This is a tough one: RIP Nick Bockwinkel

[Strummer]

I started paying attention to wrestling sometime in the summer of 1986. I can remember watching Bockwinkel on ESPN in the early days when I got home from school. The two matches with Hennig in 86/87 are my most vivid memories. RIP to maybe the best wrestling promo I've ever heard

[Cap]

This has been a tough year.

 

I have really grown to appreciate Bock so much more over the last few years and really love his work. I think he was a very unique performer, an absolute legend in the ring. As mentioned above, he was great and not just in his context. He transcends time and was such a compelling overall talent.

 

Cheers to Bock.

[RCS1988]

A guy that probably could have headlined and sold out MSG with Bruno, Pedro, Bob, etc.

[drew wardlaw]

Bockwinkel was the only guy besides Zybyszko who could actually rap to the beat in the Wrestlerock Rumble. RIP.

[Matt D]

I shouldn't be surprised (and I'm not, really), but in reading the Meltzer bio, and in listening to his audio from a few days ago (and thank you Loss for pointing me to it), there are so many of Nick's thoughts on wrestling that Dave presents that line up not just with what you see in his matches, but in the elements that I feel strongly about as well. Intent is important to me, and even though with Bock, all I ever really had to go on was was the definite illusion of intent, it's very rewarding to know that it was really there after all.

[Loss]

What Matt means is:

 

- Bockwinkel didn't like the way Hansen and Brody came roaring out of the gate, and specifically thought Brody was a top notch athlete but didn't like his in-ring choices at all

 

- Bockwinkel felt too many great workers were too focused on having a great match when that wasn't always what mattered most. Bockwinkel felt like he didn't need to carry Crusher to great matches, he needed to sell in a way that made him look like a million bucks

 

- Bockwinkel hated the idea of card placement representing mastery of psychology and talent, and thought that line of thinking was bullshit. People will always react more to the main event because it's the main event, not because the workers involved are geniuses

[Memphis Mark]

A true legend. I used to watch Nick Bockwinkle defend the AWA World Title at the MSC . He had not only many matches with Lawler but worked with Bill Dundee , Jimmy Valiant , Sonny King. and even a young Jeff Jarrett. I recall being star struck when Nick and Bobby Heenan first came to Memphis. They stepped right off the pages of Inside Wrestling and into the MSC . What . is even more amazing is that Nick was in his 50's and still having great matches. Unheard of today. One of the all time greats .

[flyonthewall2983]

So strange him and Verne died in the same year. This one is actually a surprise to me because I figured Nick would be one to have gone in his 90's.

[Grimmas]

What Matt means is:

 

- Bockwinkel didn't like the way Hansen and Brody came roaring out of the gate, and specifically thought Brody was a top notch athlete but didn't like his in-ring choices at all

 

- Bockwinkel felt too many great workers were too focused on having a great match when that wasn't always what mattered most. Bockwinkel felt like he didn't need to carry Crusher to great matches, he needed to sell in a way that made him look like a million bucks

 

- Bockwinkel hated the idea of card placement representing mastery of psychology and talent, and thought that line of thinking was bullshit. People will always react more to the main event because it's the main event, not because the workers involved are geniuses

Those are really amazing lines.