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wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - main pic
Action Figure Reviews

WWE Championship Showdown Series 3 – The Giant vs. Ric Flair review

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , ,

One of my longer wish list items from Mattel is a short haired Ric Flair to reflect his Monday Night Wars look. For whatever reason that kept getting delayed until the WWE Championship Showdown Series set with The Giant.

This commemorates Flair’s WCW title defense against The Giant after their failed tag team alliance. Let’s see how this showdown plays out.

Packaging: The packaging is pretty solid pitting the two in a face off pose although I’m not sure if Flair would ever be categorized as a Monster of the Ring. Odd titling aside, I like the Championship Showdown setup with the logo resembling a banner marquee.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - package bio

I never have to worry about Mattel shortchanging the bio/write-up as these are absolutely the best in the business. This is no exception and really sets the stage nicely for this clash of champions.

Likeness:  I was interested in this set for Ric Flair, but The Giant ends up being the bigger deal. That’s really due to The Giant having a better likeness for that early stage of his career.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - the giant wide shot

The True FX sculpt is a major improvement over the Elite 22 WCW Giant figure and better reflects his cool demeanor as a member of the nWo.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review -comparison with elite 28 the giant

I greatly appreciate the mammoth right hand, which is perfect for chokeslams. Although I’m a little confused why the left hand is a weapon clutching one instead of just a fist.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - the giant signaling chokeslam

Flair is OK. I’m thrown off a bit with the hair sculpt. The bang on the left side is too low as Flair had his hair cut in a way to not come down into his face. The hair should also be higher and not as pressed down as it is with the figure.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - ric flair wide

The package reference photo is more from Flair’s early WWF stint. The expression is fine even if it’s just a bit too friendly and inviting. Flair’s torso is way too ripped and if anyone should come with a chop hand it’s Flair.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - scale with giant and flair

Scale:  Flair is 6’1” while The Giant is 7′. The height discrepancy seems just about right from how they matched up on screen as partners and then opponents.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - with arn anderson

MORE:

Paint: Basic figures don’t get a tremendous amount of paint applications. Giant’s hair at this point had some faint lighter brown/blonde highlights.

Flair’s initials on his tights and boots came out sharp and the shade of green is nice and strong. Yeah, I could really go for this color scheme in an Elite.

Articulation:  These are the streamlined Basics meaning they’re just good for cobbling parts like the kneepad and boots. And of course the heads.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - the giant bodyslamming ric flair

You can pull off a decent amount of The Giant’s moves off while Flair is the one that suffers the most — predictably — from the Basic articulation scheme. No shot of a decent Figure Four leglock here.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - flair figure four on the giant

Even worse, these figures now lack ankle articulation, which in Flair’s case made standing a frustrating and nearly impossible ordeal.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - flair chopping the giant

That was annoying since I was planning on using the yellow boots for a Flair custom. No chance of that now.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - giant choking flair

The joints on my figures were very tight as well so it felt like the knees would snap just as easily as they would bend.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review -flair low blow to the giant

The Giant and Ric Flair have:

  • neck
  • bicep
  • ball-jointed shoulders
  • elbows (with swivel)
  • wrists
  • wrist hinge
  • waist
  • hips
  • knees

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - clotheslining arn anderson and ric flair

Accessories:  The whole gimmick with the Championship Showdown is the side plates/figure stands featuring the logo of the respective wrestler. You can put the side plate on the Showdown Deluxe title belt.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - championship plates

I do think this set really should have the WCW title since that’s what’s at stake here, but I’ll assume that didn’t cost out.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - on championship plates

Worth it?  This set is $20 so it’s definitely not a bad deal to get two figures for the price of one. And the inclusion of Legends is a nice touch to build up this Championship Showdown roster.

Rating: 7 out of 10

I’m not taking away points for these guys being Basic. It’s actually a strong set that would have gotten top marks if Flair’s hair sculpt was better.

wwe championship showdown ric flair vs the giant review - with the outsiders

 

Where to get it?  Championship Showdown Series 3 is just now starting to pop up in stores. I’ve seen it at both Target and Walmart. You can also grab The Giant vs. Ric Flair from Amazon.

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