All Time MOTY List Head to Head: Hansen v. Andre V. Sailor White v. Otto Wanz

Sailor White v. Otto Wanz CWA 11/7/81

PAS: My kind of scrap. Two big fat mean looking dudes, throwing overhand forearm smashes with bad intentions. The thuds in the this match were something else, there were some slow parts as one might expect in a battle of porkers, but when it turned up it turned up. White kept attacking Wanz during the breaks and he looked like an out of control hobo who was about to be tazed by the police. Finish was a grim bit of violence, White takes a shoulder post bump comes up bleeding and Wanz just brutalizes him with running knees until White is lying on the canvas unconscious and covered in blood, such a vicious way for a local babyface to win a match. Great stuff

ER: This made me really want to find some Moondogs gems in 1980/81 WWF (seriously people, what WWF Moondogs do I need to watch?) as White was really great here bumping all around for Wanz. It's shocking to me that the median age of these two men in this match is the same as my own current age. They look like a couple of old fat guys getting into a heated argument at what has since been remembered as "The Worst Church 4th of July Picnic Ever". Which means that either I am now old, and/or these two look much older than their years. Nevermind the reminder of my own mortality, this was wonderful. It's my exact kind of match: Two big galoots throwing blows and splatting into each other. Icing on the cake is that the crowd is going nuts the whole time and responding to these two tubs like real heroes. The match moved in fits and spurts, with both crashing into each other and and clubbing wildly, then recovering while apart; it felt like a battle over territory in Grizzly Man. I loved the dueling bearhug spot, with both big dudes impressively hoisting the other up. But I went nuts for White bumping for Wanz, bumping on his hip in ring, getting tossed over the top, and that brutal post bump at the end. That finishing was a real shock and a tremendous exclamation point to the match.


Andre v. Hansen review


Verdict:

PAS: I love a violent fatty battle as much as anyone, but Andre v. Hansen is an all timer and will be very difficult to beat. Still go watch the CWA match, it's the goods.

ER: This was two big wild beasts having a mean clash, and that's always going to rank high with me. This feels like a match I would be the high vote for on the 80s project. But Andre/Hansen is the ultimate Clash of Titans. That's going to be near impossible to dethrone. But that shouldn't take away anything from worthy challengers.