Swede Hanson (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Robert Fort Hanson was an American
professional wrestler
best known by his ring name
Swede Hanson. He spent much of his career wrestling as part of a tag team
with Rip Hawk
. Together, they held championships in four different promotions
.
Hanson and Hawk were heel
(villain) wrestlers and competed against some of the most popular teams of their time. They later feuded
with each other when Hawk found a new partner after Hanson suffered a legitimate heart attack
. Hanson retired in 1986 and lived in South Carolina until his death in 2002.
. He attended high school until his senior year; although he was offered a football scholarship to Wake Forest University
, he declined the offer and stopped attending school. His mother was struggling financially, so Hanson became an aircraft mechanic to help his family. He also competed as an amateur boxer, and he compiled a 61–3 record in New Jersey Golden Gloves
competitions.
) in Paterson, New Jersey
against Miguel Torres in 1957. Hanson was sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
to compete while he continued to develop his skills. While there, he wrestled against Bruno Sammartino
in Sammartino's debut match.
He was later hired by Jim Crockett
and move to the Carolinas
to compete. While there, he began teaming with Rip Hawk to form a tag team known as the "Blond Bombers
". They competed as heels
(villains) and were hated by the crowds. During appearances, fans would throw acid or threaten them with knives and guns. In one attack, Hanson was stabbed in the leg and required 72 stitches. Hawk taught Hanson a throw called the reverse neckbreaker
, which saw Hanson stand back-to-back with his opponent, clasp his hands under the opponent's chin, and fall to the ring floor while pulling the opponent with him. This became Hanson's signature manoeuvre that he used in most matches.
Hanson remained silent during the team's interviews while Hawk did most of the talking. The team won its first title on August 3, 1965, when they defeated Hiro Matsuda
and Duke Keomuka
to win the Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. They also competed in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
, where they became the inaugural NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Champions
. They held the title belts four times between 1968 and 1971 while feuding with George Becker and Johnny Weaver
. During that time, they also won the IWA World Tag Team Championship
while competing in Tasmania
. While in the Carolinas, Hanson and Hawk spent a lot of time with Ric Flair
when Flair entered the wrestling business. Hawk stated that Flair used to cause trouble for the group, including one incident in which Flair flirted with the girlfriend of a Mafia
member. Hanson and Hawk used their friendship with the Mafia member to help Flair escape from being killed in revenge.
In 1971, Hanson suffered a heart attack and had to take time away from wrestling. After returning, he formed a tag team with Super Destroyer
. The partnership was short lived, as Super Destroyer later turned on Hanson. As a result, Hanson become a face
(fan favorite) and the two feuded for several months. In 1974, Hanson and his new partner, Tiger Conway, Jr., began a feud with Hawk and Ric Flair. The series of matches later evolved into singles matches that pitted former partners Hanson and Hawk against each other. Hanson later became a less high-profile wrestler and was given the role of putting over new wrestlers in the promotion. Hanson left the territory for a while but later returned with a new gimmick. He had frizzy hair and wore psychedelic clothes while teaming with Gene Anderson
and Sgt. Jacques Goulet
.
Hanson and Hawk later reformed their team and competed together in the Amarillo, Texas
-based NWA Western States Sports. While there, they won the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
three times. Hanson's final title reign was the only one that did not involve Hawk, as he teamed with The Hangman in Montreal
, Quebec
to win the International Wrestling International Tag Team Championship in 1981. Hanson then returned to McMahon's New England
-based Capitol Wrestling, which had since become the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Using the gimmick of a redneck
, complete with long hair and a Confederate flag, he competed for the WWF until his retirement in 1986.
and Angelo Mosca
to help boost their careers. He and Hawk also helped popularize the quick tag, which saw them trading places in the ring every few seconds to remain energized while their opponents became worn down.
on five acres of land in Fort Mill, South Carolina
. He was later engaged to a woman named Patsy Hughes.
During his wrestling career, Hanson also worked in construction and had a position as a bouncer
. After retiring from wrestling, Hanson worked a series of jobs. He was a trainer
at a fitness center and later returned to construction work. His final position was as manager of a nightclub
. Hanson also participated in several golf tournaments to raise money for charities.
In his later life, Hanson suffered from diabetes and Alzheimer's disease
. He also had high blood pressure and heart problems. He was hospitalized in Columbia, South Carolina
in October 2001 due to dementia
and died from Sepsis, on February 19, 2002.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
best known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Swede Hanson. He spent much of his career wrestling as part of a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Rip Hawk
Rip Hawk
Harvey Maurice Evers is a retired American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the...
. Together, they held championships in four different promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
.
Hanson and Hawk were heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
(villain) wrestlers and competed against some of the most popular teams of their time. They later feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with each other when Hawk found a new partner after Hanson suffered a legitimate heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. Hanson retired in 1986 and lived in South Carolina until his death in 2002.
Early life
Hanson was born in East Orange, New JerseyEast Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
. He attended high school until his senior year; although he was offered a football scholarship to Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, he declined the offer and stopped attending school. His mother was struggling financially, so Hanson became an aircraft mechanic to help his family. He also competed as an amateur boxer, and he compiled a 61–3 record in New Jersey Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
competitions.
Career
Boxing and professional wrestling promoter Willie Gilzenberg discovered Hanson and convinced him to compete in wrestling. He trained with George Tragos and debuted in Capitol Wrestling (now World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
) in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
against Miguel Torres in 1957. Hanson was sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to compete while he continued to develop his skills. While there, he wrestled against Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
in Sammartino's debut match.
He was later hired by Jim Crockett
Jim Crockett
James Allen Crockett was a professional wrestling promoter sometimes known as Jim Crockett, Sr. or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim".-Early life:...
and move to the Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
to compete. While there, he began teaming with Rip Hawk to form a tag team known as the "Blond Bombers
Blond Bombers
The Blond Bombers is a name used by several tag teams in professional wrestling. The first team to use the name was the combination of Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson. It was later used by Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens, who began teaming in 1965...
". They competed as heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
(villains) and were hated by the crowds. During appearances, fans would throw acid or threaten them with knives and guns. In one attack, Hanson was stabbed in the leg and required 72 stitches. Hawk taught Hanson a throw called the reverse neckbreaker
Neckbreaker
In professional wrestling a neckbreaker is any throw or slam that focuses its attack on the opponent’s neck. One type of neckbreaker involves the wrestler slamming an opponent's neck against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee, head or shoulder...
, which saw Hanson stand back-to-back with his opponent, clasp his hands under the opponent's chin, and fall to the ring floor while pulling the opponent with him. This became Hanson's signature manoeuvre that he used in most matches.
Hanson remained silent during the team's interviews while Hawk did most of the talking. The team won its first title on August 3, 1965, when they defeated Hiro Matsuda
Yasuhiro Kojima
was a professional wrestler and the trainer of Hulk Hogan, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Keiji Mutoh, and many other professional wrestlers. He was better known as Hiro Matsuda, an identity he adopted while competing in the southern U.S., inspired by earlier wrestlers...
and Duke Keomuka
Hisao Tanaka
Hisao "Martin" Tanaka was a professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestler Pat Tanaka and referee Jimmy Tanaka.-Career:In the 1950s, Duke Keomuka formed a very successful tag team with Hiro Matsuda...
to win the Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version)
The Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1961 until 1969.-Title history:-See also:*National Wrestling Alliance*NWA World Tag Team Championship*Florida Championship Wrestling...
. They also competed in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
, where they became the inaugural NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Champions
NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is the tag team title currently defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
. They held the title belts four times between 1968 and 1971 while feuding with George Becker and Johnny Weaver
Johnny Weaver
Kenneth Eugene Weaver was a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator in the National Wrestling Alliance, better known by his ring name, Johnny Weaver...
. During that time, they also won the IWA World Tag Team Championship
IWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)
The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
while competing in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. While in the Carolinas, Hanson and Hawk spent a lot of time with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
when Flair entered the wrestling business. Hawk stated that Flair used to cause trouble for the group, including one incident in which Flair flirted with the girlfriend of a Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
member. Hanson and Hawk used their friendship with the Mafia member to help Flair escape from being killed in revenge.
In 1971, Hanson suffered a heart attack and had to take time away from wrestling. After returning, he formed a tag team with Super Destroyer
Don Jardine
Don Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
. The partnership was short lived, as Super Destroyer later turned on Hanson. As a result, Hanson become a face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
(fan favorite) and the two feuded for several months. In 1974, Hanson and his new partner, Tiger Conway, Jr., began a feud with Hawk and Ric Flair. The series of matches later evolved into singles matches that pitted former partners Hanson and Hawk against each other. Hanson later became a less high-profile wrestler and was given the role of putting over new wrestlers in the promotion. Hanson left the territory for a while but later returned with a new gimmick. He had frizzy hair and wore psychedelic clothes while teaming with Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
and Sgt. Jacques Goulet
Robert Bedard
Robert Bédard is a retired professional wrestler better known as the #1 Frenchman Rene Goulet. He began his career in Quebec City, QC in 1957 with his first match being against Gerard Dugas....
.
Hanson and Hawk later reformed their team and competed together in the Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
-based NWA Western States Sports. While there, they won the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
The NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
three times. Hanson's final title reign was the only one that did not involve Hawk, as he teamed with The Hangman in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to win the International Wrestling International Tag Team Championship in 1981. Hanson then returned to McMahon's New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
-based Capitol Wrestling, which had since become the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Using the gimmick of a redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
, complete with long hair and a Confederate flag, he competed for the WWF until his retirement in 1986.
Legacy
Hanson is regarded as an intimidating but honest wrestler. The character he portrayed was hated by many fans, but Hanson was different from many heel wrestlers because he did not cheat to win matches. Even while competing as a heel, however, Hanson and Hawk were admired by many spectators and had a fan club devoted to them. In contrast to Hawk, who remained a heel during his entire run in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Hanson gained popularity with even more fans when he feuded with Hawk and became the promotion's top face wrestler. Writers who have looked back on his career have noted that he wrestled with "heart" and always worked his hardest in the ring. Hanson has had a lasting impact on the business, as he was willing to put over other wrestlers, including Blackjack MulliganBlackjack Mulligan
Robert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
and Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
to help boost their careers. He and Hawk also helped popularize the quick tag, which saw them trading places in the ring every few seconds to remain energized while their opponents became worn down.
Personal life
During the course of his wrestling career, he was married twice. Both marriages ended in divorce, however, he and his second wife remained close until the day he died. Swede's marriages brought him seven children and twelve grandchildren. Swede's first marriage to a woman named Vicky, brought him a daughter and son, named Linda and Lance. Then he married a woman named Doris, which brought him another daughter and son, Luana and Bobby. He also gained a stepson, Billy Roy and two adopted children, Mary and Carol, through his second marriage. Hanson lived in Charlotte, NC for over 20+ years. In the late 80's, Hanson and his second wife moved to Fort Mill, SC. After divorcing his second wife, he remained living in a double-wide mobile homeMobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
on five acres of land in Fort Mill, South Carolina
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Fort Mill is a fast-growing suburban town in both York and Lancaster counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, and a suburb of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rock Hill...
. He was later engaged to a woman named Patsy Hughes.
During his wrestling career, Hanson also worked in construction and had a position as a bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
. After retiring from wrestling, Hanson worked a series of jobs. He was a trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
at a fitness center and later returned to construction work. His final position was as manager of a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. Hanson also participated in several golf tournaments to raise money for charities.
In his later life, Hanson suffered from diabetes and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. He also had high blood pressure and heart problems. He was hospitalized in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
in October 2001 due to dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
and died from Sepsis, on February 19, 2002.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Reverse neckbreakerNeckbreakerIn professional wrestling a neckbreaker is any throw or slam that focuses its attack on the opponent’s neck. One type of neckbreaker involves the wrestler slamming an opponent's neck against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee, head or shoulder...
- Reverse neckbreaker
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Gary HartGary Hart (wrestler)Gary Richard Williams, was a former professional wrestling manager, as well as a professional wrestler in his early career, best known by his ring name Gary Hart...
- Homer O'Dell
- Gary Hart
Championships and accomplishments
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version)The Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1961 until 1969.-Title history:-See also:*National Wrestling Alliance*NWA World Tag Team Championship*Florida Championship Wrestling...
(1 time) - with Rip HawkRip HawkHarvey Maurice Evers is a retired American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the...
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version)
- International Wrestling Association (Montreal)
- International Wrestling International Tag Team Championship - with The Hangman
- Mid-Atlantic Championship WrestlingJim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
- NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is the tag team title currently defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
(4 times) - with Rip Hawk - NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)The NWA Southern Tag Team Championship was the Mid-Atlantic territory version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship and was defended between 1953 until 1968 when it became the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) - with Rip Hawk
- NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship
- NWA Western States SportsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(3 times) - with Rip Hawk
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- IWA World Tag Team ChampionshipIWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
(1 time) - with Rip Hawk
- IWA World Tag Team Championship