Stan Hansen

[10.0] "One of the most influential wrestlers in 2 continents, an absolute legend for a reason, a truly fun to watch worker with some fun, brutal matches under his belt, and one of the best iterations of a performance as a "southern bruiser" ever, absolutely unmistakable and totally believable. I will not hear a bad word about the body of work he left behind."

[10.0] "There's really nothing better in pro wrestling than a Big Mean Bastard, and Stan Hansen is the ultimate Big Mean Bastard. I mean, honestly, is there anything more gratifying than watching Hansen lariating fools into the shadow realm? Hansen had notoriously bad vision so he made up for it by never, ever pulling any of his strikes. When he hit you, he fucking hit you, and you needed to be triple-tough just to step into the ring with him. But more than that, the guy could work. Ridiculous cardio for a man built like a phone booth, and his selling was always so damn good. I loved his promos too, just unhinged Texan rage and camp. Great stuff. For me he's probably tied with Vader for best gaijin of the 20th century."

[10.0] "Big angry texan chewing tobacco dripping all down his body coming in to beat the shit out of the local babyface, just incredible. Also its funny that he made a career out of being blind and having to stiff everyone because he couldn't see if he missed someone or not"

[10.0] "Back in the day, if you wanted to be Triple Crown Champion, you had to beat Stan 'The Lariat' Hansen. A fantastic brawler, who could display some technical moves and even a suicide dive, Hansen was the ultimate gaijin in the King's Road era of AJPW, having great matches against Tsuruta, Kawada, Tenryu, Gordy, Williams and, in my opinion, his greatest rival, Kenta Kobashi. If you look his carrer in Japan, both in signles and tags, you can make a case that Hansen is the greatest gaijin in puro, beating guys like Omega, Ospreay, Funk, Brody, because not only he won several championships and tournaments, but he is the only man in history to beat both Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki in championship matches."

[7.0] "Not really my style - because I prefer people that help elevate others more than themselves but he absolutely helped make Big Van Vader/was inarguably the pivotal moment in Vader's career. Hansen also brought Lex Luger to Luger's pinnacle and their feud is underrated gold. I feel there was also strong chemistry and "eyes glued to the screen" stuff with Rick Martel. If he had a bigger hand in putting over other workers I would rate him even higher but I think he squandered his talent in the name of personal greed, still a solid 7 though - making Vader ranks high with me and good Stan Hansen can be excellent."

[8.0] "To make some things clear, I'm only really familiar with Stan's work in All Japan (and like 2 AWA matches), Stan had a varied career and I have some gaps. Stan was not a slick, stylish wrestler, Hansen was a big, brutal, mean bastard and I love it. Hansen's work was stiff and hard hitting which made his matches quite special and he often played the role of what I call the "test", by this I mean that if someone wanted to be a star in All Japan, they had to pass the "Hansen Test", both in kayfabe and in shoot, could they take and overcome a beating by this brute, and it makes for some good in-ring storytelling. I keep calling Hansen a brute or brutal but that is a good thing and shouldn't detract from the fact that Hansen was a pretty good worker who could work a decent pace with younger guys. Hansen is one of, if not the greatest Gaijin in Japanese wrestling history. Legend."

[9.0] "Stan Hansen is a name of legend. Very occasionally would he have an off day, and he could deliver classic after classic when he's on-form. The Western Lariat, even today, it a finisher to be feared. I think that he's best at playing the heel, and that run is more fondly remembered. I heard that Hangman Adam Page has cited Stan Hansen as one of his inspirations, and he sure as hell picked the right guy. Both have these dominant and violent cowboy characters, as well as a similar wrestling style."

[8.0] "Hansen is the best of the cowboy gimmicks out there, current day included. That said, a lot of his work most people will find boring. Me, personally, I am a fan of how he worked, but I can understand how it can also not be peoples cup of tea."

[10.0] "The last outlaw gunslinger. He was the ultimate American in the Puro scene. His lariat was The Lariat, violent, brutal, and beautiful."

[10.0] "So good, so freaking good in the ring. His booming voice and hard hitting style. The perfect American in Japan. Basing off his matches with Baba and Andre. One of very few people who could actually wrestle with Andre. An old school gem, one of the best. Such a good gimmick and look."

[7.0] "I got tired of Hansen quickly in my 90s All Japan Pro Wrestling watch, he can go hard occasionally, but way too often is dull as hell, and did not jell well with the style too well, especially against Mitsuharu Misawa - who had one of the worst rivalries I have watched through (truly terrible at times)."

"LOVE Stan Hansen! An absolute machine that never seemed gassed whether he fought 5 minutes or 30 minutes it was non-stop, hard-hitting action. Hansen and Brody is the most dominant tag team of all time IMO and both guys were massive draws everywhere they went."

[9.0] "This motherfucker can fucking Lariat the shit out of you and knock your head off of your body. Haven't seen much of his career, but he is an icon in Japan, and had a run with the AWA heavyweight title, His match with Hogan in 1990 was very good. The Lariat is one of the best finishers in wrestling."

[7.0] "If you need a guy for a slobberknocker, then this guy is the wrestler you call! Saw a few of his matches here in the US but he made his bones over in Japan and that's pretty unusual for an American wrestler to spent most of his career in Japan and become one of the most well known wrestlers of his day and could possibly be the best of the "cowboy" gimmicks. LARIATO!"

[10.0] "You gotta love Stan Hansen. The big tough Texan set the template for modern day hoss matches, and his work in Japan is legendary. Probably the best brawler to ever do it."

[9.0] "Nobody could brawl like Stan Hansen could. Absolutely perfect in the big gaijin heel role and was a great adversary to all the babyface heroes. He was on the stiff side thanks to his partial blindness but that suited the Japanese style of the time and right through the 80's and into the early 90's he was excellent."

[9.0] "Stan Hansen is one of the best brawlers of all time. His matches are always entertaining and have an element of realism and brutality to them due to his stiff strikes. His match with Kenta Kobashi is truly one of the best matches I? ve ever seen. If I saw more Stan Hansen I could easily give him a 10 but I? ll stick to a 9 for now"

[7.0] "An intimidating brawler, good at being a gaijin heel, and decent at psychology. Not spectacular, but was able to contribute to great moments."

[7.0] "Stan Hansen was a very good brawler, but he was somewhat limited because of him purely being a brawler. His move set was not very diverse. However, he was good at what he did, and he was involved in some great matches."

[10.0] "The last gunslinger in town. I love Stan. Every little thing he does just adds so much to any given situation."

[10.0] "Did this guy ever have a bad match' Or a bad promo' The answer is no. He's a hard hitting cowboy that is determined to make it look as real as possible and succeeds, the guy will lariat you to death just for crowd cheers."

[10.0] "Most likely Japan most beloved and legendary gaijin , has had quality matches with the likes of Kobashi , Kawada , Tenryu and Giant Baba .... an icon of puro."

[9.0] "Every gaijin wrestling in Japan for the rest of time will be rightly compared to "The Lariat". I'm not sure if he's the greatest American to wrestle there, but he's in the Top 3!"

[9.0] "Hansen was fantastic: never got a good grove in the early days but his later work was intense, unique, and unlike anyone else at the time. His brawling style mixed in with his size and presence made for remarkable matches when paired with a strong babyface as the monster foreigner, able to beat them down and grind them into submission with his ability to just stiff his opponents to death. Guy was such a heel that he turned all the other way and became a huge hit in Japan, one of their biggest stars for a pretty long while. Even today I'd say he's definitely still there in the top five in terms of popularity. Hansen wasn't perfect and a lot of his matches can be hit or miss: not everyone is able to convert Hansen's way of working into tangible good matches and he notably wasn't particularly strong when the other guy isn't a convincing face and many of his matches devolve into heatless arm work, but Hansen for the most part, either in a chaotic tag team with Brody or terrorising the Super Generation Army is great viewing, and even Hansen in his later years as a banged up and very limited vet is interesting in how he presents himself as a more vulnerable but still capable of smashing someone's head in version of himself. To this day I think no one has touched Hansen in terms of overall package, and I'm not sure we'll ever see someone like him again."

[8.0] "Fantastic wrestler in AJPW, for years Hansen become the go man and you can understand why. He was just no nonsense and put brute strength. The Lariat is still one of my favourite moves"

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers, certainly the best brawler, to have ever stepped into the ring. Everything Hansen did he did with gusto, investment and gravitas. Often imitated, never duplicated, a true one-of-a-kind act. My favourite wrestler of all time."

[10.0] "Great performer in the ring. He is legendary in the AWA and Japan. Great heel! He was one of the first wrestlers to bleed."

[10.0] "King of Lariat, supreme heel, and the Ultimate Cowboy: Stan Hansen! Hansen is the representation of old-school wrestling and Puroresu, the man is simply awesome."

[8.0] "Stan Hansen is definitely an acquired taste, because he doesn't do anything overtly fancy that immediately grabs your attention. But stick with him, and you'll be rewarded a classic old-school brawler, who has been part of some great matches."

[10.0] "A legend of the entire sport. From his iconic entrance to his stiff style including his lariat which is iconic by itself. Fantastic brawler with many classic matches in the USA and Japan. All time legend IMO."

[10.0] "I don't know what it is about Stan but good god I love him. His super stiff style along with his intense presence made for some unforgettable matches and moments. The fact he may be the most beloved gaijin of all time despite almost killing crowds during his entrance is some amazing stuff. Yes he did tend to get blown up easier than most all time greats but his body of work is still great. He is the reason I love Kobashi so much and that alone is enough for me"

[10.0] "In my opinion the greatest gainjin in Japanese wrestling history. Hansen was an awesome brawler and played the bully heel role to perfection. Also the guy has easily the best lariat I have ever seen."

[8.0] "Really enjoyed watching him perform. Hard hitting, stiff style with intensity. Although, he was better in tag teams as he would lose steam after awhile and get sloppy in singles matches. That costs him a point and of course the botch that almost ended Bruno's career drops a point."

[9.0] "Had the best clothesline (or Lariat) in the business whether he was in the states or Japan. Stan cemented himself as a hard hitting worker who put on some of the most physically brutal matches known to man. His bout with Vader is a hard watch but a perfect example."

[10.0] "A legend - Stan Hansen is one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, amazing offense, great selling when needed to - a total beast."

[10.0] "An absolute all time great, honestly he has a case for the best ever. His physicality is next level stuff, his aura is amazing, the intensity and violence he can bring is off the charts. He had a wonderful career in Japan but has many classics all around the world. He helped to shape modern puro more than most people realize. A legend in every way."

[10.0] "Hansen wasn't politically compatible to work in a North American promotion for very long. AWA actually gave him their title in hope he could save their dying company and Hansen said thank you but then promptly headed to Japan for a tour leaving AWA humiliated and forced to strip the title from him in absolute embarrassment. In the ring, Hansen didn't care who he was wrestling... he was going to be stiff. He took it as well as he gave it, but his matches were always going to be worked realistic. This made Hansen a huge favorite with certain audience. In Japan, Hansen would rank as one of their top 10 wrestlers of all time. In a company like WWE after the Hogan Era, Hansen would have really struggled to be much more than a mid-card act like Vader did. Personally, I love this type of wrestler and grade him a 10 but acknowledge that he never could have main evented one of the very large North American companies."

[10.0] "Stan Hansen was one of those guys that made Japanese Puroresu watchable in Japan. Although he was born an American, people consider him a Japanese legend. He definitely deserves this rating."

[10.0] "Stan "The Lariat" Hansen. When it comes to wrestling, this is a man who rivals Stone Cold Steve Austin as being the greatest badass from Texas. When working in America, he was a strong heel, but his potential was barely scratched there. In Japan, to this day, Stan Hansen remains one of the best gaijin wrestlers they've ever had. His entrance was awesome. Due to his poor eyesight, his stiffness was accidentally legendary. His Lariat finisher was as stiff as the swing of a baseball bat. He is on the list of men who have body slammed the Andre The Giant. When he was into his 40s, he was putting on some of the best matches of his career. Great respect for the guy. Fun to watch, and he was great on the mic as well."