WWE Hall of Champions Batista figure review
Oh yeah I’m still gong through my very backlogged WWE Elite figure section. Today is Batista from the since cancelled WWE Hall of Champions Target exclusive line. It was another commendable attempt from Mattel to try and get more Flashbacks, but these kids just want 50 Roman Reigns with different colored logos.
This is more the look when I think of The Animal so I was happy Mattel got to revisit him even if it’s not my favorite color scheme for The Animal.
Packaging: I really liked the Hall of Champions package scheme with the insert of a score of titles like a display case to literally reflect the subset name.
I’m an even bigger fan of the bio, which breaks down this specific attire and belt accessory as Batista’s WrestleMania 21 showdown with Triple H. That little bit of context is a great touch and I wish Mattel did that more often with the packaging. The picture features Batista from his big win as well so you can compare the figure to the actual article.
Likeness: This is a great likeness of Batista from that match and the Ruthless Aggression in general. We’ve seen this head sculpt before and it fits Batista from this era before he went bald. The expression is perfect as Batista was more calculating than a screaming, yelling beast despite his nickname.
Mattel has used this body for early Batista since the start of the Elite line because it works. The torso captures his length and the arms and legs have the right amount of musculature. Batista’s unique boot mold is also faithfully replicated, and he’s got the two elbow pads he wore during this time.
Scale: Batista is 6’3”, an inch shorter than Triple H and two inches shorter than Evolution stablemate Randy Orton. He seems scaled about right to me.
Paint: I really have to work to find Mattel figures with bad paintjobs. While the scale and part choices has become more inconsistent over the years, the paint has rarely been an issue on this line.
Batista’s tattoos are captured properly and The Animal logo on the tights is perfect. There’s no bleed on the red stripes on the boots, which would have been more of a surprise with this line.
Articulation: Unlike the later Batista mold, this figure can put his arms to the side more. The articulation scheme on this body works well for powerhouses like Batista and it wasn’t hard to achieve any of his signature moves including the Batista Bomb.
Batista has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Batista comes with some fun accessories. The coolest is the contract to face Triple H at WrestleMania 21, which was the basis of his Royal Rumble win and in the process made Batista a made man with WWE fans. He also has a pen to sign it. The pen is super-sized, but I appreciate the effort.
Finally, he comes with the World Heavyweight title. While John Cena wore his custom-made versions, Batista was the man who often held this title so it’s fitting he gets that included as well.
Worth it? At the original $20 price, this was a solid deal to get Batista in his signature look from his career peak. He’s gonna cost about triple that now, which is worth it only if you’re a huge Batista fan.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Alongside John Cena, Batista was the main face of the Ruthless Aggression era and this figure celebrates his ascension as a WrestleMania headliner making for a terrific addition to my collection.
Where to get it? My favorite thing about the Target exclusives is they’re slightly easier to find than Wal-Mart exclusives. Amazon has one that’s pretty high, but he’s not on eBay so your options are limited.