Stan "The Lariat" Hansen

[It's...Baylariat!]

When I created my profile name, I didn't really expect the recognition I received for being a huge Stan Hansen mark, but it really was a welcome site.

I only knew of "The Bad Man from Borger" through his days in WCW, when he stormed through the company like a damn tornado in a trailer park. Waiving his bull rope and having half a chew of Red Man hanging out of his mouth. I was about 8 or 9 at the time and he scared the shit out of me. Seriously. Him talking during his promos made me uneasy because he sounded like he was mad at me personally. Anyway...

What I didn't know was how decorated he was. In Japan, he was an icon. Pinning Giant Baba AND Antonio Inoki isn't a small feat in Japanese standards. As a matter of fact, Hansen might have been the only non-Japanese man to pin Baba. I might be wrong, but if he's not the only one, he's in select company. He was a Triple Crown Winner, too. AND he's a recognized former world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight title until being politicked out of it by Bockwinkel and Verne Gagne.

The fact is I believe Stan Hansen goes down as one of the most underrated pro wrestlers in history. The reason being that he didn't wrestle enough in America. If he would have, I think he would have been a world champion. In Japan, he slammed Andre the Giant, fought Hulk Hogan during his prime, beat up on Vader something awful, beat on Steve "Dr. Death" Williams. THAT in itself is impressive. "Dr. Death" was a mean SOB. He ended Luger's nearly two year run as NWA United States Champion. He also teamed with Bruiser Brody and raised pure hell with every other tag team in Japan...and I know it's a bold statement, but if Hansen were with Brody in Puerto Rico, I truly believe that Brody might not have been stabbed and even if Brody was, Hansen would have done something about it. That's how feared the man was.

Anyway, I thought this deserved a thread. I want to know what everyone thinks of Hansen as a wrestler. How big was his impact on wrestling? Could he have been big in the USA? And what do you think is his best match?

 

[CKO]

i remember the chew and him whipping that rope and bell around too lol. i remember thinking to myself (a little girl all grossed out) ewwwww what's that stuff coming out of his mouth? he scared me too..he was also credited for breaking bruno sanmartino's neck with his lariat...it was actually a botched bodyslam...but who cares!! lol i'll go with the lariat breaking his neck.

as a wrestler, he was in fact very feared and respected in japan and around the world, except for the US, which is very sad. you would think he'd be up there with hogan, andre and flair...but no. Tokyo Dome show on February 10, 1990, Hansen infamously squared off against Big Van Vader in what would become one of the most legendary stiff contests of all time; 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. fun huh?\\

as far as puerto rico and brusier brody...he might have been able to help brody, but i think brody's fate was already set in stone and no one would have been able to save him. if they wouldnt have gotten him that night...it would have been another unfortunately.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

He also slammed Terry Funk into a river. A RIVER! And the Lariat's taken down the best in the business. He's also put over some people, too. He even let Hogan beat him with HIS lariat. He did what was best for everyone, not for Hansen. He was very loyal to whomever he worked for.

The story with him being stripped of the AWA Title was that Hansen didn't want to do the job to Bockwinkel because he never got to defend the belt for Giant Baba's AJPW at the time. He had matches booked for the company, only to have Gagne tell him he was to drop the belt to Bockwinkel at Wrestlerock or some shit. So, Hansen called Baba, asked him if it was alright to drop the belt. Baba said no. Hansen went back to Japan with the belt and defended it anyway. LOL

Eventually, he received a notice of a lawsuit to be filed if he kept defending the belt. So Hansen sent it back, ran over by his truck. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

What might have been for Hansen in America.

 

[Rizza]

Sadly, I never got to see Hansen wrestle on T.V when I was younger as I started watching wrestling around Wrestlemania 14, but what i have seen on youtube and daily motion alone has made me a huge fan.I believe i first came across Hansen in a Top Ten Lariat video, and it was history from there. I was amazed at the skill this super heavyweight had and I loved his vicious brawling, but what i liked about Stan he was more then that, he was a very gifted ring technician even though he never gets any recognition for it.

My very Favorite match involving Stan Hansen is Kenta Kobashi & Akira Taue vs Hansen and Misawa, Im not sure of the event but it took place in 94, this match had it all brawling, Mat wrestling, a good pace of action, and of course a nasty Lariat to end the match. My Favorite One on One Match with Stan Hansen is him vs Misawa in 92 for the Triple Crown Championship,I could go on about how great that match is but any body who has seen it knows that match was just amazing. Stan Hansen is defintly legendary and IMO is the blueprint for the brawler type wrestler.

 

[The Great Gouki]

Stan Hansen is the reason it's called a "Lariat" in Japan......just brutal...then Kenta Kobashi "inherited" it....his is just as brutal lol!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In terms of technical capability, Hansen maybe have been even less polished than Hulk Hogan. However, that was really what made him stand out during his career. According to Hansen, the reason he always worked so stiffly was because, without his glasses, he could barely see two feet in front of him. He always figured that, since he couldn't see well enough to throw a convincing shot, it'd be better to potato the guy rather than look too fake. Whatever the reason, if you couldn't take a stiff shot, you'd be better off not wrestling Hansen.

Hansen is possibly the most successful and honored caucasian wrestler to ever step foot in a Japanese ring. Stan with his cowboy hat, loud manner, sometimes carrying a bullwhip and tobacco juice running down his chin was something Japanese fans had never seen before. Though he's still well known in the U.S., the reason he stayed in Japan, primarily, was because he was making a fucking fortune while wrestling for Giant Baba.

Hansen must've been a big draw for Gagne's AWA, because Hansen is the last guy he'd slap his world championship on. Gagne always thought that the world champion should be the one with the most actual wrestling skill. I guess he must've learned a few things after the debacle with Hulk Hogan. I also remember Hansen had a notable role in the movie No Holds Barred. While the movie was the biggest piece of shit to come out in the last 1980s, Hansen was a crack up as the disgustingly slovenly brawler named Bubba. In many ways, Hansen reminded me of Stone Cold Steve Austin throughout his career. His character was a loud, abrasive, disrespectful Texas redneck that'd be willing to go after anybody.

 

[MattMoses]

Stan Hansen is indeed one of the most underrated workers in history. The amount of great matches, what he's achieved in pro wrestling and how respected this man is matched by very few. It's about time this thread was made, and hopefully some people can learn a few things about "The Man", as he was commonly known in Japan. I wasn't going to write up much, because I was saving it for the tournament, but screw it. He shouldn't have a problem with Christian at least.

He is a world champion. Stan has won many titles, but the only world title people seem to think he won of any worth was the AWA title. This reign is often cited as worthless, because of how he lost the title. The fact is, it was a very solid six month title reign where he put on a selection of his best work during that decade. He was ultimately stripped of the title because he started to defend it in Japan without permission from the AWA. Some people have and may complain about how the AWA title had lost all worth at this point, and to some degree, it did. But it doesn't change the fact that it was a decently lengthy, solid world title reign.

He ended the longest US title reign in the belts history. Yes, we all know the US title has now become a joke, but back in 1990, it was pretty much the opposite. The title had been traded back and forth with the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Tully Blanchard, Ricky Steamboat and so on. What made this so impressive was to have Luger, who had been prevalent for well over a year, lost to a dominating Hansen who had been in the company for less than two months. This made Hansen instantly one of the top guys in the company, but sadly things didn't work out, and he went back to Japan.

He is the most decorated, dominant non-Japanese worker in the history of Japanese wrestling. Hansen has beaten everybody there is to beat in Japan. And I mean, everybody. Nobody in Japan has EVER defeated both Inoki and Baba for world titles, with the exception of this man. He also holds wins over the likes of Jumbo Tsuruta, Riki Chōshū, Genichiro Tenryu, Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi. He's also a member of the Puroresu Hall of Fame.

He was also a four time PWF World Heavyweight Champion. While most of you won't have a clue what this title is, it was actually the top world heavyweight title in Japan for sixteen years. It was contended and won by between the likes of Terry Funk, Giant Baba, Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race and Pat 'O Connor. It later lost its status as a world championship, but Hansen won this title a record amount four times along with Baba before that. Consider this title at one point a world championship or not, it was the top prize in Japan for a long time.

He's also a four time All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight champion, sixth of all-time in terms of combined length. This is the top championship in AJPW, and arguably (the IWGP title is the top prize in NJPW) the most prestigous championship in Japan today. On top of this, he's a former eight time AJPW Unified World Tag-Team champion, with the likes of Ted DiBiase and Terry Gordy. Also a four time World's Strongest Tag Team League champion, being a part of very dominant teams with the likes of Bruiser Brody and Genichiro Tenryu. A two-time Champion's Carnival tournment winner. This shows how much stamina the man had, competing in three matches in the same night in both tournaments and winning - and he was well into his 40's!

I could carry on about how great Stan Hansen was, but I'll leave it at this for now. Hopefully he goes far in the WZ tournament, perhaps even getting a upset win over Vader if he advances.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Tokyo Dome show on February 10, 1990, Hansen infamously squared off against Big Van Vader in what would become one of the most legendary stiff contests of all time; 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.

Well geez, if you are going to plagarize Wikipedia, at least quote and give them credit. Or paraphrase, that's what I do.

Hansen should be remembered as a Japanese legend. And that's no bad thing - the idea that he won a title via pinfall from Inoki is impressive, because Inoki is a beast.

And don't get me wrong, despite his gross and borderline sickening under rating of The Greatest Superheavyweight of All Time in Big Van Vader, our rookie sensation Mr. Lariato is a welcomed addition and a refreshing voice uncovering the legend of Stan Hansen.

Let's also call a spade a spade. Hansen, while talented, is a man who nearly cost the world Bruno Sammartino after breaking his neck with a bodyslam gone awry. Isn't part of professional wrestling to protect your opponent? Vader broke a jobber back because the jobber didn't know how to also protect himself - Hansen nearly killed one of the biggest legends the sport has ever seen because he screwed up a simple piledriver.

And let's also not give Hansen TOO MUCH credit for being a stiff worker or a tough guy. The dude was blind as a bat. It was more important to him to hit a move than to miss and make it look awkward, so he routinely put his opponents in harm's way. You cannot discount that.

The Lariat is a damn fine wrestler and one of the 100 greatest international stars of all time. But in the US, he was little more than a disgruntled AWA champion and another generic attempt at the redneck Texas toughguy with a bullrope.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

And it's sad that he's seen that way, too...and I'll give you the Bruno thing. He was too winded to wrestle a long match and he simply couldn't hold Samartino up. Poor conditioning led to that. HOWEVER, Hansen wasn't exactly a genetic freak either. Fact is, he compensated for his poor eyesight by beating the hell out of everyone. And he made it look good, too.

In America, he's known as a backer, chewing redneck who had the AWA title and US Title, which translates into mediocre for the average American wrestling fan. In Japan, no American was bigger. Not Hogan, Andre, or Norton. HANSEN!

And for your enjoyment, simply go to YouTube and search for "Hansen Funk River". It's simply a priceless match.

 

[Pearljamming72]

A dream match that I never thought of until now: Stan,Vader,Dr.Death, and Terry Gordy vs. Flair,Tully, Arn, and Windham in a Last Team Standing Hell In A Cell (set in the 80s when they were all in their prime)...I remember when I first saw Stan the Lariat wrestle. Lex Luger was being groomed as the next World Champion after Magnum TA was paralyzed when this foul mouthed crazy slob from Texas came out and cleaned Luger's clock. Not a sneaking win, no interference, Stan just came out and pummeled Luger within an inch of his life, blasted him with his patented clothesline and won the US title clean and in the center of the ring. Luger won it back a few months later in a bullrope match, but up until then I had never seen anyone come in and just manhandle the Total Package like that. Vader did the same to Sting when he first appeared in WCW. Stan's interview on the AWA dvd was classic: he said something like I Have A Fat Wife And 9 Kids At Home To Feed!!..He was a believable ring persona: a short fused brawler who wanted to win as fast as possible for the winner's paycheck. No moonsaults when a punch in the mouth was easier and more effective. Come to think about it, I'd say Goldberg was a polished up version of Stan. Bill and Stan both went out to dominate..Okay new dream match: Stan Hansen vs. Bill Goldberg!!