"Mean" Gene Okerlund and Nick Bockwinkel
Posted on 11/15/2015 9:14:46 AM PST by massmike
According to the Cauliflower Alley Club, legendary pro wrestler Nick Bockwinkel has died at the age of 80,
Cauliflower Alley released the following statement:
"It is with a heavy heart the Cauliflower Alley Club announces that The Greatest AWA World Champion of all time and former CAC President Nicholas "Nick" Bockwinkel passed away Saturday night at approx. 8:40 pm due to health issues. We will have more on this later Sunday afternoon. The Cauliflower Alley Club, it's members, and all of Nicks fans & friends send their condolences to Darlene & the Bockwinkel family at this time. The Bockwinkel family ask for everyone to respect their privacy at this time."
Bockwinkel is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, as well as a former AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Bockwinkel was also a part of a legendary tag team with Ray Stevens. In 2003, Bockwinkel was also inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
(Excerpt) Read more at wrestlinginc.com ...
"Mean" Gene Okerlund and Nick Bockwinkel
I didn’t know that was the spokeman’s name, but I remember Gene Okerlund and his microphone on Saturday wrestling.
I always thought if I was where he was, in the ring right after a bout, I would need a gas mask. Plus, most of the wrestlers were prone to yelling straight into the mike, both saying it and spraying it. Of course, one gets used to it after a while, I guess.
Sorry to hear of his passing. I first became aware of Bockwinkel during his days of part of a legendary tag team with Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. I miss the old school wrestling, as opposed to the “glamour boys” and soap opera antics that pass for wrestling today.
I love the old school wrestling. I remember watching wrestling on tv with my mom whom she was a fanatic about it. Her favorite was the woman wrestler The Fabulous Moolah. OMG my mom would stomp her feet and would shouted out. As a kid I would run out of the house and play outside only to hear my mom’s shouting. LOL good memories. Also Ray “The Crippler” Stevens we would see about on the streets since he lived near us. Your right today’s wrestling is all glamour and hype, but there was something about the old wrestling. It was just a simple match with no drama nor glamour.
Sorry to see him go.
He lived a long life for a pro rassler. Must not have been into steroids.
I have a vague memory of him, having been a fan in the 1960’s.
Dick the Bruiser was my favorite.
RIP.
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Nick was a great heel. I hated him most of my childhood. Those were the good old days.
Haystacks Calhoun!!!
I stopped watching pro wrestling when Rowdy Roddy Piper became passe. My pro wrestling summit was during Verne Gagne's AWA best era.
I LOVED pro wrestling when technology wasn't needed i.e. the personalities of the characters were as good as it gets.
If we ever get into it I'll tell some priceless stories of Hard Boiled Haggerty and the Mysterious Mr. M who were my first villains and when my Dad's taunting (while I understood the propriety of the game) made pro wrestling the greatest sport ever invented.
Pro wrestling included a story told by Bud Grant (of NFL fame) and his close personal friend, Verne Gagne, that left me rolling on the floor laughing out loud. Nick Bockwinkel was by far as good as any and better than most.
I haven't watched pro wrestling in 15 year and know like I know my own name that nothing today can match those golden days of pro wrestling.
Great story - I would like to hear more of you post, stevem
OK, then.
When I heard this story, I believe it was Grant that told it on some local TV event.
Verne Gagne played football in the 1940s at the University of Minnesota with "greats" such as Leo Nomellini (Minnesota Hall of Fame), Billy Bye and Harry Peter (Bud) Grant. Grant was team MVP in 1949 as a defensive end...I think.
After they graduated, Gagne went into pro wrestling. He was scheduled to wrestle against one of the big time villains (Hans Shmidt, I think, but the bad guy doesn't matter) at the Minneapolis Auditorium.
Three of Gagne's football friends went to the match swearing that when the bad guy started working Gagne over they were going to jump into the ring and beat the holy hell out of the bad guy.
During the match, of course, Gagne starting taking an horrendous beating. Grant and his compatriots, sitting in the front row, got up to climb into the ring.
The bad guy stuck his head through the ropes and screamed, "Sit down, you punks!!!"
All three of them sat down...fast...and said, in unison, "Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir!" As with everything in pro wrestling, who knows what's real and what's apocryphal. Nevertheless, this would have been a statement against penal interest. I found it better than fun, especially when you consider how Grant joined the pantheon of Minnesota sports legends.
P.S. I don't know who won the match, but do know Gagne hadn't paid his dues yet so to be known as a big time wrestler and didn't own the AWA at that time. I suspect, in the end, he was lucky to escape with his life.
For me it started in the early 70’s. My favorite was Ivan Putski. My favorite heel was Baron “The Claw” von Raschke.
That’s classic! Three big lfootball players ready to pile on and the bad guy gets em back in line in a jiffy!
I do know my friend came to work with a Bockwinkel autographed photo. That I saw up close and personal.
Ivan Putski was the "Pole" who spoke no English, but he smiled a great deal.
This is a story Jesse Ventura aka Jim Janos told when he had a morning drive-time radio show. It nearly caused me to drive up a telephone pole from laughing so hard.
They used to tape matches at the Calhoun Beach Hotel on Lake Street in Minneapolis. These were used for Saturday Night Wrestling promo shows on local TV (WTCN in those days became KARE). Verne Gagne was the senior partner in the AWA in those days, but none of the fans knew it. His junior partner was "Promoter" Wally Karbo.
The first time Putski won in Minneapolis on a taped show at the hotel, the announcer, Marty O'Neill, met with Putski after the match to interview him. O'Neill asked questions, but Putski didn't understand, so just smiled for the camera.
O'Neill said, "This is going nowhere." He called Wally Karbo over and said, "Ivan can't understand me. You grew up speaking Polish in your home. Can you help?" Karbo said, "OK, I'll give it a shot. What do you want me to ask him."
Marty O'Neill said, "Ask him how much he weighs."
Karbo took the microphone, looked at Putski and shouted, really loud, into the microphone (in English), "Ivan, how much do you weigh?"
Needless to say, Putski didn't understand English no matter how loud someone spoke.
I can't see how pro wrestling these days can do anything to compete with those "Golden Age of Wrestling" days.
So many entertaining things happened it's nearly impossible to keep up.
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