“Live Strong, Act Bold, Be Brave!” – The Ultimate Warrior.

Not bad words to live by.  I remember this freight train; bottled up energy like a can of soda that had been flung up into the air 15’ smacking back down, seeing the canister swell, ready to blow, a different kind of uncontained energy with muscles popping off his finger nails, muscles in his hair, his ears, his eyes…he was the culmination of inescapabilty from a frenzy unleashed…unmanageable, a spire of disaster with a sprinter’s purpose.  The Ultimate Warrior was a sight to be seen, with the war paint, a sort of neon warrior filled with aim and determination, the flying W’s curling inwards like spikes, his eyes hiding behind the black paint, the snarl, the stare down, the flex, the streamers barely holding on to his biceps which looked like penned hogs on each arm.  The knee pads with the Ultimate Warrior bat signals, the Flying W’s resembling a pair of vampire’s teeth, more insidious than a straight, do-gooder’s freedom fighter emblem…the Ultimate Warrior sourced, and sorcerer in augury, a presage to his opponent.

Once the shock wears off, sense a little glam, a little Body Glove action, a little day-glo, some hair metal – the Ultimate Warrior was the culmination of pop culture and an evolving WWF, into a slicker, faster, stronger, more acrobatic brand of wrestling.  No cheap tricks, just full table tops off the top ropes with the agility of a gymnast but the strength of an NFL linebacker, and the rock n’ spirit of the time.  He was a game changer and the game went his way, exploding the super star realm into rockstar realm, the seeds sewn by Hogan, now, a faster, leaner, meaner, stronger Terminator, no fat, no frills, just slick, lean, a new wrestling machine.  A new face for the WWF, and an end to the 2^nd generation, who brought down the Pontiac Dome 100,000 strong on their toes, watching two giants (one real giant) duke it out on the stage fit for Super Bowls.  Beside a select few who’s fame kept them in the routine until the routine changed again, the Ultimate Warrior was the new wave, with remnants hanging on to his tassels, being pulled into a new era of exciting, acrobatic, and daring Wrestling Super Stars.

The Ultimate Warrior was a dominant sports figure of the unusual sorts – part man, part animal, part warrior, part comic book hero, part mystery.  He’s pure nostalgia, and he tugs at those friendly heartstrings, like those cascading letters conveyor’ing into a vanishing point, “In a galaxy far far away…”  He hits similar notes, and those notes are keys to the time machine, pulsar’ed into memories like it was yesterday.

“Finally”.  “Finally”, some may say.  Finally, the WWE Action Vinyls set comes out with Ultimate Warrior as the anchor!  We’re with you!  We’ve been wanting this set to come out, at one point the working title was “Walmart, Packout” but alas, it's Target who scored the much anticipated Action Vinyls set!  This sucker is rare, we produced very boutique numbers so definitely, if you’re a fan of heroes, villains, classics, and currents – this set is for you!  Everything is unique about this set; Brock Lesnar’s red shorts, the Ultimate Warrior character exclusive and exclusive variant, the blue shirted Club 28 referee, John Cena in his jean shorts, and construction orange hat and wristbands, Roman Reigns with the red outlined logo, Styles in his Evel Knievel getup, the Undertaker with his omnious insignia, Sting in his red face paint!  One of the best wrestling sets to date (in my totally unbiased opinion).  I think Zack Ryder gave us a big thumbs up, and, oh yeah, the Bella Twins starting following TLS too…rad!  Another Easter Egg – there are hidden “WrestleMania” rings in this packout!  Another reason to go fleece Target for all things TLS, all things TLS x WWE!  Also, when you’re over at your local Target, don't forget, Game of Thrones, Gudetama, and Splat!  It's a TLS takeover, help support the cause and clear those shelves.  We have a ton more coming this year!

Last parting words of wisdom from none other, the Ultimate Warrior – “It’s never wrong to fight for what is right, never!”

Go get your face paint game on, and we’ll see you at Target!