Cup of coffee in the big time: The best wrestling Christmas gift ever

I love the holiday season. It’s never too early to put up your Christmas tree (or whatever similar representation fits your personal holiday). Give me all the Christmas music all day, every day.

This is especially true now that I have two kids of my own.

Speaking of those kids, my dad called me last night to ask if my 5-year-old daughter would like “women’s WWE action figures” for Christmas. Which, of course she would since she’s been watching wrestling with me her entire life. Hell, her Daniel Bryan figure has been married to her scientist Barbie for about a year now. It’s a very solid pairing.

Talking to my dad about wrestling toys for Christmas brought back memories of maybe the greatest gift I received as a kid.

The LJN WWF figures were staples of my childhood. But when I received the Sling-Em Fling-Em ring, my life was more or less complete.

That ring, either set up as normal, or flipped over and turned into some sort of modified cage match — it didn’t take long before I lost or broke the actual cage accessory, so I had to make do — gave me more than ten years of enjoyment.

The set-up hosted WWF superstars, GI Joes, the He-Man universe and anything in between.

The simplicity of the ring remains so beautiful. It’s just a wrestling ring adorned with some good stickers and sturdy ring posts.

Of course, those posts were so sturdy they were puncturing the bodies of children, leading to a recall. But as a non-punctured kid, it remains the ultimate toy.

Thankfully, WWE put out an “official retro ring” that, while a bit too sterile, captures some of the charm.

I know my daughter will love whatever she gets for Christmas — she’s a pretty easy to please kid. And her ultimate Christmas gift will almost certainly not be wrestling related, no matter how much she loves watching WWE with me.

But as a dad, I’ll always be chasing the chance to deliver the feeling of the ultimate gift to my kid.

• Impact Wrestling’s latest episode aired last night. It was good news for my podcast co-host Ethan Page. Check out our recap and reactions.
• A Queen of the Ring tournament next year? Yes please.
• The biggest belt in the company being on TV might help Raw get out of the horrible slump it has been in.
• WWE continues adding to the TLC card.
• Larry “The Axe” Hennig has died.
• Matt Riddle discussed why he was fired from the UFC in a recent video feature.
• In a different type of video, Ronda Rousey comes off as a much more likable person than her TV persona.

Happy Friday!

I’m seriously so happy for my guy.