Who needs America when you are the greatest Gaijin Japan has ever seen. The man is like a god in that country. But I do find it crazy that he is not in the WWE Hall of Fame yet.
Forgotten Legends9: Stan Hansen
With 37 championships to his name, he was nothing short of legend, esp in Japan and popularly used the Cowboy gimmick, brawling style and Lariat as his finisher, The Lariat that "Broke" Bruno Sammartino's neck (Kayfabe but his botched slam did it) after which he shot to fame as a powerful wrestler and never looked back.
He moved on to Japan after a controversial run with AWA where he messed with Gagnes, ran over the title belt with a truck and made Greg Gagne "Squeal in front of everyone" by shooting on him where he achieved maximum success.
He too belongs to the list of people who would not get their due due to WWE's revisionism though he is a part of Professional Wrestling and Wrestling Observer's HOF.
He moved on to Japan after a controversial run with AWA where he messed with Gagnes, ran over the title belt with a truck and made Greg Gagne "Squeal in front of everyone" by shooting on him where he achieved maximum success.
He too belongs to the list of people who would not get their due due to WWE's revisionism though he is a part of Professional Wrestling and Wrestling Observer's HOF.
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He was used sparingly in WWWF/WWF and WCW, so its really not all that surprising that he hasn't been inducted to the WWE Hall -- yet. But yeah, an amazing performer with just about as many classic matches as anyone else in his day. Top 25 worker, most likely.
Personal favorites include his showdowns with Andre, Vader, Backlund, and the Hulkster. Although there are probably a dozen matches against AJPW favorites like Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi, etc. that stand out as better performances, I prefer seeing him mix it up with the names that were big in the States at the time.
Was he not a fan of Vince or vise-versa? Seems weird they would never work together when McMahon is such a fan of ******* gimmicks and whatnot.
Personal favorites include his showdowns with Andre, Vader, Backlund, and the Hulkster. Although there are probably a dozen matches against AJPW favorites like Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi, etc. that stand out as better performances, I prefer seeing him mix it up with the names that were big in the States at the time.
Was he not a fan of Vince or vise-versa? Seems weird they would never work together when McMahon is such a fan of ******* gimmicks and whatnot.
Always liked his matches against Vader, stiff but good.
I met Hansen a few years back, really nice guy.
A lot of experts have Hansen as a top 20 talent all time, including Meltzer.
Hansen probably would have been more appreciated by the NWA/WWF had he not been known for refusing to do the job.
When he won the AWA title promoters told Verne he was crazy for letting Hansen have the strap....they were right Hansen left for Japan before Verne could make the switch.
...
BTW.......... OP How about adding Mr Wrestling 2 to your list at some point? Talk about someone time has forgotten.
A lot of experts have Hansen as a top 20 talent all time, including Meltzer.
Hansen probably would have been more appreciated by the NWA/WWF had he not been known for refusing to do the job.
When he won the AWA title promoters told Verne he was crazy for letting Hansen have the strap....they were right Hansen left for Japan before Verne could make the switch.
...
BTW.......... OP How about adding Mr Wrestling 2 to your list at some point? Talk about someone time has forgotten.
I heard the reason his lariats were so stiff was because he was damn near blind and couldn't see very well, which explains his reckless style.
Is it true?
And on another note, I don't think he would have been as big here in the states as he was in Japan. That style fit him better and he wouldn't have to worry about certain guys telling him to lighten up with the lariats. And at the same time, I don't quite understand why he hasn't been inducted. And whats even crazier is that Antonio Inoki was inducted by Stan Hansen. So, I doubt he has any problems with Vince, maybe he just hasn't felt the time was right.
Is it true?
And on another note, I don't think he would have been as big here in the states as he was in Japan. That style fit him better and he wouldn't have to worry about certain guys telling him to lighten up with the lariats. And at the same time, I don't quite understand why he hasn't been inducted. And whats even crazier is that Antonio Inoki was inducted by Stan Hansen. So, I doubt he has any problems with Vince, maybe he just hasn't felt the time was right.
@OP
I love these forgotten legends threads!
Anyway Stan Hansen is awesome. I only have seen some of his matches against Vader. Legendary stuff.
He gave us the definition of the lariat. JBL can suck on that.
I love these forgotten legends threads!
Anyway Stan Hansen is awesome. I only have seen some of his matches against Vader. Legendary stuff.
He gave us the definition of the lariat. JBL can suck on that.
Stan Hansen was a true legend. He had an great in ring work which entertained the fans. His matches were pure gold in Japan.
Thanks Dusty, and yeah, JBL had most of his personality initially based on Stan Hansen. I started digging about how wrestling was before and much before our times and stuck gold when I found most of the stuff we love have been done already. Gorgeous George is my next legend in the series and whatever the guys do now are merely some percentage of his personality and quotes.@OP
I love these forgotten legends threads!
Anyway Stan Hansen is awesome. I only have seen some of his matches against Vader. Legendary stuff.
He gave us the definition of the lariat. JBL can suck on that.
Hansen's handling of the AWA World title is reason why Vince wouldn't work with him long-term. Hansen drove bookers in the United States crazy, he hopped from one territory to the other and just couldn't be controlled.He was used sparingly in WWWF/WWF and WCW, so its really not all that surprising that he hasn't been inducted to the WWE Hall -- yet. But yeah, an amazing performer with just about as many classic matches as anyone else in his day. Top 25 worker, most likely.
Personal favorites include his showdowns with Andre, Vader, Backlund, and the Hulkster. Although there are probably a dozen matches against AJPW favorites like Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi, etc. that stand out as better performances, I prefer seeing him mix it up with the names that were big in the States at the time.
Was he not a fan of Vince or vise-versa? Seems weird they would never work together when McMahon is such a fan of ******* gimmicks and whatnot.
One of his more underrated feuds was when he battled Lex Luger for the US title in 1990. I personally liked their battle at Halloween Havoc when he took the strap and then Luger beat him in a Texas Bullrope Match at Starrcade that year.
And of course...I can't forget his "Teenie Wangers" scene in "No Holds Barred". Ignore the piss-poor attempt at MST3K with these amateurs.
Hansen gouged Vader's eye loose, didn't he? Or just knocked it out I think ... tough bastard regardless , but even he was a politicker ....
Hansen gouged Vader's eye loose, didn't he? Or just knocked it out I think ... tough bastard regardless , but even he was a politicker ....
Yeah, this was the incident. But he was a booker's nightmare back then, esp in US.
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