Nick Bockwinkel was a former Oklahoma football player, four-time AWA champion, and WWE Hall of Famer. The wrestling world is saddened to hear that he has passed away.
WWE.com confirmed the news that Bockwinkel has passed away at the age of 80. Bockwinkel was known for his great in-ring skills and intelligent interviews. He began his wrestling career in the mid-1950s.
One of his crowning achievements was beating another wrestling legend, Verne Gagne, to win the AWA world title in 1975. That win ended Gagne’s seven-year reign as champion.
Current wrestler Paul (Triple H) Leveque paid his respects on Twitter.
Saddened at the passing of one of the all time greats Nick Bockwinkle ......See you down the road sir. #ThankYouNick pic.twitter.com/gJZDKPaHqF
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 15, 2015
While in the AWA, Bockwinkel was managed by another WWE Hall of Famer, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The two of them became the most hated pair of their generation. It helped that he called himself “The Smartest Wrestler Alive.”
Bockwinkel will go down as one of the all-time greats and he cemented his legacy with the induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
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