[8.0] "Nick Bockwinkel, the forgotten legend. Nick was the face of the American Wrestling Association for over a decade working all through the mid-west and south-west States, central Canada, central Europe and Japan, and yet basically no one talks about him. Nick is largely forgotten because of the fact that the AWA is mainly forgotten, which is a shame. Nick was a class act in the ring and on the mic, his move-set is basic by modern standards but he was a master of ring psychology and he was one of the most technically sound wrestlers of his era alongside the likes of Steamboat, he was a grappling master and a top heel. Unfortunately, only his more recent work (after he turned 45 and on) really exists, so we don't really have his prime. The best possible face for the AWA."
[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."
[10.0] "You know you're a special performer if your most highly regarded work is what you were doing in your 40s-50s, imagine what this man could be capable of when he was younger? That alone solidifies Nick Bockwinkel as among the all time greatest workers in professional wrestling, a man who was able to hang with everyone and anyone he was paired with in the ring despite being younger than him. He was an amazing wrestler with incredible psychology, storytelling and worker, having classic matches with the likes of Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler, Billy Robinson, Jumbo Tsuruta to name a few. He was a masterclass in promos, came off as incredibly eloquent when he spoke and knew how to make himself look classy and separate himself from your average wrestler, never needed to be on cocaine and had to shout to get his point across, they didn't call him "The Smartest Man In Wrestling" for nothing! Despite he has promos and personality down, he was managed by Bobby Heenan, and they were an incredibly good pairing that worked off of each other well (funny enough, the two being paired reminds me in a similar way that of Mr. Perfect and Heenan being paired. Didn't need eachother, but worked so well together). Overall, Nick Bockwinkel might be AWA's greatest world champion in history, carried the company during the Hogan era until he retired, a true legend that every aspiring wrestler should look up to. 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 man who set a stranded for what a world champion should be. He dressed well, he spoke well, he wrestled great. He was a top draw for many years"
[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."
[10.0] "Extrem charismatisch am Mikrofon, und ein hervorragender Techniker alter Schule. Ein wahrer Champion mit Klasse. Mit Bobby Heenan als Manager klappte es auch gut, beide haben sich prächtig ergänzt, obwohl Bockwinkel selbst gut genug bei Promos war. Nur als WCW Comissioner (nur on screen) war er nicht gut. Da wirkte er schon zerstreut."
[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."
[10.0] "Nick Bockwinkel ist für mich auf gleicher Ebene wie Ric Flair oder ein Bret Hart was technisches Wrestling anbelangt. Hat viele großartige Matches auf die Beine gestellt vorallem der 1 Stunden Kampf gegen Curt Hennig ist für mich ein wahrer Klassiker. Man muss bedenken, dass Nick zu dieser Zeit bereits Anfang 50 war. Ich habe großen Respekt vor ihm und was er geleistet hat, volkommen zurecht in der Hall of Fame."
[8.0] "Im Ring eigentlich immer recht gut, soweit ich das von den wenigen Matches, die ich gesehen habe beurteilen kann; Und ein guter Worker, hat1982 für Hogan sogar den hoffnungslos unterlegenen Greis gespielt."
