wildman who carried a large bone to the ring and used as a foreign object. Feuding with NWF North American Heavyweight Champion Johnny Powers defeating him for the title in Buffalo on February 17, 1973 although he would lose it back to him within several weeks. He would also be involved in a controversial storyline violently attacking Jacques and Raymond Rougeau with his bone and subsequently resulting in a feud between the two for several weeks. After a brief tour of the Maritimes in June, he also headlined several events at the Maple Leaf Gardens facing Leo Burke, The Sheik and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco on September 23. The following year, he would make occasional appearances in the Detroit-area for Ed Farhat losing to Dick the Bruiser on April 27, 1974. Facing Ernie Ladd and Bobo Brazil on the Cleveland-Buffalo circuit during the year, he also toured Japan during February–March including facing Antonio Inoki and, returning to Ontario, faced Luis Martinez and Dewey Robertson later that year. In early 1975, Hansen began his first tour of the southeastern United States competing for Dick Steinborn in Atlanta, Georgia where he very quickly becoming one of the promotions top "heels". However, he was soon hired by Pedro Martinez to return to Cleveland to compete in the newly established International Wrestling Association which Martinez and TV sports mogul Eddie Einhorn were organizing to compete directly against the National Wrestling Alliance as the first national professional wrestling promotion in the United States. Remaining one of the top stars in the promotion under manager George "Crybaby" Cannon, he feuded with IWA Heavyweight Champion Mil Mascaras throughout the country as the promotion toured the United States. During the tour, Hansen faced Lou Thesz losing to the then 59-year-old former NWA World Heavyweight Champion at the Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey on August 7, 1975. By the end of the year however, following the takeover of Johnny Powers after Eric Einhorn pulled out, Hansen remained with the IWA as it attempted to survive as a regional promotion in the Carolinas. He would also travel to Canada several times where his former manager George Cannon was a booker for the Eastern Sports Association. From San Juan to Tulsa Like many other wrestlers who competed for the IWA, Hansen found little work in the National Wrestling Alliance and began wrestling overseas, eventually becoming a major