Wrestlers With The Most World Titles (Across All Major Federations)

4 PWF World Heavyweight Championships

4 Triple Crown Heavyweight Championships

1 NWA International Heavyweight Championship

1 AWA World Heavyweight Championship

Stan Hansen is, with Vader, the most successful and accomplished gaijin in 20th century puroresu. He primarily owes this reputation to two decade-long stints in AJPW, one in the '80s, on in the '90s.

During his first run in AJPW, Hansen won the PWF Championship four times, twice by defeating Giant Baba who at the time didn't lose very often. In 1989 he faced Jumbo Tsuruta with the first ever Triple Crown title on the line and lost. He would get his hands on that title multiple times during his second run though, proving himself against All Japan's new generation of aces, most notably against Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada.

With his stiff, smash-mouth style and mad cowboy persona, Stan Hansen could've been a hit in '70s and '80s WWF. That was a course he was actually on as less than three months after making his debut for the WWWF, he faced Bruno Sammartino for the heavyweight title. We hesitate whether to open the next sentence with "unfortunately" or not: yes, Hansen broke Sammartino's neck and was fired shortly after, but all in all, it's what misleadingly gave birth to the reputation of his Lariat (he actually botched a powerslam) and it's what allowed him to go to Japan in a successful search of greater fortunes. Still, you can't help but wonder how Hansen would've fared in the Hulkamania era.