Nick Bockwinkel

[Makai Club #1]

I currently got Bockwinkel sandwiched between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Stone Cold. I just find that to be amusing. He's currently in my top 20 and he could rise easily. 

[KB8]

Bockwinkel was my number 14 in 2016. As with a good few of the people just outside my top 10, 14 feels too low, because Bock was incredible and I wouldn't argue with anyone voting him as outright #1. It's just that the wrestlers ahead of him are incredible too and there's only so much space to go around. It's sort of insane that the majority of Bockwinkel footage we have is of him in his 40s. He was still amazing even in his 50s and there's more than enough footage there for a #1 case to be made (Matt D already did it, after all). He very well could've reached his peak as a wrestler late, not unlike Tenryu, and what we have of Bock is the Bock you need to see. But there's all that stuff of him in his ATHLETIC prime (assuming, you know, his physiology works the same as every other athlete or person ever) that hasn't seen the light of day, if it even exists on tape at all. I'm interested in how he even MOVED in his 20s and 30s. What did Nick Bockwinkel matwork look like when he was 32? Because It looked fucking sensational when he was 52. Anyways, the merits of Bock as a top candidate have been outlined already, so I'll just rattle off the matches.

 

NICK BOCKWINKEL YOU SHOULD WATCH:

w/Blackjack Lanza v Terry & Dory Funk (All Japan, 12/5/78)

v Jumbo Tsuruta (All Japan, 12/13/78)

v Verne Gagne (AWA, 2/10/79)

v Jumbo Tsuruta (Hawaii, 2/14/79)

w/Jim Brunzell v Terry & Dory Funk (All Japan, 12/9/80)

v Billy Robinson (All Japan, 12/11/80)

v Jim Brunzell (AWA, 7/16/81)

v Ricky Morton (AWA, 7/2/82)

v Jerry Lawler (Memphis, 10/25/82)

v Jerry Lawler (Memphis, 11/8/82)

v Chavo Guerrero (Houston, 2/25/83)

v Terry Funk (All Japan, 7/12/83)

v Wahoo McDaniel (AWA, 8/28/83)

v Rick Martel (AWA, 8/16/84)

v Rick Martel (AWA, 9/20/84)

v Rick Martel (AWA, 3/28/85)

v Larry Zbyszko (AWA, 2/23/86)

w/Brad Rheingans & Steve Pardee v Buddy Rose, Doug Somers & Col. DeBeers (AWA, 5/31/86)

v Curt Hennig (AWA, 11/15/86)

v Curt Hennig (AWA Superclash II, 5/2/87)

[ohtani's jacket]

 

[ohtani's jacket]

The 8mm film footage of Bockwinkel in the early 70s is amazing. .I was really impressed with the Ernie Ladd footage. 

[MichaelZ]

I completely agree about the footage against Ladd and I think everyone should make a point to see it. Bock has always impressed me, but this showed a different side than 80s AWA. Some of his actions almost reminded me of Heenan and served to make Ladd look like a world beater.  

[Matt D]

2 hours ago, MichaelZ said:

I completely agree about the footage against Ladd and I think everyone should make a point to see it. Bock has always impressed me, but this showed a different side than 80s AWA. Some of his actions almost reminded me of Heenan and served to make Ladd look like a world beater.  

There's a sort of Bockwinkel that you rarely see as the 80s go on. It's not at all my favorite side by any means but I do think it shows versatility and helps his case. It's how he wrestles Hogan and Gagne (and to a degree Dusty and others), bumping around like crazy for them. Super high energy stooging.