That was another fun re-revisit to some forgotten memories for me! The NJPW stuff back then I only heard back second hand or read about, as I never did tape trading back then. I found it interesting what a huge name Stan Hansen was in Japan and in the U.S. it was limited on where he appeared when I watched in his prime. What's your take on why WWF or NWA never made a play for him back then?
Hansen did have stints in the WWF, AWA, and NWA/WCW, but he didn't stay long, likely because he planted roots in Japan and just made too much money there. That, and in the case of the AWA and WCW, there were booking and creative disagreements that led to him leaving.
Hansen also worked a very stiff style that he would have had to severely tone down if he went back to the WWF, especially during the boom period of the 1980s.
Yes, that’s right, I remember reading about the WWWF stint in the 1976 where he broke Bruno Sammartini’s neck and his return there in the early ‘80s. The AWA stint I remember well because I was watching AWA back then and recall the abrupt way he disappeared from TV as champion. However, I completely forgot about that WCW stint he had. That’s an interesting insight you gave on why he wasn’t in the WWF mass recruiting wave of the mid-’80s. One of the many things I like about your substack is your attention to detail in a way that brings back forgotten wrestling memories!
That was another fun re-revisit to some forgotten memories for me! The NJPW stuff back then I only heard back second hand or read about, as I never did tape trading back then. I found it interesting what a huge name Stan Hansen was in Japan and in the U.S. it was limited on where he appeared when I watched in his prime. What's your take on why WWF or NWA never made a play for him back then?
Glad you enjoyed the article!
Hansen did have stints in the WWF, AWA, and NWA/WCW, but he didn't stay long, likely because he planted roots in Japan and just made too much money there. That, and in the case of the AWA and WCW, there were booking and creative disagreements that led to him leaving.
Hansen also worked a very stiff style that he would have had to severely tone down if he went back to the WWF, especially during the boom period of the 1980s.
Yes, that’s right, I remember reading about the WWWF stint in the 1976 where he broke Bruno Sammartini’s neck and his return there in the early ‘80s. The AWA stint I remember well because I was watching AWA back then and recall the abrupt way he disappeared from TV as champion. However, I completely forgot about that WCW stint he had. That’s an interesting insight you gave on why he wasn’t in the WWF mass recruiting wave of the mid-’80s. One of the many things I like about your substack is your attention to detail in a way that brings back forgotten wrestling memories!
AWA question - do you know if anyone owns the rights to the AWA name & tape library?
WWE bought all the assets and tape library in 2003.
Shame. Thanks for the answer