Episode 4: Mummy Mash Up

Ii-Wey! 

Over the months researching about the portrayal of mummies in popular culture has come with some unusual surprises along the way. Last year, Mattel released a WWE monster series, mashing up six wrestlers with familiar, beloved monsters. One in particular – Chris Jericho – caught my attention recently while at a local market because he was matched up with the mummy. 

The back of the packaging states Chris Jericho as the mummy is “wrapped in his own list, the mummified Y2J rises from his ancient pyramid tomb with the names of his enemies chiseled into the Tablet of Jericho.” Fully articulated, the action figure is wrapped in a layer of linens, which does have a small amount of text. Jericho also wears a golden Egyptian collar that sets off his grey skin. The accessory is a tablet with “The List of Jericho” chiseled on it and it fits in his hand. The background packaging includes a nondescript stela and the god Anubis in silhouette, while Jericho assumes the typical mummy menacing stance with arms extended in front of him. In the rendering, his bracelets have jeweled accents that add to the Egyptian motif. 

Chris Jericho is the ring name of Christopher Irvine, whose career has spanned from 1990 to 2017 with sporadic appearances this year. In addition to wrestling, Jericho has a band and an acting career. Not sure why the mummy was selected as his monster; perhaps, because like a Pharaoh, who would have been involved in a myriad of activities, Jericho is into a lot of activities. The various Egyptian motifs are fun and recognizable for any mummy aficionado. However, I wish there could have been a little bit more, like hieroglyphs on the tablet or the appearance of scarab beetle. Of all the various mummies out there – bog, South American, or Asian, etc. – only the Egyptian variety could have worked here, in part because it is the best known. This type of mummy also brings decades of cinematic history. 

This was an interesting and unexcepted mash up: who would have thought WWE and mummies? 

Senebti! 

Images from Google Images and Wikipedia.