Pioneer Singles Wrestler
Nick Bockwinkle
HEIGHT / WEIGHT: 5' 10'' 245 lbs
REAL NAME: Nick Bockwinkle
BIRTHDAY: December 6th 1934
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles California
TRAINED BY: Warren Bockwinkle
PROFESSIONAL DEBUT: 1954
PREVIOUS IDENTITIES: None
FINISHING MOVE: Figure Four Leglock
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
WCW Commissioner
3-Time NWA Tag-Team Champion
2-Time NWA Pacific Northwest Champion
3-Time NWA Pacific Northwest Tag-Team Champion
2-Time NWA Georgia Champion
2-Time NWA Georgia Television Champion
1-Time NWA Florida Tag-Team Champion
1-Time NWA Hawaii Junior Heavyweight Champion
4-Time AWA Champion
3-Time AWA Tag-Team Champion
1-Time AWA Southern Champion
2003 Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame Mania Era Inductee
1973 PWI Tag-Team Of The Year (Ray Stevens)
Nick Bockwinkle is one of the sport's most famous and well-respected wrestlers of the past 30 years. During his decades-long career, he accomplished everything. He won numerous N.W.A. and A.W.A. regional and World titles both as a singles wrestler and a tag team champion. Although he had a run late in his career as A.W.A. World champion, Bockwinkle is best remembered as one of the greatest "heel" champions of all-time.
A second-generation wrestler, Nick teamed with his father Warren Bockwinkle during the early stages of his career. The duo had a great deal of success together. After his father retired, Nick continued wrestling, becoming one of the sport's top young stars. Nick won the N.W.A. Georgia Heavyweight title twice in 1970.
Bockwinkle's greatest success came when he entered the American Wrestling Association. He formed a team with Ray "The Crippler" Stevens. The duo went on to become 3-time A.W.A. World Tag Team champions, holding the title belts for a combined 3 1/2 years between 1971-1975. Bockwinkle and Stevens met and defeated some of the most talented teams at the time.
The duo, led by "Pretty Boy" (later, "The Brain") Bobby Heenan, is considered perhaps to be the greatest (and certainly one of the most dominant) AWA tag team champions in the 31-year history of the promotion.
Under the guidance of Heenan, Bockwinkle won his first (of 4) A.W.A. World Heavyweight championships by ending Verne Gagne's record 7-year title run on November 8, 1975 in St. Paul, MN.
Bockwinkel made history by putting his title on the line in the first-ever A.W.A. vs. W.W.F. title unification match, with the classic match ending in a 1-hour draw.
The fans' hatred for Bockwinkle continued into his second reign as AWA champion, which began after he lost the belt back to Gagne on July 19, 1980 at Commisky Park in Chicago. On May 19, 1981, the AWA awarded it's World Title to Bockwinkel, who was the #1 contender, after Gagne retired from wrestling. Bockwinkel held the title for nearly a year and a half before he was beaten on August 8, 1982 by Otto Wanz. Bockwinkle regained the title from Wanz 2 months later, and went on to hold it for nearly another 6 months until he was beaten by Jumbo Tsuruta on February 22, 1984 in Tokyo.
Bockwinkle, who was now without Heenan, had been out of the AWA World Title picture for nearly 2 years when the veteran (and now loved by the fans) was scheduled to meet then-AWA champion Stan Hansen. When Hansen no showed the match, the AWA World Championship was awarded to Bockwinkle.
Although Bockwinkle was now a loved fan favorite, the fact that he had
been "given" the World Title not once, but twice (as well as
a couple of unflattering matches during which he was pinned, but was allowed
to keep the title due to a technicality) tarnished Bockwinkel's reputation
in the eyes of many fans at the time. Despite all of the controversy,
though, Bockwinkle used his considerable skill and wealth of knowledge
to defend the AWA title for one more year, until he was defeated by Curt
Hennig.
During his combined 8 years as AWA World champion, he met and defeated a virtual "Who's Who" of wrestling superstars...Dick The Bruiser, Rick Steamboat, The Funks, Larry Zbysko, Verne Gagne, Mad Dog Vachon, Bruiser Brody, Jerry Lawler, Rick Martel, Tito Santana, The Crusher, Baron Von Raschke, Tommy Rich, Crusher Blackwell, Wahoo McDaniel, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, and many more. After his retirement, Bockwinkle was inducted into the W.C.W. Hall of Fame, and later became the WCW Commissioner, where he was an important part of several WCW storylines for nearly a year. He is now retired, more or less, from all activities in pro wrestling.
(Compiled by Brett Schwan some info courtesy http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/)
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