Swede Hanson (wrestler)
| Swede Hanson | |
|---|---|
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|
| Birth name | Robert Fort Hanson |
| Born |
March 27, 1933 East Orange, New Jersey |
| Died | February 19, 2002 (aged 68) Columbia, South Carolina |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Swede Hanson |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Billed weight | 300 lb (140 kg) |
| Trained by | George Tragos |
| Debut | 1957 |
| Retired | 1986 |
Robert Fort Hanson (March 27, 1933 – February 19, 2002) 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.
Hanson was born in East Orange, New Jersey. 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.
Boxing and professional wrestling promoter Willie Gilzenberg discovered Hanson and convinced him to compete in wrestling. He trained with George Tragos and debuted in WWWF (now World Wrestling Entertainment) 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.
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