Ringside Mattel WWE Team Q&A; Macho Man Ultimate ‘On Pause,’ Bad Bunny ‘Not Coming’ Yet

Ringside Collectibles’ San Diego Comic-Con Q&A with the Mattel WWE team is now up on YouTube.

Mattel WWE global brand manager Steve Ozer addressed the cancellation of the “Macho Man” Randy Savage Ultimate Edition 18 figure during the interview.

Ozer said the figure is “on pause,” but added that Mattel has a good track record of rescuing paused figures and hopes that will be the case with this one.

“As soon as we can get things rolling again, we will,” he said.

Ozer continued that he doubts this is the last we see of the Macho Man in Mattel’s WWE figure lines and he and senior designer Bill Miekina are looking forward to producing more Macho Man figures in the future.

Ozer and Miekina shared their thoughts on a variety of topics, including the new WWE Basic Series articulation, new torsos, larger playsets such as Elimination Chamber and Hell in a Cell and more. Here are a few notes.

• On the upgrade to WWE Basic Series figures, Ozer said it was time. He noted that there is a swivel at the hip joint for more range of motion.
• The Hulkamania 3-pack and Monday Night War Hulk Hogan figures feature a new torso.
• The Mattel WWE team has been pitching playsets such as Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber, Ozer said. Those playsets need the support of retailers to do a full run of these larger items. “I think we’re getting close,” he added.
• On the Nitro crowdfund not funding, it’s “the end for now,” Ozer said. “Like I said, we like to rescue things. Maybe there’s a way to do it differently way down the road,” he continued. The stage goes into the vault “for now.” They don’t want all of the work that went into the project go to waste.
• Asked if obscure legends such as Pedro Morales and the Great Muta may be in the offing, Ozer said more legends are coming. Although they showed a lot for 2024, there’s a lot that “wasn’t ready to show.” “First time legends, returning legends, some holy crap surprises when you see these names of visuals pop up, so there’s more coming,” Ozer said. Miekina added that if Mattel gets the right to produce the Great Muta, he will work on it on Day One.
• On the Bad Bunny Walmart listing, Ozer said it’s “not coming. … Maybe it changes.” He added “that was just an error.”
• Asuka’s robe will be based on her robe from her Royal Rumble 2023 return.

Ozer and Miekina also discuss NXT figures in the main lines, reduced plastic on packaging, adding referees to the build-a-figure waves and much more.

Watch the full interview above.