Person
Nick Bockwinkel
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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…
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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
Movies and shows, newest first
- 2013
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2010
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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2009
WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams
Movie Himself
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2007
WWE Hall of Fame 2007
Movie Himself
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2006
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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2006
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Movie Self
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1994
WCW Clash of the Champions XXVIII
Movie Nick Bockwinkel (WCW Commissioner)
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1994
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch
Movie Himself (archive footage)
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1993
WCW Slamboree 1993
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1988
Clash of the Champions
TV show Nick Bockwinkel (WCW Commissioner)
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1987
AWA SuperClash II
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1987
AWA All-Star Wrestling
TV show Nick Bockwinkel
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1986
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1986
NWA Battle of the Belts III
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1986
AWA Battle by the Bay
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1986
AWA WrestleRock 1986
Movie Himself
More credits
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1985
AWA Super Clash
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1985
AWA Wrestling For a Cure
Movie Himself
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1985
AWA StarCage
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1985
PWUSA Mayhem at The Meadowlands
Movie Nick Bockwinkel (Appearance)
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1985
PWUSA Star Wars
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1985
NWA Battle of the Belts
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1984
AWA Christmas Show 1984
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1983
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1983
AWA Christmas Show 1983
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1983
AWA Super Sunday
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1981
AWA Arena Shows
TV show Nick Bockwinkel
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1981
Mid-South Wrestling
TV show Nick Bockwinkel
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1977
USWA Championship Wrestling
TV show Nick Bockwinkel
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1974
The Wrestler
Movie Nick Bockwinkel
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1969
Hawaii Five-O
TV show Harry
