Nick Bockwinkel (born December 6, 1934) is a former American professional wrestler, mainly competing in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the United States. He held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship 6 times. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location in Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota. ... Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California. ... Lajos Tiza, translated from Hungarian to Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), better known as Lou Thesz, was a professional wrestler and multiple time World Heavyweight Champion. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... ... The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. ... The AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. ...

Wrestling career

Bockwinkel was trained as a pro-wrestler by his father, Warren Bockwinkel, and the great Lou Thesz. Lajos Tiza, translated from Hungarian to Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), better known as Lou Thesz, was a professional wrestler and multiple time World Heavyweight Champion. ...

Bockwinkel began his career in the mid-1950s, after a knee injury forced the University of Oklahoma to withdraw his football scholarship. After training to become a wrestler, Nick teamed with his father, Warren, who was a regional star in the 1940's. Despite this, it would be many years before Nick achieved true success in wrestling. He captured his first major Title in 1970, at the age of 36, defeating Assassin #1 for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship. Bockwinkel soon found his way to the AWA, where he formed one of the most successful tandems in wrestling history with Ray Stevens, and manager, Bobby Heenan. Together, they captured the AWA World Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions, the first coming in 1972. // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. ... This article is about the wrestler. ... Bobby The Brain Heenan (born Raymond Louis Heenan on November 1, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois), is an American professional wrestling manager and commentator. ... The AWA World Tag Team Championship was the tag team title for the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

By 1975, Bockwinkel had become one of the biggest stars in the AWA, and captured his first of many AWA World Heavyweight Championships, at the age of 40, ending Verne Gagne's seven year reign. Unlike most wrestlers, who peak in their early thirties, Bockwinkel reached his peak, both professionally and in ability, well into his forties. As AWA Champion, Bockwinkel had notable feuds with the likes of Billy Robinson, Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Jerry Lawler, and most famously, Verne Gagne and Hulk Hogan. He last held the Title in 1987, at the age of 51, dropping the championship to another second generation wrestler, Curt Hennig, in controversial fashion due to interference by Larry Zbyszko, who had handed a roll of coins to Hennig to use on Bockwinkel. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. ... Shooter Billy Robinson in 1974. ... Dick the Bruiser, Professional Wrestler DICK THE BRUISER LIVED in Indianapolis, Indiana, “the Crossroads of America,” as the Hoosiers call it. ... Reginald Lisowski was a professional wrestler better known as The Crusher. ... Mad Dog Maurice Vachon Maurice Vachon (also known as Mad Dog Vachon) was a professional wrestler and is the brother of wrestlers Paul Vachon and the late Vivian Vachon. ... Jerry ONeil Lawler (born November 29, 1949) is a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator, known throughout the wrestling world as The King. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working and wrestling on its RAW brand as the color commentator. ... Verne Gagne (born May 10, 1926) is a former professional wrestler, trainer and wrestling promoter. ... Terrence Gene “Terry” Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known as Hulk Hogan. ... Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003), also known by his ring name Mr. ... Lawrence (Larry) Whistler (born December 5, 1953) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. ...

Bockwinkel retired in 1987, ending a career that spanned four decades. In one of his final matches as an active competitor, he paid Zbyszko back for costing him the AWA World title by pinning him on an episode of AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN after knocking out the self-proclaimed "New Living Legend" with a roll of coins. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ESPN, formerly the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ...

Bockwinkel was considered by his peers and many industry experts to be an excellent wrestler, known for his exceptional technical ability and ring psychology. He was also known for his calm, articulate promos, which distinguished him from many of his contemporaries. Larry Zbyszko once commented, "If you asked Bockwinkel for the time, he'd tell you how to build a watch".

Bockwinkel returned to the ring in 1993 at "Slamboree: A Legend's Reunion". The card was promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), but featured veteran wrestlers from all over the country. Bockwinkel wrestled former NWA World Champion Dory Funk, Jr. to a time limit draw as part of the undercard. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a wrestling title that was spun off from the first World Title; which tracks its lineage to George Hackenschmidts 1905 title and Frank Gotchs 1908 version. ... Dory Funk, Jr. ...

Post wrestling career

Bockwinkel worked as a road agent for the World Wrestling Federation in the late 80's. In 1994, Bockwinkel became the on-screen commissioner of World Championship Wrestling. He lost his job in 1995 after an incident at the Great American Bash in which he forgot the name of the event in the middle of a promo. World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling organization. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Great American Bash was an annual summer PPV in the NWAs Jim Crockett Promotions and then in WCW. After WCW was sold to WWE, WWE took over the promotion of the event. ...

In 2000, he and Yoshiaki Fujiwara were the commissioners for a short-lived shoot style promotion, the Japan Pro Wrestling Association, but as the shoot-style market in Japan had been low since the collapse of UWF International, the wrestlers on it moved to other promotions. Bockwinkel is currently the Vice-President of the Cauliflower Alley club, as well as the onscreen General Manager for AWA Superstars. Yoshiaki Fujiwara applying the Fujiwara armbar Yoshiaki Fujiwara (藤原喜明 Fujiwara Yoshiaki) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, and UWF. // Career Fujiwara was the first graduate of the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo (Mr. ... Shoot style is a form of professional wrestling in which strikes and holds are real and still, however the matches are still predetermined. ... Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International or simply UWFi, was a stiff-style|shoot-style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. ... The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. ...

On the March 5, 2007 episode of RAW it was announced that Nick Bockwinkel will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007.^[1] March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... WWE Hall of Fame logo, 2004-present. ...

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves

• Piledriver
• Cobra clutch
• Figure four leglock
• Indian deathlock
• Dropkick

A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his/her opponent, turns him/her upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponents head into the mat. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Z-man performing a dropkick. ...

Championships and accomplishments

• American Wrestling Association
  • AWA Calgary World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Ray Stevens
• Mid-Southern Wrestling
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• National Wrestling Alliance
• National
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)
• Regional
  • NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ray Stevens
  • NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Georgia Television Championship (3 times)
  • NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bobby Shane
  • NWA International Television Championship (2 time)
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (3 time) - with Nick Kozak (2) and Buddy Mareno (1)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (2 time) - with Ramon Torres
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Ricky Romero
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • 2003 inductee to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Tag Team of the Year (1973) (with Ray Stevens)
  • Ranked #18 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW Commissioner
• World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
  • WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Édouard Carpentier (1) and Lord James Blears (1)
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 1996 inductee to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. ... The AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. ... The AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. ... The AWA World Tag Team Championship was the tag team title for the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. ... The AWA World Tag Team Championship was the tag team title for the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. ... This article is about the wrestler. ... The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major title in the Tennessee area during the 1970s and 1980s. ... The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major title in the Tennessee area during the 1970s and 1980s. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions which has been in operation since 1948. ... The NWA Hawaii United States Championship was the version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in Hawaii. ... The NWA Hawaii United States Championship was the version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in Hawaii. ... The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida. ... The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida. ... NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. ... NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. ... The NWA National Television Championship was a secondary singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliances Georgia Championship Wrestling territory. ... The NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the U.S. state of Hawaii. ... The NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the U.S. state of Hawaii. ... The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. ... The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. ... The San Francisco, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1950 until 1961, and then from 1968 until 1979. ... The San Francisco, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1950 until 1961, and then from 1968 until 1979. ... The Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 to 1968, and from 1981 to 1982. ... The Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 to 1968, and from 1981 to 1982. ... Ricky Romero was a professional wrestler better known as Rapid Ricky Romero. ... The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Amsterdam, New York. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hulk Hogan on the cover of the November 1994 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. ... The PWI Tag Team of the Year Award, given yearly since 1972 by professional wrestling magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated, recognizes the best tag team of the year as voted by readers of the magazine. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Edouard Carpentier was a French-Canadian professional wrestler who garnered several world championships in a career that spanned the 1950s into the 1970s. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... WWE Hall of Fame logo, 2004-present. ... WWE Hall of Fame logo, 2004-present. ... Dave Herbert Meltzer (born October 24, 1961 in San Jose, California) is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, an insider newsletter for the world of professional wrestling. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Summary The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (WON HOF for short) only exists on paper, but nonetheless is considered one of the highest honors that professional wrestling has to offer. ...

Trivia

• In 1968, Bockwinkel appeared as a contestant on a prime-time version of the NBC game show Hollywood Squares.
• Bockwinkel has the distinction of being involved in the first ever AWA vs World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Title Unification match, wrestling WWWF Titlist, Bob Backlund, to a double count-out, on March 25, 1979.
• Bockwinkel wrestled NWA champion Ric Flair for the NWA title at the last AWA show in Winnipeg, MB on January 16, 1986 at Winnipeg Arena before the AWA territory lost Winnipeg to the WWF. Bockwinkel was not the AWA champion at this time.

The Hollywood Squares title screen The Hollywood Squares was an American television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. ... Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is a former American professional wrestler and minor politician. ...

Notes and references