If most adult males were faced with the prospect of tangling with a man the size of Big Van Vader, they'd elect to make like Usain Bolt and run a million miles in the opposite direction, sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them! It'd be like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park was chasing them, but Stan Hansen would likely prefer to go toe-to-toe with the beast, just like he did the monstrous Vader. During a co-promoted show between New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1990, Hansen hit Vader so hard that his eye literally popped out, landing on his cheek. Allow that image to sink in for a while, before enjoying your lunch over the visual of Vader simply stuffing his actual eye back into his socket. Pretty gross, right? Well, that was the risk of working with Stan Hansen, who could hit like a train. By far one of the most respected foreigners to ever work in the Orient, Hansen wasn't adverse to striking fans on his way to the ring, some of them even enjoyed it! Working an incredibly stiff style was second nature to the 'Texas Tough' American. There are numerous accounts of Hansen deliberately stiffing opponents, just so they'd hit back harder. That's tough.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
