The legendary Stan Hansen recently spoke with Tokyo Sports following his guest appearance at All Japan Pro Wrestling’s 50th Anniversary show, an event that was headlined by Kento Miyahara and Suwama competing for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Title.
During his interview Hansen shared some advice for the current AJPW roster, where the WWE Hall of Famer tells them to keep up the tradition of Japanese-Style wrestling. Highlights are below.
On his recent appearance at AJPW’s 50th Anniversary event and getting to watch the show’s main event:
It was a pleasure to come to Japan for the first time in three years and witness a great match at the Nippon Budokan, which holds fond memories for me. I was honored that the fans remembered me and my signature pose. The longhorn pose is like my trademark. This was the first time I saw a match live [of Miyahara’s], and I felt he had a lot of potential and I was very impressed. I think he will become an even better wrestler if he absorbs the good points of the Four Heavenly Kings, such as Kenta Kobashi and Toshiaki Kawada, as well as various other wrestlers, and establishes his own style. Of course, his opponent Suwama was also a good wrestler.
What advice he has for the current AJPW roster:
I want to tell them to respect their own wrestling style. It is important to keep up with the historical and traditional Japanese wrestling style without being influenced by American style or other styles. The Japanese style that Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba and myself have been doing is the best in the world.