Nick Bockwinkel

Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel (December 6, 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota – November 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American professional wrestler.

He was known for competing in American Wrestling Association (AWA). Bockwinkel was known for his technical ability and ring psychology as well as his calm, charismatic and articulate promos which helped distinguish him from many of his contemporaries.

Career
Before becoming a professional wrestler, he was going to play football at the University of Oklahoma but he suffered a knee injury and Oklahoma withdrew his football scholarship.

He was trained by his father Warren Bockwinkel and Lou Thesz. He joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1970 and formed a team with Ray Stevens and their manager Bobby Heenan. The team won the AWA World Tag Team Championship three times.

He ended Verne Gagne's seven year reign when he won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. He won the Championship four times and had feuds with the likes of Billy Robinson, Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Jerry Lawler, Otto Wanz, Mr. Saito, Verne Gagne and Hulk Hogan. He competed in the first ever AWA versus World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Title Unification match, wrestling WWWF Champion, Bob Backlund, to a double count-out, on March 25, 1979.

He worked for the company from 1970 to 1987 and wrestled his last match against Larry Zbyszko after he paid him back for costing him the AWA World title by knocking him out with a roll of coins and pinning him on an episode of AWA Championship Wrestling.

He was the President of the Cauliflower Alley Club, as well as the on-screen General Manager for AWA Superstars. He was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007.

Death
Bockwinkel died in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 80.

Championships
American Wrestling Association
AWA World Heavyweight Championship (four times)
AWA World Tag Team Championship (three times) (with Ray Stevens)
Championship Wrestling from Florida
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Ray Stevens)
Continental Wrestling Association
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (one time)
Mid-South Sports
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (two times)
NWA Georgia Television Championship (three times)
NWA Big Time Wrestling
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (two times) (with Ricky Romero)
NWA Los Angeles
NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (two times)
NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions
NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (two times)
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Bobby Shane)
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (one time)
NWA San Francisco
NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (two times) (with Ramon Torres)
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (two times)
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (three time) (with Nick Kozak (two) and Buddy Mareno (one))
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Stanley Weston Award (2007)
PWI Tag Team of the Year (1973) (with Ray Stevens)
He was ranked #18 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
Class of 2003
World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Édouard Carpentier (one) and Lord James Blears (one))
World Wrestling Entertainment
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

References

Other websites
WWE profile

1934 births
American professional wrestlers
Former WWE wrestlers
2015 deaths
Sportspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota
WWE Hall of Fame