AEW Fan Fest Jazwares Coverage

Saturday, May 29th, AEW held their first ever Fan Fest, as part of “Double or Nothing” Weekend, which culminates on May 30th with the Double or Nothing pay per view. I was lucky enough to have a “man on the ground”in Jacksonville for this amazing event. His name is Will and he has taken some incredible photos. His photos will appear alongside the official Jazwares photos throughout this report

As part of this amazing event, Jazwares stopped by to show off the AEW figures that have been released to date, and to show off the finished final figures of Series 6.

Series 6, for those who don’t know, includes Hikaru Shida, Chris Jericho, MJF, Penta El Zero Miero, Rey Fenix and Jake Hager. The Chase figures in this series are Chris Jericho and Jake Hager. Here are the photos of the figures taken by Will at Fan Fest

But, that was far from all. Jazwares promised reveals at the event, and, oh boy, did they ever deliver. At the event, Jazwares officially revealed theIr long awaited second AEW line, called Unmatched. This new line will join Unrivaled on store shelves.

Unmatched is being designed by our good friend Magic Olmos, who stopped working on Unrivaled after designing the first five series of that line.

At Fan Fest, Jazwares unveiled the first 3 series of Unmatched, as well as the next two series of Unrivaled, Series 7 and 8. But, even before that, Jazwares decided to start the reveals with a HUGE announcement.

In Fall of 2021, Jazwares is proud to announce the return of WRESTLING BUDDIES! That’s right, the “wrestling pillows” that were all the rage in the 80’s are coming back featuring the stars of AEW. The first series of Wrestling Buddies features Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, Luchasaurus and Darby Allin. Each Wrestling Buddy will be 18” and will have authentic sounds, giving fans the opportunity to simulate a “match” where the object is to pin the Wrestling Buddy for the 1-2-3. I think these look incredible. They bring back very fond memories and it’s exactly the sort of “out-of-the-box” item I would expect from the team behind this line. Here are the official photos from Jazwares, followed by Will’s photos from the event

Don’t those look amazing! I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Exact pricing and release details will be coming soon.

Now it’s time for the “Main Event” of the reveals presentation. The lineups revealed at this presentation feature some of the most requested figures by AEW fans. Here we go. We’re going to start with Unmatched. Series 1 of this new line, which will feature the same, look, articulation and accessories as the Unrivaled line, will feature Miro, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. , Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Dustin Rhodes, and a very special, LJN Style, Cody Rhodes. This is a blockbuster way to start this line off, with the first figure of Miro, with a terrifyingly realistic facial expression and the long awaited Britt Baker figure, who will come with her entrance jacket, and whose reveal will allow Jeremy Padawer to sleep easy. The Kenny Omega features an amazing new head sculpt and beautifully painted tights, while the Darby Allin also sports his new “bone” arm tattoo, as well as new body and face paint. Dustin comes in the blue face paint and outfit that he is currently wearing on TV. The Cody Rhodes LJN style figure is officially licensed by LJN and will feature the LJN logo and the original packaging art and graphics from the LJN Wrestling Superstars line from the 80’s. Here is the slideshow for Series 1. NOTE: I am trying to get the individual images for the figures. If I do, they will be added here.

Series 2, not be outdone is to feature MJF, Tay Conti, Santana, Ortiz, Wardlow and STING! MJF will come with a new soft goods robe. Tay Conti’s first ever figure will feature green ring gear. Santana and Ortiz will come in new outfits with a camouflage pattern and new head sculpts. Wardlow’s first figure will come in his ring attire. Sting’s figure will be part of a new subset with in the line called “Luminaries.” This will be the AEW version of a “Legends” line, with Sting being the first one. Sting comes with a coat with a fairly intricate design pattern and the ring gear he is currently wearing, along with his iconic black baseball bat. Here are the official images from Jazwares.

But, not to be outdone, Series 3 of Unmatched is out to give the other 2 series a run for their money. This series is the long awaited “Dark Order” wave, and will again feature an LJN style figure. The wave consists of Stu Grayson, John Silver, Ana Jay, Evil Uno and Mr. Brodie Lee and an LJN Style Darby Allin. There are no photos of these figures yet, just placeholder photos and a prototype image of the LJN Style Darby Allin. Here is the lineup slideshow Jazwares provided

But, although Unmatched is the “new hotness”, its older brother Unrivaled still has a few tricks up it’s sleeve.

The first of two new series revealed at the event, Series 7 of Unrivaled delivers some of the most requested figures. The series consists of Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR, the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) in Purple and Gold “Laker Gear”, the “Native Beast”, Nyla Rose and the “Murderhawk Monster”, Lance Archer. It’s great to see FTR get such a quick release turnaround, and the figures look great. Another solid set of figs for the Bucks, and the Lance Archer sculpt is awesome. But, the truly historic figure in this assortment is Nyla Rose. It is the first transgender wrestling figure ever made. It is a wonderful testament to the determination of Nyla that she has made it to the level where a figure is not only being made, but has been one of the most requested. Here are the official photos from Jazwares.

Finally, Jazwares revealed the lineup for Series 8 of Unrivaled, which I am calling the “Best Friends” wave. It consists of Chuck Taylor, Trent, Kris Statlander and Orange Cassidy, the four members of Best Friends, and they will be joined by new figures of Chris Jericho and Jon Mosley. Again there were no actual figure pictures for this wave, just placeholder images, but I am really excited to be able to get all of Best Friends in one wave. Here is the placeholder image slideshow from Jazwares.

So, my personal feeling is that Jazwares has done a great job with these wave lineups, fleshing out the tag team and, most especially, the women’s divisions of AEW while also adding important male singles stars and refreshing “core” characters. The Wrestling Buddies and LJN Style figures are all about Jeremy paying tribute to the past of Wrestling Figures and I couldn’t be happier about it. As I have said before, this blueprint feels awfully familiar, and if that’s the ride we’re on, you better jump on, buckle up and hold on tight.

But, Jazwares and Ringside Collectibles had one more surprise left to share. For those who missed out on the Authentic Scale Ring, it is coming around again, this time with a Double or Nothing ring skirt. But, that’s not the only reason that those of you who own the original will have to own this one too. While the first one came with a great Kenny Omega figure, this one will come with a figure that no one’s collection will be complete without. The new Authentic Scale Double or Nothing Ring will come with the long awaited and asked for AUBREY EDWARDS figure. This is a history making figure, as it is the first ever female referee figure, and the only way to get it is to buy this ring. Here’s a pic to whet your appetite.

What a way to end Jazwares’ reveals at the first ever AEW Fan Fest. My thanks again to Will for his unbelieveable phtotos. If you want to hear Will and I dissect these reveals in more detail, keep an eye out for the next edition of my podcast, Geeking Out About, which will be dropping shortly.

As always, I will more info about the release of these figures, as it is made available.