MOTW 36: Stan Hansen vs Andre the Giant
“MOTW #36: Stan 'The Lariat' Hansen vs. Andre The Giant” - ink & digital illustration
Hi pals! I’m back for the 36th instalment of our ‘Match of the Week’ illustration series & I’m back to a classic edition after going down an Andre rabbit-hole.
This gargantuan BATTLE took place on September 23rd, 1981 during New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘Bloody Fight Series 81’ (great name!) at Tokyo’s Denen Coliseum before over 13,000 fans.
So as mentioned I went down a bit of an Andre rabbit hole after coming by across a GREAT thread of match recommendations by ‘ElliotsWrstlin’ on twitter (highly recommended follow!) & found this all time classic that I’ve somehow never seen before!
This was just fantastic all-round! Just a massive clash of behemoths that was everything that you’d expect & more. THIS is the Andre people talk about while he was still in condition to wrestle like nobody else. The crazy strength on display as he just throws the massive, girthy man that is Stan around is so wild to see. The #Lariat also absolutely brings it & then some! This is hard-hitting, exciting as all heck & the crowd is going NUTS from start to finish. I also absolutely LOVED seeing Andre actually ‘wrestle’ & work some submissions as he attempts to counter Hansen’s crazy explosive power.
This is as good as big man vs big man gets for me!
Artists Note: as you’ll see I went ahead & did a black & white variation of this bad boy in addition to the usual colour version. I am still so torn as to which I prefer! I love that the b/w version sort of captures the retro monster-movie poster aesthetic that this amazing kaiju clash of a match really embodied. I’m happy to make both black & white & colour versions available as fancy art prints!
ENJOY!!
Fancy, high quality art prints are now available to purchase for as little as 25 clams, FREE worldwide postage!
HQ Basic Art Prints: Printed on 189gsm, museum-quality matte paper stock, printed with high-quality multicolour, water-based inkjet printing technique. (Printing & delivery arranged by Printful).
'Premium' Art Prints: Voluptuously extra thick, textured & hand-signed! Printed on 320gsm 'Sihl Masterclass Textured Cotton Rag', French made, Cold Press style textured art paper. 1cm additional border for easy framing unless otherwise requested. High archival rating, printed with 12 colour Canon Lucia EX pigment Inks, expected life over 100 years if displayed correctly. Since I send these out myself, I'll also include a little bonus 'surprise' for you! + ALL PREMIUM PRINT PURCHASES COME WITH CHRIS THINGS ZINE VOL. 1!!
Pre-Framed Art Prints: For those who don't want to worry about the hassles of framing! Pre-framed basic art-prints (pictured) printed on 189gsm, museum-quality matte paper stock, printed with high-quality multicolour, water-based inkjet printing technique. Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick, light-weight wooden frame from renewable forests. (Printing, framing & delivery arranged by Printful).
Original Pen Illustration: The one & only original pen sketch (pictured) that spawned this illustration can be yours & yours alone! Hand-drawn on lovely, thick, slightly textured, eco-friendly, wood-free paper stock, straight out of my mole-skin drawing book. Available until it's not!
Please don't hesitate to send me a message if you require a different size - all prints made to order.
