IC_Champion
Member
His legacy isn't that great world-wide, and I'm probably a bit biased being a huge mark for the man, but I respect the hell out of Stan Hansen - not only is he a living legend in Japan for epitomising the wild and crazy gaijin wrestler style of puroresu's heyday, but he also had a significant hand in making stars of Kobashi & Misawa, two of the greatest wrestlers of their generation, hell, of all-time. Stan was in a position to do so primarily because of how well he protected himself and his character, and because Baba respected Stan as a straight shooter and an honest businessman. Stan signed on with All Japan for a month-long tour in 1981 and worked for the promotion for 20 years without ever signing another contract, simply because of how much Baba trusted Hansen. But what I respect most about Hansen is that he took his opportunities, carved out a niche for himself in Japan, made his money and got the hell out of wrestling before it destroyed him, like it did to so many of his contemporaries. He mentions in his book how he liked going out to bars with Andre, because Andre would always insist on picking up the tab, while Stan was always saving and scrimping his money, sending it back home. Guess it worked out for him, as he hasn't once needed to return to the ring since he retired over a decade ago.
Hansen > Flair.
*edit, oh, hey Keyser, welcome back - hope your busted foot doesn't keep you on the shelf for too long.
Agreed