Matt Jackson as Ryu

WCW crosses over with Robocop. Robocop crosses over with Terminator. Terminator crosses over with Superman. Superman crosses over with Aliens. Aliens crosses over with Predator. Predator crosses over with Batman. Batman crosses over with TMNT. TMNT crosses over with Power Rangers. Power Rangers crosses over with Street Fighter. Street Fighter crosses over with All Elite Wrestling. ...your move, AEW! Here comes a new challenger: AEW's Matt Jackson. In this 2019 Fyter Fest crossover, Matt enters the ring dressed as Shōtōkan master Ryu from Capcom's legendary Street Fighter series. In 2019, the fledgling All Elite Wrestling partnered with Community Effort Orlando, an annual fighting game event (think "Comic-Con," but for people who like button-mashers), to produce the inaugural Fyter Fest, AEW's second official show and the follow-up to the successful Double or Nothing PPV. They still didn't have a TV deal yet, but this one would be aired for free online. C.E.O. had always had wrestling ties, as the gaming tournaments they host are contested in a full-size ring, and the competitors make big flashy entrances. So the combo made sense. The (sanctioned) main event was a tag match involving the Young Bucks, and to honor the the event's gaming roots, they came out dressed as the World Warriors. Matt, the older brother, was Ryu: white ring gear, a vest, a red headband, etc. The shirt is softgoods, with "torn" sleeves and a real belt holding it shut. I'm not one to untie clothes from my action figures, but if you want to, you will of course find a fully sculpted torso beneath it. This is a repaint of the Series 7 Unrivaled Matt Jackson figure, the first to have molded fringe around the boots - the Series 3 releases were still using softgoods, but that probably didn't budget out when we were already getting the new clothing here. Speaking of clothing, Matt gets two heads, and one of them has a headband. Or rather, one of them is packaged with the headband, because it's removable and can be used with either portrait. In fact, you have to remove it: it's actually tied through the plastic tray, so the only way to get it out is to undo it, then re-tie it around the figure's head once you do. Both faces are rather silly. The one on the figure right out of the box has his eyebrow cocked and a look on his face like he smelled something weird. That, plus the big Abe Lincoln chin beard, gives it a real "Bluto Blutarsky" feel. I think it's supposed to be the haughty pose from the back of the box, but it doesn't match very well. The alternate head has the lips pursed like he's going to give you an angry kiss. The toy has the dark skin all the AEW figures have suffered from, though being next to his bright white gi does help ameliorate that. He's wearing red wristbands, to stand in for Ryu's gloves, and his black belt has the 風林火山 "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" furinkazan battle emblem printed on it in yellow. The back of his shirt bears the "Young Bucks" name in the style of the Street Fighter logo, and "Super Kick" (one of their standard moves) is printed on his right thigh (right where he'd slap himself when doing the move to make it sound like it's actually connecting). If you have a long memory, you may recall that Jazwares got its start by releasing knock-off versions of SOTA's Street Fighter figures - it's amazing how far they've come since then, quietly becoming one of the most respectable mid-tier companies around. The AEW Unrivaled Collection figures have superb articulation, so Matt has a balljointed head, hinged neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, a balljointed chest and waist, balljointed hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, swivel shins, and swivel/hinge ankles. The Bucks have a high-flying style, and this is enough movement to achieve any of it. In addition to the alternate head, the figure also includes two alternate pairs of hands: you can replace the fists with either gripping hands, or a pair with the fingers curled up for a strike... or, given the way he's dressed, a hadouken! Fun! Matt and his brother Nick are a ton of fun to watch (when they're faces - their heel work gets tiresome, fast), and getting this GameStop-exclusive outfit represents that brand of fun really nicely. -- 08/02/23

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