[1991-02-24-WCW-Wrestle War '91] Big Van Vader vs Stan Hansen

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Really awesome sprint that got a great crowd reaction. Both guys worked like they would have in Japan. I think the American style could have taken a page from this at this point. Just two big monsters slugging the hell out of each other.

[shoe]

A pretty good brawl. The front row was eating up all the spots on the floor.

[Childs]

This was good while it lasted, but I'm not sure why they had to cut them off so quickly. The crowd seemed willing to get behind Vader based on their reaction to his flying clothesline after the bell. The ref's performance really irritated me here. I mean, why the fuck did he need to get between them when they were slugging it out on their knees? The crowd really hated that as a set-up for the double DQ, and I can't see how it did anyone any good.

[PeteF3]

Highlight here for me is Ross getting almost legitimately pissed at the brawling surrounding him while at the same time Dusty is positively giddy. This is fun but it ends almost as soon as it really gets going. They were on their way to something really memorable, too. The crowd is way into Vader at the end of this.

[Kevin Ridge]

Hansen gets hit with a corner splash which knocks out his chew. The ref lets them get away with the outside the ring brawling which bothered Ross. These guys just aren’t going to give us a clean finish. Not as good as their Japan matches as more the shorter abbreviation of their brawls from there.

[soup23]

Vader feels special for the first time in WCW. I really liked this match but it was too brief and the ref calling it off was annoying especially after they have highlighted this to be a conclusive rematch to the Tokyo Dome match.

[ajtroma]

Great match but the hell of it is, WCW never did a rematch between the two.

[garretta]

Was this something else or what? You don't often get brawls like this on American pay-per-view. They didn't even need blood to make this one intense, although it would have been nice if some blood had been allowed.

 

I think what annoyed JR wasn't the brawling outside so much as the fact that he was right in the middle of it. As he said on commentary, they don't pay him to be in the middle of matches like that. I can't blame him, really; one accidental shot from these guys and he's out of work for weeks if not months. Meanwhile, Dusty's only complaint is that they knocked over his cerveza.......er, water. (I'm fairly sure that "kielbasa" was a code word so that the Turner execs wouldn't know he was drinking on the air.)

 

I think the screwy finish was meant to protect both guys in Japan. After all, that was where they made their money, not here in the States. They could have stood to use a slightly bigger referee, though; Dusty was right in saying that Pee Wee Anderson looked like a child next to these two.

 

This wasn't nearly as good as their Tokyo Dome match, but it was a perfectly acceptable American substitute. I wonder if they tried to get Hansen back over here during Vader's World title run; those would have been some epic battles for sure.

[dawho5]

I love seeing these two tangle! It's too short, but let's face it. We all KNEW there was gonna be a screwy finish. Even if we never saw the match, there was no other option here. But the setup for the double DQ was ridiculous and needed to be more thought out.

[TheU_2001]

I looked forward to this match a lot when I was a kid and have seen it multiple times since then. I really enjoy it, even now. I wish it was a little longer, but its great for what it is. Also...Dustys commentary during this match is amazing and hilarious.

[TheU_2001]

Dusty says they knocked over my courvoisier (cognac) and then quickly says, I mean my water. So freaking funny.

[cactus]

The image of Stan Hansen pacing around the ring, whilst spitting chewing tobacco everywhere disgust me on a deep level.  These guys potato each other, but it's missing the flare that their famous NJPW brawl had as the crowd just aren't reacting to it. The referee throws this one out and rules it a double DQ and Vader and Hansen brawl to the back. This is a curiousity watch and nothing more. 

★★