Stan Hansen

Stan Hansen
Ring name(s)	Stan Hansen
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight	330 lb (150 kg; 24 st)
Born	August 29, 1949 (1949-08-29) Knox City, Texas
Billed from	Borger, Texas
Trained by	Dory Funk Dory Funk, Jr. Terry Funk
Debut	January 1, 1973
Retired	October 28, 2000

John Stanley Hansen, Jr. (born August 29, 1949) is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses. Hansen is also considered to be among the most successful and popular gaijins in history, becoming more well known in Japan than in the United States.

Professional wrestling career

United States

Hansen began his wrestling career in 1973 for his hometown promotion in Amarillo, Texas. He had initially taken up wrestling as a part-time job while trying out for the Detroit Wheels, but he began wrestling full-time with the team's folding. Hansen first teamed with future partner Frank Goodish (who later became Bruiser Brody) in 1975 while in Leroy McGuirk's Tri-State territory. He wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the late 1970s, where he broke Bruno Sammartino's neck; it was from this incident that both Hansen and promoters claimed enormous power for his lariat move, although a botched body slam is what actually caused Sammartino's injury.

In the mid to late 1970s, Hansen wrestled in Georgia Championship Wrestling, where he teamed with Tommy Rich and Ole Anderson.

Hansen competed in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1985-1986 and won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on December 29, 1985, from Rick Martel. On June 29, 1986, he no-showed a title defense against the #1 contender Nick Bockwinkel, forcing the AWA to default the title to Bockwinkel. Rumors suggest that Hansen was actually in the building that evening and had been informed by AWA promoter Verne Gagne of the pending loss to Bockwinkel. Hansen allegedly called All Japan Pro Wrestling president Giant Baba to ask if losing the championship was acceptable, but Baba had already lined up challengers for Hansen and did not permit Hansen to drop the championship. At the time, Hansen was already in a feud with Verne's son Greg, in which Hansen as determined to hog-tie Greg and 'make him squeal like a pig'. Eventually, Hansen was too much for the young and brash Greg Gagne, and on a episode of All-Star Wrestling, Hansen hog-tied Greg and proceeded to make him squeal in front of his fans, friends, family and father. As a result, Hansen refused to drop the title to Bockwinkel and was stripped of the championship; Bockwinkel was given one of the tag team belts (billed as the AWA World Heavyweight Championship), because Hansen was still in possession of the physical title belt. Hansen immediately returned to Japan and defended the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, despite being stripped of it. The AWA threatened legal action if Hansen continued to carry the belt and refer to himself as the organization's champion, so Hansen responded by running over the belt with his truck and mailing it back with the mud tracks still on it. This chain of events was reviewed in an interview with Hansen at an NWA Legends convention, in which he expressed regret over the way he handled the situation and ultimately complimented Gagne.

Japan

He also competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he feuded with promotional ace Antonio Inoki and teamed with Hulk Hogan and Dick Murdoch. Hansen temporarily returned there in 1990 for the first time in nine years and formed a tag team with Riki Chōshū called "The Lariat Combo", due to both using a lariat as their finisher. Hansen's lariat became a much respected finisher in Japan, and commentators would often yell "LARIATO!" hysterically when Hansen performed the maneuver.

In 1981, Hansen abruptly jumped to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he would remain until his retirement. While in AJPW, Hansen would become the only man to pin Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba in championship singles matches. He kept participating from 1982 to 1999 in World's Strongest Tag Team League. He wrestled primarily in tag matches, where he formed many teams with Bruiser Brody, Terry Gordy, Ted DiBiase, Genichiro Tenryu, Dan Spivey, Bobby Duncum Jr., and Big Van Vader. Hansen also engaged in a legendary brawl with André the Giant in Japan.

At the "NJPW vs. AJPW" Tokyo Dome show on February 10, 1990, Hansen squared off against Big Van Vader; Hansen repeatedly punched Vader in the face, which caused Vader's eyeball to pop out of its socket, held back only by his eyelid. After removing his mask and pushing the eye back into its socket, Vader continued the match until it was rendered a no contest. On April 13, 1990, the WWF and All-Japan held a supershow called Wrestling Summit at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, with the scheduled main event of Hulk Hogan squaring off against AJPW Triple Crown Champion Terry Gordy. Gordy was scheduled to lose to Hogan, but Gordy refused as he thought it would not benefit his career to do so. As a result, Hansen was a last-minute replacement for Gordy, as Hansen had no problem losing to Hogan.

Hansen also worked in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council were he feuded with the very popular puertorican star Carlos Colon.

In 1990, Hansen briefly competed in World Championship Wrestling, feuding with Lex Luger over the United States Heavyweight Championship while it was still under the National Wrestling Alliance. His title win over Luger broke Luger's record reign at 523 days, though he would lose it back to him a little less than two months later in a bullrope match. He left the organization for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1991, after a disagreement over an idea to group him with The Desperados, a threesome of bumbling cowboys looking for Hansen through a series of vignettes. However, as a result of Hansen's departure, The Desperados' angle was dropped and they became jobbers. Hansen would never return to wrestle in North America afterwards.

From there, Hansen traded the AJPW Triple Crown Championship with Mitsuharu Misawa and others. Following Giant Baba's death, Misawa became the new booker and quickly began de-emphasizing Hansen and other foreign talent, in favor of new native recruits such as Takao Ōmori and Yoshihiro Takayama. In 2000, Misawa and all but two natives defected the promotion and formed Pro Wrestling Noah, but Hansen chose to remain loyal to All Japan. However, Hansen had been suffering from nagging lumbago at the time, and he wrestled his final match against the returning Genichiro Tenryu in a semi-final match to determine a new Triple Crown Champion in 2000.

In 2001, he became the Commissioner of All Japan's Pacific Wrestling Federation title governing body, a position that was formerly held by Lord James Blears. He would appear during Triple Crown and Double Cup matches in civilian clothes to issue "proclamations" of the matches. In July 2007, Hansen voluntarily resigned from the position, with Hiroshi Hase replacing him.

Personal life

In 1989, Hansen appeared in a small but memorable role in the World Wrestling Federation-produced movie No Holds Barred, which starred Hulk Hogan.

Hansen is married to his wife Yumi and has two sons. His older son, Shaver (born December 19, 1987), played baseball at Baylor University before being drafted by the Seattle Mariners as the second pick in the sixth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. His younger son, Samuel (born February 21, 1991), is also a baseball player and plays for the University of Texas at Arlington.

Hansen's nephew, Caleb Dewall, is also a professional wrestler and competes under the ring name Silas Young.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Standing, short-range or a running lariat

• Signature moves
  • Belly to back suplex
  • Brazos Valley Backbreaker (Boston crab)
  • Elbow drop
  • Running shoulder block
  • Snap suplex

• Managers
  • Freddie Blassie

• Nicknames
  • "The Lariat"
  • "The Man"
  • "The Unsinkable Battleship"

• Entrance themes
  • "Sunrise" by Eigenkreation (AJPW)

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
  • AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with Terry Gordy (2), Genichiro Tenryu (3), Dan Spivey (1), Ted DiBiase (1) and Gary Albright (1)
  • NWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ron Bass
  • NWA United National Championship (1 time)
  • PWF World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
  • PWF World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Bruiser Brody (1), Ted DiBiase (2) and Austin Idol (1)
  • Champion's Carnival (1992, 1993)
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1983) – with Bruiser Brody
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1985) – with Ted DiBiase
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1988) – with Terry Gordy
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1989) – with Genichiro Tenryu
  • January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (1994)

• American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Other honoree (1996)

• Continental Wrestling Association
  • CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Columbus Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Tommy Rich (2) and Ole Anderson (1)

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)¹
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) – with Ole Anderson

• NWA Big Time Wrestling
  • NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Killer Tim Brooks

• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time) – with Frank Goodish

• National Wrestling Federation
  • NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2010

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Match of the Year (1976) vs. Bruno Sammartino on April 26
  • PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1976)
  • PWI ranked him #7 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Bruiser Brody in 2003
  • PWI ranked him #16 of the 500 best singles of the "PWI Years" in 2003

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1984) with Bruiser Brody vs. Dory and Terry Funk on December 8
  • 5 Star Match (1993) vs. Kenta Kobashi on July 29
  • Tag Team of the Year (1982) with Ole Anderson
  • Best Brawler (1985, 1990)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

¹Hansen won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship after Ted Turner purchased Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from Jim Crockett, Jr. and renamed the promotion World Championship Wrestling. Hansen's reign was also prior to the championship being renamed the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.

External links

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame profile of Stan Hansen