Biography
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
all 34
Movies 33
self 33
TV Shows 1
WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History (2013)
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time (2010)
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology (2006)
WCW Fall Brawl 1994 (1994)
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch (1994)
The Best of the WWF: volume 14 (1987)
AWA SuperClash II (1987)
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul (1986)
NWA Battle of the Belts III (1986)
AWA Battle by the Bay (1986)
AWA: WrestleRock '86 (1986)
AWA StarCage (1985)
PWUSA Mayhem at The Meadowlands (1985)
PWUSA Star Wars (1985)
NWA Battle of the Belts (1985)
AWA Christmas Show 1983 (1983)
AWA Christmas Night 1983 (1983)
AWA Super Sunday (1983)
The Wrestler (1974)
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1934-12-06
Deathday2015-11-14 (80 years old)
Birth PlaceSt. Louis, United States
Height178-centimeter
FatherWarren Bockwinkel
CitizenshipsUnited States
AwardsWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, WWE Hall of Fame
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