Black Friday Sale 2009

As mentioned on Turkey Day, you can now enjoy savings of 40 percent on virtually every item in the eBay store. That means plenty of great deals on classic wrestling videos, vintage wrestling magazines, silver and bronze age comic books, and much more.

Don't sleep, though. This sale is only going through Sunday night. It might be another year before we put this much of our inventory out there with such a huge markdown.

Enjoy now.

Gobble, Gobble

Hopefully by now, you're all reading this with a belly full of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and half a pumpkin pie. We're about to engage in a month full of fast-paced seasonal shopping as a country. To make things a bit easier, we'll be slashing prices and trying to make things even more affordable for your collecting needs this holiday season.

Let's start with a big Black Friday sale. Starting tomorrow morning, we'll be offering a nice chunk of our inventory at 40 percent off the marked price. Math wizards out there will tell you that will allow you to nearly double up on inventory for just half the price. We'll post more details tomorrow, but let this be your heads up. Now go finish digesting your Thanksgiving bounties on your sofa as you watch something like Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

Item of the Day (11.20.09): Survivor Series 1990

Today we continue our admiration of the annual November PPV tradition: Survivor Series. We're going to zoom in on the fourth installment of the event, because it's always been a personal favorite of mine.


There are so many reasons to check out this event, but I'll save us a couple hours and keep the list limited to the cream of the crop:

• The Debut of The Undertaker: Yes, folks. This is where it all started. As you'll notice from the video cover above, The Undertaker made his WWF debut as a mystery partner. And what a mystery partner. This debut and match becomes more interesting to look at with each passing year The Undertaker rules the ring.
• 40 WWF Superstars: One thing I've always loved about classic Survivor Series is the sheer amount of talent you go through that ring in one evening. It's such a great representation of where the company was at that time and what they had to offer.
• Vince McMahon's intense match introductions: This and the 1989 edition of Survivor Series are two of my favorites. Part of this is because of the opening match rundown narrated by the ever-intense Vince McMahon as that vintage Survivor Series theme pounds in the background. I've seen both intros hundreds of times (no exaggeration), but they never lose any of their luster.
• The Gobblygooker: Yup. Another debut, albeit, memorable for all of the wrong reasons. After weeks of hype as to the contents of this giant egg, we were treated with what would eventually become to be remembered as one of the worst characters in modern wrestling history.

I could ramble on for hours about this show. But I've made my point. So if you don't already have this baby in your collection, what are you waiting for. Jump on it now.

Item of the Day (11.15.09): Survivor Series '87

With Survivor Series just around the corner, now seems like the time to reflect on some of the previous Survivor Series events that have made the annual PPV such a staple in our wrestling calendar.


Debuting in November 1987, the Survivor Series originally centered on tag team competition where the object was to...survive. In the event's first year, the team competition involved teams of five squaring off. Though limited to four matches on the card, the first Series is still a fan favorite today for several reasons. Here are some:

• The in-ring return of Andre the Giant. Andre hadn't stepped into the ring since his famous match with Hulk Hogan the previous March at Wrestlemania III. The main event, which featured both men leading their team against the other, marked Andre's return to active competition.
  
• The 20-man tag match. One thing the first Series did was display how deep the WWF was in its tag team division. This match collect 10 tag teams and throws them all into the same ring for one fun exhibition. We've got a ton of legends involved: Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, Demolition, Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo, and so many more. Clocking in at nearly an hour, this match easily steals the show.
• The tag team format. It sounds weird now that we're over two decades removed from the event. But this five-on-five format was a novel concept at the time. To see virtually every star in the promotion come together on the same card was something that was virtually unheard of at the time.
  

So while you wait for this year's Survivor Series, grab a hold of the debut edition and enjoy some history.

Item of the Day (11.12.09): WWF Program Vol. 150

Everyone who ever went to a pro wrestling event shares some common bonds. Of course there was some wrestling (I hope). There was certainly a merchandise booth. And last, but certainly not least, event programs. For just a five-spot, you got a nice full-color magazine that included the evening's match lineup.

Event programs get us a little more nostalgic than other items given their placement at live wrestling events. That's why we like to stock up on vintage programs, specifically those from the WWF. Today, let's take a glimpse at the 150th volume of the WWF Program.


Featuring The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase on the cover, this magazine's already got one strong selling point. You can't ever have too many magazines with Ted DiBiase on the cover. Secondly, there's a lot of great articles on other stars from the era (1988), such as the One Man Gang, Jake the Snake Roberts, Kamala, and Bam Bam Bigelow.

I'm telling you, there's nothing quite like passing a quiet evening by reading a nice feature on Kamala. So what are you waiting for? Jump on this magazine for an attractive price. And be sure to check out the other wrestling programs we have, because each one ships for just a buck a piece after the first magazine.

Item of the Day (11.11.09): World Tour 1990

Today we're going on a trip. But you won't need to even leave your couch to see Japan, Paris, and more. That is, of course, if you have World Tour 1990.


This is the first installment of Coliseum Video's annual trip around the world. For each release, they compiled a series of matches and vignettes from areas of the globe. But that isn't good enough on its own. What about the matches, you might ask.

For starters, we've got Randy Savage clashing with Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase going after the Ultimate Warrior's title, and The Rockers mixing it up with the Rougeau Brothers in a classic encounter.

This baby is priced to move, too. At $9.95 plus $3 for shipping, you can see venues from around the world for cheaper than it costs to check your back at an airport. Give it a shot today.

Item of the Day (11.10.09)

We admittedly keep the eBay store packed with a lot of items. And though we try to make browsing it easier through the specific categories, it's still possible for items to go under your radar. That's what Item of the Day is for. Each day, we'll spotlight an item from our store and let you know why we think it should be in your home.

And with that, our inaugural Item of the Day...Hulkamania 3.


The year was 1988. Reagan was holding down the fort in the White House. Hair bands were not yet irrelevant. And Hulkamania was running wild for non-nostalgic reasons. The WWF and Coliseum Video had already cashed in on the Hulkamania craze with two installments of the Hulkamania series.

But with Hogan's recent feud with long-time buddy Andre the Giant, it was time to cash in once more. And so, Coliseum Video pumped out Hulkamania 3 for video distributors in early 1988. Subtitled "The Giant Betrayal," this installment of Hulkamania focused on his program with Andre the Giant. Everything from the initial betrayal on Piper's Pit to the infamous twin referee angle on The Main Event.

There's a lot more to this two-hour video than just Hogan and Andre, though. We've got Bam Bam Bigelow, Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, and several more rounding out the cast. If you're only vaguely familiar with this epic feud, this is the video you must add to your collection now. The video contains a whopping 15 segments to fill in the pieces between the actual matches.

So why wait? You'll get the original VHS, coupled with its original, unaltered slipcase. Moreover, you get this bad boy shipped your way for FREE. There simply aren't cheaper, more reliable ways to get this video into your VCR. Check it out here.

Coming Soon: Blog-Exclusive Products

There's an old saying that suggests you not keep all of your eggs in one basket. While eBay has allowed The Retropolis to interact with thousands of people over the years, the increased fees each year make it tougher to keep pricing on our items attractive to all of you.

So starting this week, we're going to try something different. We're going to start posting some items here and on our Facebook page. These items will not be on eBay, meaning the only way you can get them is by coming to the blog or our Facebook page.

Without the eBay fees to worry about, we'll be able to reduce item costs even further, meaning YOU reap the benefits. We have some neat items coming in soon, so we'll get the ball rolling with those. Stay tuned.