The most expensive and rare WWE figure in the world is a recently discovered prototype figure for Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine. For many years, the consensus was that the Moon-Belly Kamala was the rarest figure in creation, until the discovery on the unreleased Valentine prototype.
He was meant to be part of the iconic Hasbro line of WWF figures. It included all the big stars of the day, such as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, but were canned before they could release the entire roster of WWE superstars. While there was a variant of Greg Valentine released, in his classic black trunks and yellow boots, as part of the Series 3 line, a new prototype variant was discovered that was never released to the public.
There were Toys R Us adverts in WWF Magazine in March 1991 that featured Valentine in his ‘Rhythm and Blues’ attire from 1990-91. This differed from the released version of the figure and for years it was assumed that it was simply a mistake and that there were no versions of Valentine actually made.
However, one of the figures turned up in 2013. It was the first time many collectors were even aware the figure existed and they were excited to see how much it would sell for. To their surprise, the Greg Valentine figure sold on Ebay for a mouth-watering $12,800. A second, damaged figure was bought by Matt Cardona (formerly known as Zack Ryder in the WWE and an avid figure collector) for $8000. A large figure, but not the most expensive one ever.
Here is where it gets big. A third and final prototype discovered in the attic of a former Hasbro employee. It was in almost perfect condition, having sat in isolation for 30 years, waiting for it’s value to skyrocket. And it did. Matt Cardona came in an paid a ridiculous $42,000 for the figure, shattering the valuation of other figures already sold.
He spoke about the figure on an episode of the Major Wrestling Pod, specifically dedicated to the Greg “The Hammer” Valentine prototype Hasbro figure.
The Rhythm and Blues Gref Valentine prototype is unquestionably the rarest of all Hasbro figures, fetching the highest value ever seen for a WWE action figure. It is the holy grail for all collectors to aspire to, even though two of the three in existence currently sit on the shelves of Matt Cardona.