image of Nick Bockwinkel
Birthday: Dec 06, 1934
Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Nick Bockwinkel

Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the '70s and '80s. The son of wrestler Warren Bockwinkel, Nick had a lengthy professional wrestling career with matches in 34 consecutive years (1954-1987). Debuting in 1954, Bockwinkel spent the first half of his career as a journeyman, playing the babyface (good guy), wrestling primarily in territories based in California and Hawaii with stints in Texas, Georgia, and the Pacific Northwest as well as Canada and Australia. In 1970, he joined the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based AWA, where he would be based for the remainder of his career. Bockwinkel held the AWA World Tag Team Championship three times (with partner Ray "The Crippler" Stevens and managed by Bobby Heenan) then the AWA World Heavyweight Championship four times before retiring in 1987. In 1986, before retirement, Bockwinkel had a classic 1-hour draw against Curt Hennig on ESPN's AWA Championship Wrestling. He worked briefly for WWE in 1987 as a color commentator and with WCW as commissioner. Bockwinkel was recognized for his exceptional technical wrestling ability, mastery of in-ring psychology, and even-toned, articulate promos. Professional wrestling historian Tim Hornbaker described him as "the definitive heavyweight champion heel of the 1970s", while historian Scott Beekman described him as "the most successful heel champion in wrestling history". Bockwinkel was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2003, the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, and the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2016!

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA Self 2006
AWA Christmas Night 1983 Nick Bockwinkel 1983
WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History 2013
WCW Slamboree 1993 Himself 1993
AWA Christmas Show 1983 Nick Bockwinkel 1983
AWA Christmas Show 1984 Nick Bockwinkel 1984
PWUSA Star Wars Nick Bockwinkel 1985
PWUSA Mayhem at The Meadowlands Nick Bockwinkel (Appearance) 1985
AWA Super Clash Nick Bockwinkel 1985
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology Nick Bockwinkel 2006
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time Nick Bockwinkel 2010
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch Himself (archive footage) 1994
WCW Clash of the Champions XXVIII Nick Bockwinkel (WCW Commissioner) 1994
NWA Battle of the Belts Nick Bockwinkel 1985
AWA SuperClash II Nick Bockwinkel 1987
WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams Himself 2009
WWE Hall of Fame 2007 Himself 2007
AWA Super Sunday Nick Bockwinkel 1983
AWA StarCage Nick Bockwinkel 1985
AWA: WrestleRock '86 Himself 1986
AWA Wrestling For a Cure Himself 1985
AWA Battle by the Bay Nick Bockwinkel 1986
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul Nick Bockwinkel 1986
NWA Battle of the Belts III Nick Bockwinkel 1986
The Wrestler Nick Bockwinkel 1974
Series Cast Year
Hawaii Five-O Harry 1968
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