10 Wrestlers Who Refused To Drop Titles
6. Stan Hansen Refused To Drop The AWA World Championship Due To Creative Differences
When Stan Hansen dethroned Rick Martel to become the new AWA World Heavyweight Champion in December 1985, the result was a two-fold surprise as Hansen was a far bigger name in Japan, where he competed the most throughout his career. Martel had been a dominant champion for 595 days, and even Hansen couldn't believe it when he was told he was getting the title.
Stan Hansen had a six-month run with the title, but was reportedly not a fan of his booking as he had gotten tired of competing in squash matches without any significant storylines. Coupled with monetary issues, Hansen refused to lose the title when AWA told him to drop it to Nick Bockwinkel.
As Bockwinkel revealed in the WWE documentary The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, despite being the AWA World Champion, Stan Hansen's loyalty remained with AJPW promoter Giant Baba, who had booked Hansen to defend the title at various AJPW shows.
When Hansen told Baba about dropping the title to Nick Bockwinkel, the Japanese promoter didn't allow Hansen to do the job. With Hansen refusing to lose the title, AWA didn't have any choice but to strip Hansen of the title and award it to Bockwinkel.