Nick Bockwinkel

[9.0] "Admittedly I'm judging purely by the last decade of this man's career since his '80s work in the AWA and Japan is all I've seen to date. By the time he hit his late forties, Nick Bockwinkel was a total package. He had a great look, he could talk, and he still had the goods between the bells. His in-ring stuff was understandably rooted in the '50s Golden Age and at times looked more like something out of 1964 than 1984 but that was part of the charm. He was the last outlaw from the initial TV generation still kicking about at a main event capacity in the midst of a rapidly evolving scene."

[10.0] "Nick Bockwinkel is unquestionably one of the best wrestlers of all time, and his legacy is heavily marked by the fact there's like, two decades of almost no footage during the 50s and 60s... his career basically becomes watchable in the 70s, when he was already 40-years old, so we miss a lot of stuff and that certainly makes him tough to rate, but it's intriguing, because Bock is probably the best wrestler of all time after making 40, and his stuff during his forties and fifties is simply awesome. Considering this, you can imagine how good he was when younger, it's a big what if, but we definitely have a lot of things to analyze and he's just a master, an artist, and one of the best technical wrestlers ever. Bockwinkel is great at many roles... first, I think he's just a tremendous seller, and he's always making his opponents look very good, there are several matches where he takes a lot of offense and the other guy looks like the better wrestler in the match, but that's because Bock is setting the ground for another to shine. Bock can make the sport look as real as it gets, and his traditional match formula is fantastic, he's always incredible in long matches and that's because they're meaningful and captivating, he can be extremely serious and competitive, but at the same time, can also work very fun programs as a chicken heel, specially alongside Heenan and against top babyfaces. Bock spent most of his career in AWA, the Minneapolis territory, where he's the biggest name together with Gagne, with whom he had a remarkable rivalry during the years. His timing and approach towards different matches was clinic, and Bockwinkel is just a master of the psychology, he understands it like few others and can easily tell stories and involve a crowd during the match, doesn't matter how slow and technical it can be, things will get good. He's one of the most imposing and complete top guys that the industry has ever had, and it looked like everything he wanted to do during a match worked."

[8.0] "Nick Bockwinkel was a classy act. He wasn't always the most entertaining wrestler but his class in-ring and on the mic was amazing. Bockwinkel had some great matches in AJPW and in the AWA, his matches with Robinson, Flair and Hennig were pretty damn good. Nick was also a master of psychology. It is a shame that Bockwinkel is something of the forgotten legend, possibly because the AWA is the forgotten company of the US wrestling scene. Classy guy, great traditional heel and he seemed like a decent man."

[10.0] "The perfect professional wrestler with a heavy emphasis on professional. I believe he's the greatest talker of all time. His eloquence is unmatched. He was also a hell of a wrestler. In wrestling fandom I think he's underrated and doesn't get mentioned enough. His style was the inspiration for Jericho's 2008-09 heel run and that's one reason why that run was so successful."

[10.0] "Bockwinkel is possibly the greatest American wrestling heel of all time and still manages to be largely underrated / underseen by younger generations. Do yourself a favor and seek out his best matches."

[10.0] "Bockwinkel was brilliant in ways the modern fan just won't understand. One of the best to ever do it, and a true underrated legend in the business. His promos were captivating, yet grounded and never broke kayfabe. His matches were well-paced and methodical epics, he could keep up with anyone even into his 50s."

[10.0] "One of the greatest World Heavyweight Champions of all time. What makes Nick that is he had the ability to go out each and every night and have a different match with whoever he was put in the ring with, and not only be able to put the talent that he was wrestling against over, but also still be able to keep himself over win, lose, or draw at the same time, and did so for well over 3 decades across many different territories. On top of that, he carried himself like, dressed like, and spoke like a world champion should. He insulted the fans in his promos, talked over their heads by calling them names that not even they or he himself probably knew what meant, and always belittled his opponents in a way that very few could. Also, he's one of the absolute best to never work as a performer in the WWF/WWE umbrella."

[10.0] "Truly one of the greatest of all time. Here's someone with truly incredible matches under his name who knew and understand the business insanely well (hence his nicknames), who presented himself as one of the greatest champions to ever hold the belt, who carried the AWA for the longest time even when the AWA was starting to drop off in terms of quality. After his prime, he was hired by the WWF as a road agent and occasional commentator after his retirement, but it is a shame (to me, not to Nick whatsoever - I think it's incredible that he stayed loyal to AWA) that the WWF would become the big juggernaut it became only after he was starting to wind down... he *should* consistently be on people's top wrestlers list, because that's how damn good he was, but he wont because he never worked for the WWF. He was a damn good worker with insanely high psychology, incredible charisma and promo skills, and CONTINUOUSLY worked at this same high-class level for more than 30 years. You really can't say that about any of the other greats in wrestling. R.I.P. Nick Bockwinkel."

"Every wrestler should study 5 people: Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk and Nick Bockwinkel. I'm not saying they're the top 5 best ever, but they're great in different ways. Bockwinkel was way ahead of his time. Excellent on the mic, very good in the ring, and could work with just about anyone."

[10.0] "The face of the AWA in the late 70s and 80s, he was a true master of technical heel ring work, as well as being an impeccable heel in his promos, speaking intelligently, contrasting with the more shouty promos of his era, which would later inspire Chris Jericho. Underrated due to the promotion he chose to wrestle in during his prime years."

[10.0] "Nick Bockwinkel was a great technician even at a point where many men would've been physically battered or retired. One of the AWA's best."

[10.0] "Let me put it like this. Most of what's available of Bockwinkel on tape is of him in his late 40s-50s, clearly still an elite-level worker on the level of a Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Jumbo Tsuruta, etc. If all we had of Flair to watch back was his work post-1995, would he seriously be held up in the same regard he is today? That's what we're working with when it comes to Bockwinkel."

[9.0] "The term "wrestling genius" gets massively overused these days, attributed to people who don't quite deserve it (like Chris Hero, for instance) but Bockwinkel is probably one of the few who truly deserves the title. A brilliant technical worker and sensational draw back in the day as a devious heel whom had a answer for almost everything in the book. The fact that most of his best remembered work was during his past-prime days is crazy as well and makes him a great contender for the wrestler with the best runs outside of his best years. The guy just knew how to play a heel to perfection: convincingly dangerous from working from the top, but could also sell great for whoever he was in the ring with regardless of if they were also a great babyface worker (Jumbo, Martel) or someone less refined (Atlas, Lawler) and could make them look like a legit threat to whatever title he had at the time. The guy just got wrestling to a very high level that I argue hasn't really been done many if any times since. Fantastic wrestler."

[10.0] "It's scary to think. Even though it's impossible to know due to a lack of footage, 80's Bockwinkle maybe wasn't even his prime given he was in his near 50/60s. Bockwinkle possibly has a big shout for the GOAT. Great promos, speaking from someone who isn't a "promo" guy. Fantastic wrestler who could work with many different wrestlers from The Crusher to Rick Martel. The master at heel selling, meaning selling in a way that the fans enjoy seeing you in pain which makes his matches vastly different to most matches. Could still go based on his match with Dory Jr in 1993. An all time great at least."

[9.0] "This randy old rooster was just a tier below Flair and Race. His gimmick was his superior intelligence, but it was his his superior virility and vitality that really stand the test of time. He had no set formula for arousing a crowd thirsty for his villainous exploits. He barely had a finisher of note and lacked the trademark spots that a wrestler like Flair relied to propel a bout to its climax Of course, there always was a portion of the audience who were only turned on when a wrestler titallated their senses with a few greatest hits, but Bockwinkel instead fell back on his outrageously massive endowment of talent and a willingness to bump for the business that made him famous. He managed to wrestle at a high level for decades because size, stamina and skill really are what it takes to leave a mark on the industry."

[9.0] "Great technician. Good on the mic. Strong in singles or as a tag team, face or heel. The complete package. Thrived in the AWA. A top tier performer just prior to the age of the "big man", but still has a place in the history of the sport."

[10.0] "potentially the greatest of all time... sadly footage of him before he was 40 doesnt really exist. even in his 40s still ranks as a top 25 best performer ever... amazing all round performer"

[10.0] "All time legendary talent. Utterly amazing on the mat, great character work and tons of personality, all time great on the mic, the man is just fantastic, into his 50s he was one of the best in the world. His partnership with Bobby Heenan is perhaps the greatest combination ever."

[10.0] "Nick was very good in the ring and he carried himself as if he was a world champion. The only shame of it was he never gets the kind of recognition that Flair or Hogan got at the time because the AWA was going under at the same time the NWA and WWF were flying high. Still, Nick was great."

[6.0] "Average wrestler. No real pizzazz. I never understood how this guy kept the title for so long. Also, never saw a match that Bobby Heenan didn't help him win or get disqualified so that he could keep the title."

[8.0] "He called himself The Smartest Man in Wrestling, and he might have been right. He was Verne Gagne's golden boy in AWA, but not because he kissed ass to get to the top. He got there based on his brilliant technical ability and promos that made him seem like he could take on anybody, anytime, anywhere, and not sound arrogant or cocky about it. Overall, the crown jewel of the AWA. The ultimate wrestler's wrestler."

[9.0] "Not really flashy in the ring, but tremendous technician, who also excelled at the microphone. I don't really consider him at a level of Flair or Terry Funk, but he is right behind them."