as the Icon vs Legend match at SummerSlam 2005, the feud between the two greats was failing to garner any heat, with both wrestlers positioned as faces. This all changed after HBK turned on his former tag team partner and Superkicked Hogan in the middle of the ring. To keep the momentum going, Michaels performed a promo where he dressed as Hogan and made fun of his old age and took shots at him being a part-time wrestler and putting himself over younger talent. This resulted in HBK getting the heat he desired but the match, unfortunately, didn't live up to expectations, mainly due to Hogan's old age.

History lesson aside, for some reason toy company Jakks Pacific thought it would be a fantastic idea to release a figure of Michaels dressed as Hogan. As you can see from the picture above they essentially got a standard figure of Michaels and gave him a Hulkamania t-shirt, blond handlebar moe, and red bandana. It's not a bad looking toy but neither is there anything eye-catching about it, unless you really thought Michael's looked better as Hogan than himself. As you can probably imagine this one wasn't a big seller and was quickly forgotten about by collectors.

18 Best: The Big Boss Man

Big Boss Man was an underrated wrestler with an awesome gimmick. Initially, he wore a costume inspired by his time as a correctional officer, looking like a policeman in his blue shirt, but this evolved into a black uniform similar to that of a SWAT officer that included a tactical vest like those worn by The Shield over two decades later. This figure of Boss Man was part of Mattel's Elite Series Flashback collection that recreated iconic characters throughout WWE's history. Decked out in his traditional black outfit, Boss Man has an evil sneer on his face and exodus animosity, much like his character in the ring. The figure also came with a black hood, handcuffs, shades, and Boss Man's weapon of choice, the nightstick. This one was for the fans of nostalgia, with the figure bringing back memories of Boss Man's hilarious feud with The Big Show and his time as one of Vince McMahon's enforcers during the Attitude Era. Another extra the Flashback series included was a piece of the entrance ramp. If you collected all the figures in the series you could build the entrance ramp and have a place to display all the figures. Of course, this was just another way for Mattel and the WWE to make more money but it was awesome to have a place to keep the wrestling figures that actually looked like part of the WWE universe.

17 Worst: What Were They Thinking?

Before the Diva revolution and the introduction of the four horsewomen, Sable was the first female wrestler to break through in the male populated WWE during the Attitude Era. The buxom blonde was not only easy on the eyes but a handful in the ring, becoming the second woman to win the reinstated WWE Women's Championship in 1998. Although initially teamed with her then real-life husband Marc Mero as his manager, Sable eventually branched out on her own and became one of the biggest women wrestlers in the world. She enjoyed a short but fruitful career and is now a full-time mum who's married to Brock Lesnar.

As a beautiful woman who was a major feature of the company, you'd think she would get the all-star treatment when it came to wrestling figures but things didn't turn out that way with this replication of Sable.

As part of the Shotgun Saturday Night series, this version of Sable turned the former Playboy model into a shrieking blonde harpy. Jakks Pacific has failed to match the beauty of the real-life Sable, with even the accessories, a whip and chair, failing to add anything more to the figure. A very disappointing release that's best forgotten about.

16 Best: A Dominating Two-Pack

The Nation of Domination was a fantastic fraction from the Attitude Era lead by Farooq and based loosely on the Nation of Islam. The fraction had many members during its run but the best-remembered combination featured Farooq, The Rock, D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, and The Godfather. The pinnacle of the Nation was their feud with D-Generation X after The Rock assumed control of the fraction and kicked out Farooq.

Mattel's Elite 2-Pack series collected two wrestlers together and this set representing The Nation of Domination was an absolute must have. The set featured Farooq and Rocky before the two went their separate ways. Farooq came with his black leather cap he always wore while Rocky got some championship gold with the Intercontinental title over his shoulder. The Rock's even got his eyebrow slightly raised in customary fashion. Both wrestlers are well designed and take you back to a time when the Rock was a little-known wrestler and not the global multi-million-dollar-earning movie star he is today. Although this set failed to sell well when first released it's gained traction in the intervening years as nostalgia in wrestling has become a big earner.

15 Worst: True Nightmares

Jakks Pacific are responsible for the majority of horrible figures on this list and their S.T.O.M.P. line of wrestlers was another example of their wild ideas gone south. Trying to capture the success of other action figure toys such as G.I. Joe's, MASK, and Adventure Man, the Special Tactical Operations Military Police (S.T.O.M.P. for short) set of figures imagined wrestlers as combat professionals and armed with them with an assortment of weapons. The initial run consisted of six wrestlers, The Undertaker, Brian Pillman, Crush, Ken Shamrock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the worst of the bunch, Ahmed Johnson.

Unlike the real-life Johnson, this figure was a shell of the man seen on WWF programming, with his skinny frame and evil grin making him look like something out of a nightmare. Unlike the other figures in the series who came with cool accessories, Johnson was stuck with a straw hat, a piece of wood, and a chainsaw. While the chainsaw is pretty neat and Johnson's chest plate does contain a grenade, neither wouldn't do much good against a foe armed with a gun. While poorly received by collectors, Jakks didn't let this deter them, releasing further incarnations of the S.T.O.M.P. series in later years.

14 Best: Flip Kickin' Action!

When it came to high flyers they didn't get any crazy than the tag team duo of brothers The Hardy Boyz. While Jeff usually took the glory with his insane finisher the Swanton Bomb, Matt also took part in his fair share of def defying stunts during the pairs early career together. While injuries meant he became more of a mat-driven technical expert, his matches with his brother against Edge & Christian and The Dudley's remain some of the crazy matches ever seen on WWE television.

The Flexforce Flip Kickin' Matt Hardy figure was released during Hardy's first run with the WWE and finds him looking rather lean and with short hair. To be honest, this isn't the best looking figure, as it's not easy to tell it's actually Matt Hardy. He couldn't be any more nondescript as far as his appearance goes, but the figure was well worth forking out your money for due to the accessories that come with it. Hardy came with a ladder and breakable table so you could reenact his memorable TLC battles from his glory days during the Attitude Era. The figure also had a flip kicking mechanism (hence the title of the toy line) so you could perform all Hardy's special moves.

13 Worst: Enough With The Bikes!

There seems to be some underlining rule that at some point during the life of an action figure series there has to be a motorbike crossover. Never one to let a horrible marketing opportunity escape, WCW released WCW/NWO Brawlin' Bikers. Visiting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally every August for Road Wild, toy company Toy Biz believed there was no better time to release a motorbike-themed toy for kids to enjoy.

Essentially wrestlers sitting atop tricked-out motorcycles, Toy Biz got this one very wrong.

Although the toy took two AA batteries that enabled the bikes to zoom around, there wasn't much else appealing about this one. They might sound like fun but the downside was the wrestler couldn't be removed from the bike, which defeated the purpose of a wrestling figure. Of all the figures, the worst was probably Bill Goldberg. Sitting shirtless with his shiny bald head, this figure looked nothing like the actual Goldberg, particularly when it came to the size of his body. He's also riding a pretty boring looking black and purple bike that made him much less intimidating than he actually was in real life.

12 Best: Aggressively Good

If Randy Savage is my all time favorite wrestler than the R-Rated Superstar is a close second. Despite his slim build and knack for getting injured, Edge was easily a top ten wrestler of the past two decades. Beginning his career in a tag team with fictional brother Christian, the two went on to claim multiple tag titles before Edge went solo, winning every title in the WWE before being forced to retire due to a neck injury in 2011. A fantastic in-ring competitor who was great as a heel, Edge had everything you wanted in a WWE superstar. There have been countless figures made in his image over the years but my favorite comes from the Maximum Aggression series of toys. These detailed figures were much larger than standard wrestling figures, coming in at 12 inches tall. They also featured interchangeable parts, meaning the head, hands, upper torso, and lower torso could be maneuvered into different positions. You could have Edge crouching ready to unleash his finishing move (the Spear) or have him upright and ready to deliver a DDT. This figure in particular featured Edge wearing grey tights with the R emblazoned on the front and a rather well-developed waist area, something the real-life Edge was no doubt pleased to see.

11 Worst: Not So Wise

During the late 90s, D-Generation X became the hottest thing in the WWE. Initially, the group consisted of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, and Rick Rude, but after HBK left and Rude was kicked out, Triple H took over. He recruited Road Dogg Jesse James, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac, with the group going on to dominate wrestling from 98 to 2000. It was during the year 2000 that Jakks Pacific decided to collect the four wrestlers together in a fun set, but instead of featuring the four in the normal wrestling gear, they imagined the awesome foursome as mafioso type gangsters.

Each of the figures was dressed in a black and white pinstripe suit with thick grey ties. The only discernible difference between the four figures were their heads, with each modeled after a member of the group. The bodies of the figures all appeared identical, with X-Pac, the smallest member, being the same height as the other three. X-Pac also had his tongue sticking out while Road Dogg appeared to be yelling, a familiar trait of his action figures. HHH and Billy Gunn looked relatively at ease in their poses. Although this was a novelty set from Jakks aimed at trying to appeal to collectors it didn't work, with most fans wondering why they didn't collect the four together dressed in their DX ring attire.