La Résistance figures are ‘très magnifique’

Josh Olsen

la resistance figures cover

Since May 2024, KWK Kayfabe Heroes has released a premium line of retro-styled wrestling figures, several of which have been favorably reviewed on SlamWrestling, including Mantaur, PN News, Komet Kid, and Los Conquistadores.

For the most part, the Kayfabe Heroes line has focused on wrestling talent from years past, specifically the late 1980s and early 1990s, when WWF Hasbro figures were originally manufactured. The exception to this, in series one, was a more limited figure of Yoshitatsu, who made his name in NJPW and WWE in the early/mid 2000s, but remains an active wrestler today. Yoshitatsu was the first KWK Kayfabe Heroes figure of a contemporary pro wrestler, but he won’t be the last, with figures of TJP and Taka Michinoku in series two, and the latest figures I received for review sort of bridge the gap between past and current wrestlers.

The newest figures released by KWK Kayfabe Heroes are La Résistance, Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée. Now, admittedly, the time frame during which La Résistance were most active in WWE is a bit of a blind spot for me (thanks graduate school and parenthood), but while their inclusion in this set might initially seem a little out of place, I think it makes perfectly logical sense.

la resistance figures variant c

Overall, it seems the primary motivation of KWK Kayfabe Heroes is to create high-quality, retro wrestling figures for underappreciated professional wrestlers who didn’t have a figure during the time WWF Hasbros were being manufactured, and that definitely fits four-time WWE tag team champions La Résistance.

Now, the interesting catch, if you ask me, is that La Résistance did have action figures, just not with the original pairing of Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée. In 2004, the year after their WWE debut, Jakks Pacific released two sets of La Résistance figures with René Duprée and Rob Conway, and then in 2005 with Rob Conway and Sylvain Grenier, so KWK Kayfabe Heroes finally created the first figures of the original La Résistance tag team duo, Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée. That’s the kind of attention to detail and history to expect from KWK Kayfabe Heroes.

KWK Kayfabe Heroes La Résistance are available in three variants. The A variant features La Résistance in blue trunks on a red card back, variant B features red trunks on a blue card, and Variant C shows La Résistance in black and white biker shorts on a purple card back. I was generously sent two sets of La Résistance figures for review, the A and C variants.

As always, the figures look fantastic in-hand, with great attention to detail and quality when it comes to the packaging and bubble. Aside from the details that showcase these are KWK Kayfabe Heroes releases, these could easily pass for original WWF Hasbro figures.

A KWK Kayfabe Heroes staple is that their figures are limited releases, and La Résistance variants A and C are limited to 200 figures each, while variant B is extra-limited to just 100 figures.

Of course, to get the full, sensory experience, I need to open the figures, so I freed Sylvain and René from their packaging, as well as their dog Fifi, who comes with Duprée. I always cherish the intoxicating aroma of fresh plastic, so to open two wrestling figures, as well as a dog and flag accessories, was a real treat.

The figures are nice and tight, but with movable, posable joints, and like the figures before them, they feel like they could actually withstand some play. The French flag and Fifi are fun additions (even if both are Canadians), as well, especially for figures that might not be as immediately recognizable as Mantaur or PN News.

Overall, I think La Résistance is another strong addition to the KWK Kayfabe Heroes line of figures. They may not be the first tag team that comes to mind when you think of retro wrestling figures, but they’re a successful and idiosyncratic tag team without an official wrestling figure release, until now, and they’re available to order at ShopKWK.com.

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