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A lot of the time, some remarkable WWE memorabilia ends up on History Channel’s hit series Pawn Stars. The world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas holds a significant legacy in modern pop culture. The series chronicles the daily activities of Rick Harrison's family business.
The episodes revolve around the staff's interactions with a variety of customers who bring unique items to sell or pawn. During the negotiations, the audience learns about the historical and cultural significance of the items in question. Sometimes the seller gets a lucky offer for their unique objects, and sometimes the deal absurdly falls apart.
There have been some fascinating WWE-related items that made it onto the show, with viewers getting to hear the unique stories behind them. Let's take a look at five such instances where a customer wanted to sell their WWE-related prized possessions in the show.
#5 Kamala WWE action figure
On an episode of the show, a man named Erik brought a Kamala action figure to the pawnshop. Gold & Silver employee Chumlee attended the customer where the latter spoke on how he had acquired the retro action figure from an estate sale. The customer wanted to sell the item for an asking price of $7,500.
Many of you might know certain Kamala action figures are considered the "holy grail" of wrestling collector items, being extremely rare. Chumlee explained the late WWE legend's career, after which he brought in expert Steve Johnston of Rogue Toys to give a thorough analysis of the item. Steve gave his insightful views on the piece of memorabilia and revealed something shocking.
He said that Hasbro used to make WWE action figures during the 1990-1994 period. The company produced a line of 24 Kamala action figure prototypes for lawyers to sign off on, which featured a moon on his belly. The actual production version featured a star instead, as Kamala did not personally sign off on the item. However, other theories say it was a simple manufacturing defect.
Steve also mentioned that such a pre-release of the Kamala action figure with the moon would indeed be a unique piece for collectors, which could fetch up to $21,000 on eBay. Sadly, Steve confirmed Erik's figure was a fake replica of the original. He determined this by looking at the packaging, which featured unusual sticker residue, as well as noticing a strange paint job on the figure itself.
Chumlee ended up passing on purchasing the item for obvious reasons. Still, Erik chose to look on the bright side, saying, "It's still a really cool conversation piece for people to see my collection. So it's not a 'win,' but it's still a win."
#4 Sports Illustrated magazine ft. WWE's Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was the biggest star during WWE's rapid global boom. Hogan was a trailblazer in the world of professional wrestling, and his popularity led to WWE selling out the Silverdome.
His towering personality helped the wrestling industry flourish. Propagated by his immense star power and appeal, he was the central attraction of WWE's first WrestleMania events. Subsequently, Hogan became the first wrestler to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
On an episode of Pawn Stars, a man named Ryan came into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop to sell his 1985 Sports Illustrated magazine, which had Hulk Hogan on the cover. Not only that, he had the magazine autographed by the living legend himself. To make it even more spectacular, Ryan also managed to get 16-time World Champion Ric Flair's signature on the magazine, just beside Hogan's.
Chumlee is a huge wrestling fan, so he was excited to attain the piece. Ryan asked for $140 for the item. Corey, another Pawn Stars regular, countered the offer by saying that Hogan's appeal has depreciated over the past decade, and thus he could only offer $100 for the item, to which Ryan agreed. The pawnshop managed to get their hands on a spectacular piece of wrestling history at a considerable price.
#3 The Mega Memorabilia of WWE's Golden Era
Hulk Hogan was the biggest star i WWE during the 1980s. But if anyone ever came close to challenging Hogan's popularity, it was none other than "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Over a 32-year wrestling career, Savage won many titles in the wrestling business.
Macho Man headlined WWE's WrestleMania IV and V. He was paired up with Hulk Hogan to form the "Mega Powers" in 1987, but the two biggest stars of pro-wrestling teaming together created a lot of real-life animosities. The duo would grow apart over time but eventually reconciled before Savage's death in 2011.
A photographer named Tim came to the pawnshop to sell his Randy Savage "Mega Powers" costume, which featured Macho Man's signature, for $7,500. Tim claimed to be a close acquaintance of Randy's. He said he attained the glamorous costume as a gift from Randy’s wife. The costume was a token of appreciation for Tim, as he captured the couple's wedding.
Corey called in Steve Grad, an expert in authenticating signatures. He deemed the memorabilia as legitimate and valued it at around $7000. However, Tim couldn't connect the worn costume to a specific wrestling event, so they finalized the deal at $5000.
#2 Mick Foley authenticates his own WWE merchandise
Recently, a wrestling fan named Scott appeared on Pawn Stars with his vintage WWE Dude Love T-shirt and a Mankind mask, signed by Mick Foley. Pawnshop owner Rick clearly did not know much about wrestling, so he quickly summoned Chumlee to preside over the situation.
Chumlee provided Rick with Mick Foley's history in pro-wrestling. He told him how Foley was the best hardcore wrestler WWE ever had. Wrestling fans know Foley was an integral part of the Attitude Era, where he portrayed his three separate personalities - Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind. The three faces of Foley had unique traits that separated them distinctively.
The autographs on the items in question needed authentication, but Rick's autograph authenticator, Steve Grad, wasn't in town for the episode. Surprisingly, Mick Foley appeared as a special guest on the show.
Scott couldn't believe his luck. Foley came in and provided some additional information about the items and verified his signatures. Scott wanted $500 for both items. However, Rick only wanted to pay $200. The customer chose to pass on the deal, as he was more than content to have met his hero, Mick Foley, and did not want to let his prized possessions go for such a low price.
#1 Paul Bearer's WWE Hall of Fame ring
Paul Bearer (William Moody) was one of the most famous managers in the history of WWE. Playing The Undertaker's right-hand man, his eerie persona was a delight for wrestling fans.
So, when Paul Bearer's WWE Hall of Fame ring was brought to the Pawn Shop by a man named Bryce, something seemed odd. The man claimed to be a friend of the Moody family.
Wrestling fans who viewed the episode wondered why William Moody's family would choose to sell such a prestigious piece that commemorated their family's legacy. Bryce asked for $22,000 in exchange for the ring, but left the shop empty handed when Rick refused to budge from $4000.
However, after the episode's telecast, the Moody family was vocal in notifying the wrestling community that the ring that appeared on the show was a fake. Daniel Moody, the son of the late Paul Bearer, confirmed on Facebook that it was not real.
The family was disgusted by the imposter who had apparently falsely claimed to be the family's friend. Moody noted that he was in contact with the History channel and did not think it was the channel's fault in any way, and that the blame rested solely on the imposter who stooped to such an awful act.
