PWP Nation’s Zak Fellows examines the legacy of Stan Hansen.
Coming off of a college football stint with the West Texas State Buffaloes, Stan Hansen would begin his wrestling career in 1973 trained by the legendary Funk Family. By 1975, and after unsuccessful try-outs for the soon defunct Detroit Wheels, he was wrestling full time including tenure in Leroy McGuirk’s Tri State Territory where he would go on to capture the NWA Tri State Tag Team Championship with Frank Goodish who later gained fame as Bruiser Brody. In 1976, he made his first big move to the WWE and immediately made himself known.
Entering into a feud with the living legend Bruno Sammartino, Hansen would break the WWE Champions neck during a championship match establishing Hansen as one of the most despised men in the New York territory. Promoters would take advantage of the injury, in actuality caused by an accident, to present Hansen’s lariat as a formidable move.
While he would become infamous for his feud with Bruno Sammartino he would not win the championship in subsequent matches, even going on to face Bob Backlund for the championship during the beginnings of the 1980’s.
While the 1980’s would prove to be the phoenix insurgence of North American wrestling Hansen would begin his run in the country for which he is still known to this day: Japan. Hansen would join New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1980 going on to compete in the first G1 Tag league, teaming with Hulk Hogan. He would jump ship to All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1981 going on to become one of the very few to pin Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba in championship matches. Stan Hansen would become something of a fixture in AJPW’s annual World’s Strongest Tag Determination League going on to win it in 1983 with Bruiser Brody and again in 1985 teaming with Ted DiBiase.
Hansen would not limit himself to Japan though: He would return to the states to compete for Verne Gagne’s AWA defeating Rick Martel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on December 29, 1985. Hansen would begin a feud with Greg Gagne before problems backstage erupted when he refused to lose the championship to Nick Bockwinkel, due to commitments made by Giant Baba, and he was stripped of it. Hansen would return to Japan going on to win his third and fourth tag determination league this time with Terry Gordy and Genichiro Tenryu. By the beginning of the 90’s Hansen had held the AJPW tag team championship five times with Gordy and Tenryu.
On the 10th of February, 1990 Stan Hansen would return to New Japan to participate in an IWGP heavyweight championship match with then champion Big Van Vader (Commonly shortened to just Vader) where the two would undertake a stiff brawl befitting of their styles. He would also famously wrestle Hulk Hogan in a WWE/AJPW cross promoted show Wrestling Summit. On June 8, 1990 Stan Hansen would achieve All Japan’s highest accolade, for what would be the first of four times, when he defeated Terry Gordy to become the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion.
Hansen would return to the states in 1990 to wrestle for World Championship Wrestling, going on to end Lex Luger’s record 523 day reign as the United States Champion on October 27 at Halloween Havoc and facing Vader again at WrestleWar 1991.
Hansen would remain in All Japan but unfortunately Lower Back Pain would develop forcing him to wrestle his final match on the 28th of October 2000, teaming with Steve Williams and Wolf Hawkfield in a loss to Johnny Smith, Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Masanobu Fuchi. He would announce his retirement from professional wrestling in January of 2001 going on to appear as the commissioner of AJPW’s Pacific Wrestling Federation championship governing body. He retired an accomplished competitor in both America and Japan and this year he will be enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame.
So, what is Stan Hansen’s legacy?
Stan Hansen was almost the total package of a performer. As we know, wrestlers often have dominant qualities to them that, in ways, categorizes them. You can have a great character that people are into, you can have the ability to put on quality matches or you can be both. Hansen is in the third category. While his character is not as overtly shown he did demonstrate qualities that showed a personality that fed into his brawling style of competing. Chewing tobacco made people be disgusted of him, his loud and fight seeking attitude made people want to see what he can do and want people to see him get shown up.
Thus creates a chain effect that creates investment in his matches that end up delivering on its performance. And yet, despite his obvious ability that allowed him to have great matches in both the states and the more wrestling centric circuit in Japan it is his status that ultimately serves as the biggest accomplishment of his career and the intangible that has created a ripple effect.
The Gaijin, foreigner in Japanese, played an important role in introducing professional wrestling to the forefront in Japan. The legendary Rikidozan’s rise to become a hero to the Japanese people in the wake of World War II was accomplished by pitting him against American adversaries and defeating them. Lou Thesz, Freddie Blassie and the Destroyer were among the famous Gaijin to go against the ‘Father of Puroresu’. This tradition continued decades after Rikidozan’s untimely demise and while Hansen was one of those who wrestled in Japan as a Gaijin, much like Dynamite Kid, Vader and Hulk Hogan (seriously guys check out some of Hogan’s Japanese matches), he took it to another level by becoming more famous in Japan than he did in America.
Stan Hansen serves as the most notable of Gaijin success story as his accomplishments and mainstay status allowed him to enjoy high profile matches as the constant figure in All Japan. Now you see wrestlers take advantage of the success of Japanese pro wrestling to start or, as we have seen with AJ Styles, revitalize their careers. Stan Hansen may not be the first Gaijin to demonstrate this potential but he is one of the most famous and for that industry revelation he has earned the honor to be celebrated and enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
Hopefully he doesn’t drool out any tobacco because people love to be…ahem “morally outraged” these days don’t they?
[Zak Fellows needs to have morals before he can be morally outraged]
Would Hansen have gotten over during the Attitude Era? Discuss.
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