Pro Wrestling Collectibles

Wrestling fans spend a lot of money on their favorite form of entertainment. Some like to watch collections of WWE, lucha, Japanese or old-school wrestling, while others gobble up masks and action figures.

TAPES and DVDs
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) owns an enormous share of the major-league wrestling footage, so the country's top group is able to put together some outstanding video packages. Some of these include Hulk Hogan Ultimate Anthology and Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper story. Both are 3-DVD sets. In the past, these discs would only feature WWE footage, but the company now owns AWA and WCW footage to make these sets complete.

Of course, if you really want a comprehensive collection, you can pick up the Wrestlemania Anthology, which contains all 22 Wrestlemania spectaculars. By the time you watch them all, it will be time for Wrestlemania 23.

Total Nonstop Action (TNA) has only been around for four years, but it has already built a reputation for solid wrestling action. The No. 2 group in the nation has put together the TNA Anthology: The Epic Series. You can get three shows for $25 (Victory Road 2004, Turning Point 2004 and Lockdown 2005). Lockdown was the first show ever in which every match took place in a steel cage. These shows feature Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Abyss and The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels.

Ring of Honor (ROH) emphasizes pure wrestling (as opposed to interviews and skits) and has put together some amazing shows. Earlier this year, ROH produced a set of seven shows called the Milestone Series. The series began with the Fourth Anniversary Show in February and culminated with the groups 100th Show in April. The highlight of the series (and possibly the match of the year) is a wild six-man battle between a pair of Japanese teams called Do Fixer and Blood Generation. If you're a wrestling fan who hasn't yet discovered ROH, this is a good place to start.

Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) has a rich history and a different set of rules than American wrestling. Highspots carries an extensive collection of DVDs from top Mexican groups like CMLL and AAA.

Puroresu (Japanese wrestling) is treated as a real sport in Japan due to its super-realistic style. Golden Boy Tapes is the place to go for the best Japanese wrestling. Watch a couple of these tapes, and you will discover a new batch of heroes.

Old School wrestling has a much grittier, realistic feel than much of the current action out there. It has a slower pace, but many older fans love their childhood heroes and can't get into the more modern action. You can pick up a box set of Wrestling Gold, a five-disc collection of some of the best action from the old wrestling territories. You can listen to the original commentary bonus commentary from wresting historian Dave Meltzer and legendary manager Jim Cornette. They know virtually everything about professional wrestling.

FIGURES
Ringside Collectibles has a huge collection of wrestling figures, whether you like to play with them in a toy ring, pose them on your mantel or keep them in the original packaging. The WWE has been smart enough to produce action figures of its newest stars (like Umaga and The Spirit Squad) to its greatest legends (like Andre the Giant and Bruno Sammartino).

MASKS
The kids at Mexican wrestling shows wear the masks of their favorite luchadores (wrestlers). Highspots has a ridiculously large assortment of masks from the silver El Hijo del Santo mask to Christopher Daniels "Curry Man" mask, which looks like he has a plate of food on his head.

POSTERS, etc.
Chikara has a great old-style poster for one of its recent shows, as well as a collection of 10 event posters. The fun-loving American lucha promotion also has started a collection of trading cards.