Word is that Swede Hanson and Rip Hawk wrestled in several territories and won several tag team titles in the 60's and 70's. The one match I saw Swede knock someone off the stretcher was Frank Williams. He then gave Williams a second piledriver. The next week they actually interviewed Williams who said he would not step in the ring with Swede again. But he did.
Swede Hansen was sort of like Iron Mike Sharpe in that he would be pitted constantly against jobbers and weaker mid-carders so that he could accumulate an impressive winning record that more or less lacked in substance. As with Sharpe, his popularity as a heel did not catch on, and he was gradually demoted down the pecking order.
It seemed during the latter part of his WWF career, Hansen was always wrestling Italian Salvatore Bellomo, another jobber. I must have seen those two at least four or five times on TV going at it.
Swede got a big push for a bit, then they moved him quickly down the pecking order, turned him babyface, then turned him jobber. Another commenter mentioned Hansen's heyday in the late '60s - early '70s with Rip Hawk. I'd like to see some old footage of them from that era. Gotta laugh at the sound of the ring bell at the end of the match - sounds like someone banged an old metal ashtray with a stick.
@frankmaiorana66 Swede and Rip were a great heel team for the Mid-Atlantic territory before they got away from tag teams.
ccie12933 1 month ago
That was a pretty innovative finisher for 'Big Swede'!
MrCarl220 1 month ago
Word is that Swede Hanson and Rip Hawk wrestled in several territories and won several tag team titles in the 60's and 70's. The one match I saw Swede knock someone off the stretcher was Frank Williams. He then gave Williams a second piledriver. The next week they actually interviewed Williams who said he would not step in the ring with Swede again. But he did.
frankmaiorana66 1 month ago
i forgot about pete sanchez!! when i was a kid i loved the underdog
metalicult 4 months ago
Anyone have any matches of Swede Hansen kicking the wrestlers off the stretcher? He did that when he first came to the WWF.
TakeAShowerStinky 4 months ago
Great catch at 4:33 Sweede should have given Sanchez a bearhug at that point.
scooter167 6 months ago
Swede Hansen was sort of like Iron Mike Sharpe in that he would be pitted constantly against jobbers and weaker mid-carders so that he could accumulate an impressive winning record that more or less lacked in substance. As with Sharpe, his popularity as a heel did not catch on, and he was gradually demoted down the pecking order.
spartacus3ful 7 months ago
It seemed during the latter part of his WWF career, Hansen was always wrestling Italian Salvatore Bellomo, another jobber. I must have seen those two at least four or five times on TV going at it.
Dietpepsivanilla 9 months ago
Swede got a big push for a bit, then they moved him quickly down the pecking order, turned him babyface, then turned him jobber. Another commenter mentioned Hansen's heyday in the late '60s - early '70s with Rip Hawk. I'd like to see some old footage of them from that era. Gotta laugh at the sound of the ring bell at the end of the match - sounds like someone banged an old metal ashtray with a stick.
elc1960 1 year ago
Swede Hansen was raw-boned
JoeyPencils 1 year ago