(click to enlarge all images)

Character: Shelton Benjamin
Brand: Mattel
Year: 2010
Series: Basic Series #3

Shelton Benjamin will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in modern WWE history. Get this, the day I finally found Basic Series #3 was the day Shelton got released from his near 10-year career with World Wrestling Entertainment. It was bittersweet.

This is the only Mattel figure of Shelton released thus far. There is one more planned for a future Wrestlemania 26 set, but the status of that particular figure is unknown at press time.

Shelton Benjamin began calling himself The Gold Standard in 2007, during his first run in WWE’s now defunct ECW brand. While there have been a few Jakks Pacific figures released since then, this is the very first (and possibly one and only) true dipiction of Shelton as The Gold Standard.

He is seen wearing the all gold attire he frequently wore in 2008-2009 for his US title run. His look hasn’t changed a whole lot since then, so this is considered to be pretty much up-to-date.

The attention to kickpad detail is spot-on. The ribbon is done with a metallic gold paint, contrasting nicely with the standard gold (or is that gold standard?) paint on his attire. Another detail that could’ve  easily gotten looked over was his boot style. Shelton wears kickpads with laces designed on, not actual traditional wrestling boots.  They nailed it.

“The Gold Standard” is sporting his platinum blonde hairstyle. He also has an expanded tattoo for (I believe) the first time in figure form.

Here are two older Shelton Benjamin figures produced by Jakks Pacific. On the left is Adrenaline Series #25. On the right is the rarer Wrestlemania Winners Shelton as a member of  World’s Greatest Tag Team. Both of these Jakks figures are extremely well-detailed. The Adrenaline Shelton has his yellow ribbon and complete details on his kickpads, along with his tattoo. The WM Winners Shelton has a mustache, back details on his singlet and Team Angle logos on the sides.

There is one flaw this figure has, and that is the kneepads. They’re the longer style and go far too up his thighs. Shelton wears smaller pads in real life. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, but considering how difficult (read: impossible) it is to remove Mattel pads, it’s annoying.

It’s very fortunate that Shelton was planned early on, or else we may have not have seen this figure. His last notable appearances were against Christian in a ladder match last December for the ECW title, a feud against newcomer Vance Archer, and beating CM Punk to enter what is now his last Money in the Bank ladder match. In an era where guys are shot up to the top to amuse writers in the back, it’s a shame Shelton never got that kind of support.

This figure is a great way to commemorate the career of Shelton Benjamin. Basic Series #3 retails for $9.99 and is in stores now.

Well done!

(read up on the S3 rating method used on this site right here).

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