| Moderated by: Ron, brodiescomics, beejmi | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
bpickering HALL OF FAMER 
|
Being reported Nick Bockwinkel pasted away last night. |
|||||||||||
amerorig
|
http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/rip-nick-bockwinkel/ |
|||||||||||
CanadianHorseman
|
from wrestlinginc.com: According to the Cauliflower Alley Club, legendary pro wrestler Nick Bockwinkel has died at the age of 80. Cauliflower Alley released the following statement: "It is with a heavy heart the Cauliflower Alley Club announces that The Greatest AWA World Champion of all time and former CAC President Nicholas "Nick" Bockwinkel passed away Saturday night at approx. 8:40 pm due to health issues. We will have more on this later Sunday afternoon. The Cauliflower Alley Club, it's members, and all of Nicks fans & friends send their condolences to Darlene & the Bockwinkel family at this time. The Bockwinkel family ask for everyone to respect their privacy at this time." Bockwinkel is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, as well as a former AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Bockwinkel was also a part of a legendary tag team with Ray Stevens. In 2003, Bockwinkel was also inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. Little is known about the circumstances surrounding the death at this time. Wrestling Inc will keep you updated on any additional information that surfaces. We express our condolences to Nick's family. |
|||||||||||
Arnold_OldSchool
|
Really sad to hear. He was one of the first heels I learned to hate. He made my Grandma stop watching because he screwed the babyfaces out of winning the World title so often. |
|||||||||||
|
beejmi THE BIG KAHUNA 
|
RIP |
|||||||||||
HBF
|
RIP. Was it expected? I'll bet Verne is going to put a toe-lock on Nick up there for them stating Nick's the greatest AWA champ ever. |
|||||||||||
cookie32723
|
Just heard about this a little while ago, RIP Nick. |
|||||||||||
|
Blazer Head Auditor, CPA 
|
Just so crazy that Verne and Nick would leave us in the same year. Nick was the first heel world champ when I started watching in the early 80s. He was the best. RIP |
|||||||||||
Chitown Rich
|
Nick was the best all around wrestler that I ever saw. Plus he was a class act to all that got to meet him. He was a true champ and gentleman. RIP |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER 
|
HBF wrote: RIP. Was it expected? He had been struggling with Dementia/Altzheimers for a while now from what I understood. I didn't think he was far enough along with it that it would take hm now so maybe it was something else. RIP to one of my two favourite wrestlers of all time. |
|||||||||||
|
srossi HALL OF FAMER
|
Definitely in the conversation for the best of all-time. Although he didn't get the exposture that Flair did, he was right there in terms of work and promos. Very sad news. RIP |
|||||||||||
freebirdsforever2001
|
I have been putting off in getting some of KHawk's DVD's on "Tricky" Nicky. Really would've liked to see him in his hay day. |
|||||||||||
|
martini Wrestling Classics Owner 
|
Classy guy in a profession where there is little. RIP. Last edited on Sun Nov 15th, 2015 08:21 pm by martini |
|||||||||||
|
bpickering HALL OF FAMER
|
Never saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. The Bockwinkel vs Henning New Year eve 1 hour draw is one of my top 5 favorite matchs. http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/old/other/bockwinkel.html Last edited on Sun Nov 15th, 2015 08:28 pm by bpickering |
|||||||||||
|
bpickering HALL OF FAMER
|
http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2015/11/15/22573114.html |
|||||||||||
Angelic Assassin
|
RIP Verne Gagne, Dusty Rhodes, Roddy Piper and now Nick Bockwinkel. It's depressing and I don't really want to check but I'm not sure there has been a year where so many bona fide superstars have passed in the same year. |
|||||||||||
|
Blazer Head Auditor, CPA
|
bpickering wrote: Never saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. I'm tempted to pull this out and watch it tonight. The only bad part of this match (and I didn't realize until years later after not seeing it for so long), Rod Trongard absolutely spoils the match early with his incessant discussion about the time limit. He clearly knew it was going the distance, so he kept saying stupid shit like, "15 minutes down, 45 minutes to go!" Back in the kayfabe days, if there was ever reference to the time limit more than just announcing it at the beginning of the match, it was a giveaway. |
|||||||||||
the squared circle
|
RIP - always liked him. Even though, to me, he looked "old" as a champion, however, that also legitimized it to me; wily old veteran. |
|||||||||||
|
bpickering HALL OF FAMER
|
Blazer wrote: bpickering wrote:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1nwwgy_nick-bockwinkel-vs-curt-hennig-awa-part-1_sportNever saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. |
|||||||||||
|
srossi HALL OF FAMER
|
Blazer wrote: Back in the kayfabe days, if there was ever reference to the time limit more than just announcing it at the beginning of the match, it was a giveaway. Still true today. Just a few weeks ago Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards went to a draw in TNA and the announcers called it within the first minute. Also, many times the ring announcer will announce the time every 15 minutes and with 5 minutes left, and you know it's either a draw or they'll tease a draw in the last 10 seconds. It's been that way forever. |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER
|
It was nice when a swerve would happen once in a blue moon in a match with the obvious time call. A Rick Martel vs. Jim Brunzell match in 1982, for example, had all the typical earmarkings of the 30 minute draw, only to see Martel score a pin in the last 5 seconds. It was kind of cool, and because it didn't happen all that often, it was a surprise in a good way. That timecall in the Bock-Hennig match was obvious to me the first time I saw it and unfortunately it has always taken a little shine off of how much I like the match. Had I missed it the first time around, it would probably rank higher on my Best Matches list than it does. |
|||||||||||
3setsof10
|
Trongard was such an annoying twerp of an idiot, but I'll never forget Bockwinkel, covered in blood, asking how much time was left when he was caught in the Figure 4 RIP to a real nice guy when I met him all those years ago |
|||||||||||
|
Blazer Head Auditor, CPA
|
3setsof10 wrote: Trongard was such an annoying twerp of an idiot, but I'll never forget Bockwinkel, covered in blood, asking how much time was left when he was caught in the Figure 4 That was fine as it was part of the finish at the end. The other culprit, IIRC, was Larry Nelson who got on the house mic every minutes to announce the time. Some promotions would announcer when 15 minutes had expired or 20 minutes. Nelson was on the mic annoucing every five minute for this match. "Five minutes gone! 55 minutes to go!" |
|||||||||||
Hithouse_Mark2
|
Damn guys, I still totally love that match. Now when I go back to watch it will be ruined lol Last edited on Tue Nov 17th, 2015 06:13 am by Hithouse_Mark2 |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER
|
Blazer wrote:
Memphis comes to mind as they were almost 100% consistent with their time calls in every match that I can think of that I've seen from the Mid South Coliseum. Whether it was going 5 minutes or 60 minutes Lance seemed to always make the call at regular intervals..."15 minutes gone, 45 to wrestle...", and so forth. By doing it all the time, it was never a giveaway when a match was going to go to it's time limit. It's one of those little things that I appreciate, especially when you get the opposite in a match like Bock-Hennig. |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER
|
Hithouse_Mark2 wrote: Damn guys, I still totally love that match. Now when I go back to watch it will be ruined lol Just watch it with the sound off. That might make it even better...You'll be blocking the sound of Rod Trongaard and Lord James Blears, after all.  |
|||||||||||
|
thunderbolt HALL OF FAMER 
|
Saw Nick a few times while he was still working the junior circuit in the AWA. I have mentioned ad nauseum that the best live match I ever saw was between newcomer Nick and 'rookie of the year' Don Muraco. Went over thirty minutes with beaucoup momentum shifts and Nick didn't cheat once until the last moment when he grabbed trunks to get a pinfall. 2/7/72 Burlington, IA @ Memorial Auditorium Billy Robinson beat Ray Stevens Nick Bockwinkel beat Don Muraco Ivan Koloff beat Bill Howard Dusty Rhodes beat Chris Markoff Att: 2500 |
|||||||||||
|
Superstar '18-'19 POTY, 1st Ballot HOFer 
|
Blazer wrote: bpickering wrote:Never saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. Not enough people point out that Bockwinkel absolutely MADE Curt Hennig a star in this match. Hennig was a tag team champion in the AWA and had really never been put over as anything more than solid upper mid card babyface. Bock really went out of his way and pretty much forced his will upon the crowd to believe in Hennig from the way he performed in this match. Add to it the double turn a couple months later in the Cow Palace, and you had a white hot heel Hennig as newly minted AWA World Champion and Verne finally had a top young local talent to draw with. Well, until WWF decided to pay him a lot more money... |
|||||||||||
|
srossi HALL OF FAMER
|
Superstar wrote: Blazer wrote:bpickering wrote:Never saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. Very true. Hennig had been around a long time already, teaming with his father in PNW, jobbing in the WWF, and being a mid-card tag team guy in the AWA. Although he showed some good technical ability, he was very bland and seemed completely lacking in star power. This match made him, and his confidence clearly grew after it as well. Last edited on Tue Nov 17th, 2015 11:34 pm by srossi |
|||||||||||
|
Superstar '18-'19 POTY, 1st Ballot HOFer
|
srossi wrote: Superstar wrote:Blazer wrote:bpickering wrote:Never saw Bockwinkel wrestle until Pro Wrestling USA/AWA started airing on WPIX then ESPN. So I Missed his classics. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Bockwinkel also helped Hennig behind the scenes to perfect the "cocky, arrogant heel" act that Hennig had at this point in time. Because when you look at Hennig post-Cow Palace, it wasn't only confidence coming out, he was polished. That heel persona should not have manifested so cleanly and quickly, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if Bock wasn't coaching him for a few months before they did the turn. |
|||||||||||
HBF
|
khawk wrote: It was nice when a swerve would happen once in a blue moon in a match with the obvious time call. A Rick Martel vs. Jim Brunzell match in 1982, for example, had all the typical earmarkings of the 30 minute draw, only to see Martel score a pin in the last 5 seconds.Spot-on! It was like that when Tony Atlas pinned Hulk Hogan in MSG in 1981 prior to Hulk's departure. We had no idea at the time, but it was those unexpected moments that were truly the payoff. |
|||||||||||
TerryWWWF
|
Where were Bockwinkel's biggest runs outside of the AWA? |
|||||||||||
|
srossi HALL OF FAMER
|
TerryWWWF wrote: Where were Bockwinkel's biggest runs outside of the AWA? Very early in his career he was in California for a while, both L.A. and S.F. territories, and he was probably there mainly for the acting opportunities because that's when he was doing his cameos on lots of shows, most famously "The Monkees". Also spent a little time further up the coast in PNW and then made it to Georgia for a bit. This is all pre-AWA though. After 1970, other than touring Japan and maybe representing the AWA in some other territories on supercards, he didn't really wrestle anywhere else. |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER
|
I'd say Memphis qualifies if you separate it from the AWA-proper. |
|||||||||||
|
srossi HALL OF FAMER
|
khawk wrote: I'd say Memphis qualifies if you separate it from the AWA-proper. Did he ever have a real run in Memphis where it wasn't him just coming in to defend the AWA title? |
|||||||||||
|
bpickering HALL OF FAMER
|
srossi wrote: khawk wrote:I'd say Memphis qualifies if you separate it from the AWA-proper. He won the Southern title I think while still holding the World title. |
|||||||||||
|
khawk HALL OF FAMER
|
Yeah he had some stints in like that. I don't think he was Champ when he faced Savage there in 1985, for example. |
|||||||||||
retroken
|
just realized Nick was easily the greatest professional wrestler to never have a bout at Madison Square Garden our loss...RIP |
|||||||||||
Ultimark
|
I only saw him a few times on TV growing up. I feel old thinking of him as an 80 year old. Loved reading about him and Heenan in the Apter mags. RIP. |
|||||||||||
Road Warrior Yajuta
|
Nick was smooth as silk in the ring, superb on the mic, had charisma, and never gets his just due as ann all time great. RIP Champ. |
|||||||||||
Spatulapup
|
Can anyone name a classier guy in Wrestling? You have never heard a bad word about the guy. No trashy stories etc. He never embarrassed himself. Well spoken. And he lived a long life which is rare for wrestlers now. And of course he was a great wrestler. Always believable. He looked and acted like a World Champion. RIP |
|||||||||||
