Mattel’s WWE line has finally hit retail, and it’s time to answer the question on everyone’s mind: are the figures any good? Has Mattel successfully taken up the mantle from Jakks and added to the proud legacy of WWE figures? It is finally time to find out. This time, we review the first series of two packs

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MATTEL WWE TWO PACKS SERIES ONE REVIEW

Next up are the two packs. These packs consist of two related Basic-style figures, which are in some way related to one another, be it as a tag team or a rivalry, which are packaged together. Series One consists of three two packs. The lineup for Series One is: Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes (Supreme Teams), Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix (Unlikely Allies) and Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Ultimate Rivals). The figures will be reviewed based on the same four factors as the Basic figures: Articulation, Attire, Deco and Accessories. Here is an Image of all three together.

Onto the reviews.

Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes (Supreme Teams): The two young second generation stars that, along with Randy Orton, make up the team known as Legacy, come to your collection together in this two pack. The faces are good for the first figures from Mattel. I expect them to get much better as the line goes on. Here is the breakdown.

Articulation: As with all Basic figures, Cody and Ted have about 15 points of articulation. For a list of all of the figures’ POA, see the Basic Series One Review post. Anyway, as I have elaborated before, this is more than enough articulation to accurately recreate moves. SCORE: 4 out of 5.

Attire: Cody and Ted are both wearing black trunks, and each has knee pads. Cody has an additional elbow pad. SCORE: 3 out of 5

Deco: Ted’s trunks feature the word “Priceless” with Dollar signs replacing the letter “S” on the back. Cody’s tights and knee pads feature the same gold stripe and the letters “CR” on the front. Very nice attention to detail. The letters on Ted’s trunks line up correctly and the clean lines on Cody’s trunks are a true joy to see. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Accessories: I suppose you could count the elbow and knee pads, but I consider them part fo the attire. Other than that, it’s just the stands and name plates. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 3.7 out of 5

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Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix (Unlikely Allies): This pack is important due to the fact that it contains Mattel’s very first Diva figure, Beth Phoenix. And, let me say, if this representation of the “Glamazon” is any indication, Mattel has set themselves a very high bar when it comes to their versions of the WWE’s female competitors. The Santino figure is well done also, with his mohawk and uni-brow faithfully reproduced, but Beth is the real prize here. The facial scan on Beth is one of the best I have seen on a Diva figure. Here is the rundown.

Articulation: Santino and Beth both have the same articulation as the rest of the Basic figures. In addition, Beth has an extra point of articulation in her upper chest. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Santino comes dressed in his signature navy blue and black singlet with a logo design on the front. He also has black boots with red laces and red kneepads. Beth is attired in a black bodysuit, with a gold design. Beth also has her trademark tiara, which is molded as part of her hair. I actually agree with this decision, as a separate tiara would have been easy to lose and there is nothing I hate more than losing accessories. SCORE: 4 out of 5

Deco: Santino has ALL of his tattoos, which is again an unbelievable amount of deco for a basic style figure. Beth also has a fairly intricate design on her bodysuit. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Accessories: Same as all basic figures, just the bases and name plates. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4.3 out of 5

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Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Ultimate Rivals): This pack has the best in box pose I have ever seen. It is Shawn Michaels in the middle of delivering “Sweet Chin Music” to Chris Jericho. This pack encapsulates the bitter rivalry between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho, which included the destruction of the Jerichotron 5000 using Shawn Michaels’ face. Speaking of faces, this may be one of the angriest head scans I have ever seen on an HBK figure. The sheer contempt really comes through. Michaels” hair is pulled back in a ponytail again, like Triple H seems to be colored just the right shade. Jericho is wearing a nonplussed expression on his face and his hair is sandy brown and spiked in front.Jericho’s likeness is not the best, but it is still a good first effort. Here is the breakdown.

Articulation: Jericho and Michaels each have the standard “Basic” articulation, which, as you will see in the pictures, is more than adequate to perform “Sweet Chin Music.” SCORE: 4 out of 5

Attire: Michaels has his signature long wrestling tights, in a mustard yellow color and black boots with a silver toe. Jericho is wearing matching blue and silver short tights and boots. The attire is appropriate and fantastic, way beyond what would be expected. The full reason will be discussed below under “Deco.” SCORE: 5 out of 5

Deco: Michaels’ tights have an insane amount of deco on them, starting with the broken heart symbol on each hip and crossses down the leg. They also have a black stripe down the side of each leg with different sized gold circles down the middle and the letters “HBK” in small black type on the back. These pants are wll done and way beyond what I expected. Michaels also has his trademark tattoo: a heart with a sword through it and a snake coiled around the sword. Jericho has black tight with a blue and silver diamond design on the front and the words “Save Me” inside a silver shield on the back. His boots also carry the same color scheme and logo. Michaels tights alone make this a triumph in deco. SCORE: 5 out of 5

Accessories: Stand and accessories. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. SCORE: N/A

OVERALL SCORE: 4.7 out of 5

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Mattel WWE Basic Two Packs Series One Overall Score: 4.2 out of 5

The two packs reviewed here are on shelves now.