Bigger Draw: Stan Hansen or Bruiser Brody

[PsychoBlack]

Stab Hansen and Bruiser Brody came up together in the business. Hansen spent most of his time in Japan in between short stints in the states while Brody was constantly moving from territory to territory. Both of these men were often bought in to play the monster heel role and they both did it very well. Bruiser Brody became the highest paid wrestler in the world at one point and if it had not been for his untimely death he could have made a whole lot more money. When Brody was making all of that money Hansen was beating legends for world titles. In wrestling one thing holds true and that is money is everything, I want to know which of these guys made more.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Interesting, first thing tho, and I normally never pull up on this but Stab Hansen? bit of an unfortunate mistake with how Brody died... but...

I don't think we ever saw enough of either man on the "biggest" stages to class either as a nationwide draw... Both are fiercely respected and were great brawlers... Both were revered in Japan but to the majority of "Golden Age" and Later fans were overlooked or just a tragic tale...

Of the two, if I had to pick, I'd say Brody... He could write his own ticket anywhere in the world in the years prior to Hogan was one of the few who still could after... I think had he not died we would have seen him battle Hogan in 1988, perhaps Savage would not have got the belt when he did, or maybe Warrior... he would have drawn for WWE without question... Hansen couldn't really draw in the US, hence he stayed in Japan... where he rightly was respected and drew large, but he could never replicate that Stateside... again, had he gone to WWE in the late 80's as a heel against Hogan, yes he could have... but on balance Brody did more all round than Hansen, especially bums on seats wise...

 

[wrestling fan 666]

Without a doubt, Brody. He was just like Andre where he was not only a wrestler, but an attraction everywhere he went. He put butts in the seats.

 

[VencomHardcore]

Bruiser Was the Bigger Draw !

He was a major force everywhere he went. He was the top bill in WCCW at the height of thier success and had some of the most intense hardcore battles with Abdullah in Georgia Championship Wrestling and in Puerto Rico. Bruiser was loved even as a heel.

But he was killed untimely. Everyone said Carlito's and Primo's Dad, Carlos Colon had something to do with it. Although no one ever proved it. But Bruiser was the man.

He had an original look, was a great brawler and was a main eventer everywhere. Plus the man was Hard Core before there was the term hardcore wrestling.

Stan was awesome but never could draw major heat outside of the southern us where he was very big and a major draw fro the NWA.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Stan Hansen easily. Brody was big on the territory circuit, and he was also quite big in Japan, but he never touched Hansen's accomplishments and drawing power in AJPW. Brody was an awesome wrestler and he should be remembered for being way ahead of his time, not for the modest amount of money he was able to bring to the till.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

Without a doubt, Brody. He was just like Andre where he was not only a wrestler, but an attraction everywhere he went. He put butts in the seats.

Bruiser Brody had some crazy matches against Iron Mike Dibiase, Killer Kowalski, Dick the Bruiser and many more from the Midwest territories.

The Cowboy Stan Hansen did have a great run. He teamed up with some of the best. Also, Stan Hansen had a vicious clothesline aka lariat. It only matters where the territory is located. Stan ran the South and Mid-Atlantic, but Bruiser had the Midwest and the Northeast.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Stab Hansen and Bruiser Brody came up together in the business. Hansen spent most of his time in Japan in between short stints in the states while Brody was constantly moving from territory to territory. Both of these men were often bought in to play the monster heel role and they both did it very well. Bruiser Brody became the highest paid wrestler in the world at one point and if it had not been for his untimely death he could have made a whole lot more money. When Brody was making all of that money Hansen was beating legends for world titles. In wrestling one thing holds true and that is money is everything, I want to know which of these guys made more.

Well, I feel bad that you never got to see Bruiser Brody in the ring before (at least not on old tapes). I was a little kid the only time I got to see this guy, but let me put it this way. With people like Hulk Hogan and Savage, you got that "sports entertainment" fake feeling. With somebody like Bruiser Brody, I got the "wrestling is real" feeling from seeing him perform. And many people did too, he drew everywhere he went.

Now, I liked Stan Hansen a lot too, but he as the other guys said he really only made a serious mark in Japan, where he was a legend. If you were to put a poster up with Stan Hansen vs anyone not already famous. It wouldn't draw shit outside of Japan. Bruiser Brody back in the 80's Outside of Los Angeles and New York could face Barry Horowitz and still sell out the joint anywhere.

 

[boozinjedi]

I think the nod goes to Brody,When you went to one of his matches you had absolutely no idea of what would happen!!

I still think that IF he had lived...Brody would have LOVED the original ECW!!
He would've been happier than a pig in shit!
He would've been elevated to damn near God-like status in front of those crazies!!

 

[Big Smack]

Both were bad asses! I was lucky to see Bruiser Brody on WCCW several times against Kamala, tag teaming w Kerry Von Erich vs the Freebirds and several other feuds. Stan Hansen I only saw snippets of in AWA and WCW, though from the mags I read in the late 80's he was much bigger in Japan, as was Brody. I think we're lucky to have both guys who were "wrestlers" and not "sports entertainers". Both should be in the WWE Hall of Fame ASAP!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This is something that might be too close to call. Some will undoubtedly go with Brody because they simply like him more and vice versa for Stan Hansen. We honestly don't know how much money each guy drew and most of what we have to go by is based on how visible they were.

Stan Hansen spent most of his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling with an occassional run in the United States. Hansen is and remains a wrestling god in Japan and has had more success in AJPW than any other foreign wrestler before or since. Probably his most memorable accomplishments among American fans includes a 180 day run as AWA World Heavyweight Champion and a 50 day run as NWA United States Heavyweight Champion. Of course he did win more straps in America, but those are easily the two most prestigious.

Bruiser Brody was pretty much always a free agent. He never stayed tied to any particular company for too long and was always on the move. Brody was a huge star no matter where he went whether it be Japan, United States, Puerto Rico, etc. and was a big draw wherever he went. Brody was also a huge star in AJPW like Hansen but Brody's biggest success in general was probably in World Class Championship Wrestling. I've read accounts that, in 1985, Brody was earning $14,000 a week as a result of a bidding war between All Japan and New Japan. Even today, 25 years later, making $14,000 a week in any profession is damn good money. But this is in 1985 dollars so that was just a huge sum at the time. If the $14,000 per week story is true, then Brody must've been a huge draw in Japan in order to command that type of salary.

Based on that, I think I'd have to give the edge to Brody. There's no real way of knowing which of these two legendary brawlers was the bigger draw, but the story about Brody's huge pay in Japan in the mid 80s does give some indication of just how big of a draw Brody was.

 

[DangerousDave]

I've see Hansen and Brody live at the old Eddie Graham Stadium in Orlando. Both were badass brawlers and the house was always full when they were there. From my prospective its hard to say which one was the biggest draw, at least in Orlando My favorite of the two was Hansen. When he was on the card I knew I was going to see some ass whooped that night. Hansen looked like he would kick your ass just for looking at him wrong. The Lariat was one of the most devastating moves in wrestling. Brody always put on a good show too.