Yesterday (June 17), Matt Cardona and Brian Myers’ spread the news that Mattel will soon offer a three-piece Rock ‘n’ Wrestling era pack, at least to those who attend San Diego Comic-Con. Along with a Piper’s Pit set, the SDCC-exclusive comes with action figures of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Capt. Lou Albano, and for the first time ever, Cyndi Lauper.
Here’s Mattel’s description for what is a very cool set that will run you $80 when it launches on July 23:
The June 16, 1984, episode of Piper’s Pit would go down in history as the start of something huge: the Rock ‘n Roll Connection. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper™ interviewed pop star Cyndi Lauper™, Captain Lou Albano™ crashed the conversation, and chaos ensued! It was the start of an epic era of collaboration between music video makers and WWE® Superstars, which launched WWE into the cultural mainstream and led to the creation of WrestleMania®. We’re paying tribute to this iconic moment, just in time for SDCC, with this throwback figure set.
• Premium window-box packaging designed to resemble a 1980s-era TV
• WWE® Rock N Wrestling Connection 3-Pack
• Includes our first-ever Cyndi Lauper action figure
• Also includes Captain Lou Albano and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper action figures
• 6.5” scale figures with 25+ points of articulation
• All figures made with TrueFX™ technology for life-like face sculpts and deco detail
• Lauper comes with an interchangeable head and two extra pairs of hands
• Piper comes with two extra pairs of hands
• Albano comes with one extra pair of hands
• Set includes soft goods clothing and gear
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In addition to being a cool, it’s a nice reminder for this 80s kid of what was a very fun time to be a young wrestling fan. Crossovers didn’t happen every day back then, and seeing Albano on MTV and Lauper at WrestleMania collided two of my tween worlds in a way I hadn’t thought possible.
Lauper was huge in the mid-1980s when she got involved with the then-WWF, appearing on the cover of magazines at the same time she was being scolded by Capt. Lou in the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video. Bringing Hulk Hogan to the Grammys as she won the Best New Artist helped set the stage for Piper and Paul Orndorff’s beef with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T for the first ‘Mania, where Cyndi also escorted Wendi Richter to the ring as she won the Women’s title from Leilani Kai and her manager The Fabulous Moolah.
To put it in terms folks who aren’t in their 50s will might better understand, she was the 1980s Bad Bunny, minus the splashes and destroyers. She’s certainly worthy of a spot in WWE’s Hall of Fame, which has honored people who had less of an impact on the business than Cyndi Lauper did.
Here’s hoping her first action figure leads to a long overdue invite to a future ‘Mania weekend.
