This is the professional wrestling that I grew up watching. Two of the all-time great pro wrestlers in the same ring. A treat to watch. Thanks for posting.
Ian Burton I jacked to it too, growing up, lol, and I agree, 2 of the best, but I favor Bock, he just made me want to watch him beat on somebody, loved his jobber squashes
Wrestling Scholar Bernkastel: Hey those guys were great too. When you list the top 100 wrestlers of all time, all of those guys you named plus Flair and Bockwinkel are gonna be on that list. Everyone of them at some point was a World....Heavyweight.....Champion. Regardless of what they were really like, they are owed that much respect. The crowd reactions alone tell the story.
Now this is a wrestling match.Flair being my favorite wrestler,but grew up watching AWA and thoroughly familiar with Nick Bockwinkle this is a dream match,the thought of seeing these two wrestle each other never accord to me,wow, totally enjoyable!!!!!
This for all you young ones is what you call working a match, real technical wrestling, not the flying trapeze show of today, this is two of the best to ever strap on a pair of wrestling boots.
@@gopherstate777 eh, just a few small things....you have to remember, Nick had most of his training by his father Warren Bockwinkel and Lou Thesz also trained him a little bit. Bock started in the business a lot earlier than people think....1957 or 1958, somewhere around there. I don't think he went to Minneapolis until the mid 1960's. It's obvious that Verne trusted Nick completely to have Nick hold the belt for five years in the late 70's. Nick was beyond loyal to Verne all of those years. That loyalty was borne out of how Verne used Nick as his ultimate foil against him, ensuring Nick got paid top-draw money. The schedule also played a big part of Nick not wanting to go anywhere else....think about it, Bock made killer money, only had to work nine months out of the year and Verne still let him do shots for other promoters from time to time. You can definitely say that Verne tried to mess around with Hogan (playing games on "maybe" giving him a run with the belt, etc.) but Verne never did that with Bock, there was too much respect there.
@@furnitureconsortium absolutely fantastic comment. hit every nail on the head. having warren as your pops is like having verne, stu hart, larry hennig, or johnny valentine as your trainer. i remember nick coming to montreal in 85-86 for matches against martel. great times. thanks again 4 your comment, take care.
@@billnelson8517 Mumbles Ernie my brother? Never heard that one before. Thunderbolt Patterson was better on the mic and inspired Dusty Rhode's funky speech patterns as well as a healthy dose of Superstar Billy Graham.
Wow! This is the defenition of DREAM match! Nick Backwinkel, Ric Flair these two are untouchable! You could argue that Backwinkel was Ric Flair 20 years before the Naich! What a match, they totally delivered!
I quit watching Vince's circus about 10 years ago because that's what it's become, you dont see 45 min matches anymore that's a thing of the past unites it's a ppv, and even then its just huge roid freaks doing dives off 40ft ladders, or some crazy flipping crap, the days of technical wrestling and 2 guys simply beating the shit out of each other are long gone, wwe now is a joke.
Man both men killed it! Great stuff, and the fact both looked great and Nick was so much older then Flair here, shows how timeless the presence and ability of Bockwinkle was
Bockwinkel was once offered the job of NWA champion but declined it in order to have more family time. Had he accepted he would be regarded as one of the best ever, if he is not already. He was a very polite and nice type in person away from the cameras also.
No 2 wrestlers ever were better at making an average guy look like a legitimate contender. It must have been a pleasure for them to work together. Easy to make the other look great.
2 years late but still great! That was the cover for Wrestling Illustrated. Mr. Nick Bockwinkel was a real gentleman. An individual who you can be proud to have as World Champion!
Interestingly, in 1969 Bockwinkle was a top contender for the NWA title and from what I heard had some classics against Dory Funk. However, as his career went on when he was suggested for a run with the NWA belt he would decline due to the fact that he didn't want to be away from his family for extended periods of time. Also, Flair began his career in the AWA and was there until about 74 when Verne sent him to the Carolinas where he became a star.
Brian Long all Nick needed was a fly-front opening on his trunks and they would of looked exactly like a pair tighty whities.....bet that would of sold tickets!
JC1990wm -- Your standards are wonky. Nick looked incredible here for a 51 year old man, especially one who: kept his schedule, paid his own healthcare out of pocket, took care of his family, and kept himself clear of trouble. Watch his old promos, and in them you'll hear the same charisma as Paul Orndorff, Jim Cornette or Rick Rude, among others. Watch his old matches, and you'll see how much he shared in common with: Lou Thesz, Dory Funk, Jack Brisco, Billy Robinson, Antonio Inoki and other "average" wrestlers of "limited skill." During his time, he was exactly what people wanted a champion wrestler/heel to be.
TheLeroyMoon I agree, and Nick was very "enjoyable" to watch wrestle, his early stuff is quite entrancing, his in ring cocky, almost sniveling bully like demeanor later on was, well, satisfying as hell to watch, and his jobber squash matches....cherishable....I can't, at my age of 48, even imagine pro wrestling without Nick Bockwinkel, its unimaginable
My two favorite wrestlers. Best heels, best sellers and promos. Bockwinkel was the original Cerebral Assassin. Brought most of what Flair brought to the table, without the personal issues.
Classic. It doesn't get any better than two of the greatest world champions in wrestling history, going against each other. Bockwinkel needs to be mentioned more when wrestling is being talked about. When you talk about champions, Bockwinkel should be mentioned just as much as Flair.
@@billnelson8517 Since you brought it up, it's a damn shame that a Sammartino vs Bockwinkel fight was somehow never made. They were both around the same age and wrestled for over 30 yrs.
Ric has a basic match that he could put any opponent in and they would look good. This was necessary for wrestling in different promotions/territories. The reason you notice it is because once wrestling hit mainstream tv VIA cable you could see it's the same match. But most wrestlers did the same thing. Flairs PPV matches were usually different though.
I grew up in Winnipeg, I was 7 when this happened! I lived 5-10 minutes from the old arena. I was just starting my crippling Wrestling addiction around then!!!! 😀
Now I’m imagining Flair and Bockwinkle as a heel tag team with Bobby Heenan as their manager. Between the three men, the promos, the charisma, the work rate, all of it would have been unmatchable. I want to alternate universe where that happened
Wrestling today is reality that these matches back then absolutely in the 80s. I was kid growing up teenager Saturdays in Philly. I’ve been watching this. There is nothing else to do. There was but.
Nick was great, he had matches around the world and as for the NWA , Nick wrestled Harley Race to a 60 minute draw, after having already wrestled. I can't remember the wrestler was that didn't show up for the match with Harley Race. The promoter got Bockwinkle to wrestle Race, so the wrestling fans wouldn't be disappointed.
Everyone says Flair wrestled the same match. He wrestled almost every night for 30 years. You didn't see him wrestle every match or even 50% of his matches. Maybe he did what was comfortable in alot of his matches because he wrestled different cities every night. He wrestled alit if tag matches, cage matches, etc. They were not all the same
I mean if you look at wrestlers like Brett Hart,Hogan,Harley Race, Steve Austin, The Rock, Cena and so many others they all actually wrestled the same matches. I think Flair just gets roasted more for whatever reason. Still think his matches with Steamboat were the best I've seen.
most guys worked the same match every night of the week in those days - Flair would only be seen a few times per year wherever he was so it never got old
I wished I had seen this. I didn't even know they had a match. Two of the cream of the crop. Match should've been title "The irresisdable force meets the immovable object"
The only Nick vs Ric match, with Scott Hall on commentary, and a young Chris Jericho as a fan ringside. Things can converge in strange ways at times in wrestling.
Nick was underrated I allways thought the Nwa / Awa angle was amazing . It just never took off Maybe if their went to New York and promoted a few programs it would have gone National. Growing up in Toronto Canada my friends and I loved Nwa wrestling Ric flair Sting Harlem Heat just to name a few. Wwf destroyed wrestling turned It into a celebrity entertainment gimmick. I also thought if the NWA focused a little more in Canada it would have helped the promotion. The wrestlers where over huge in Canada.......!
Grew up watching NWA wrestling and going to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto - one of the greatest feuds ever was Piper v. Flair in early 1980s. Nick Bockwinkel never got the credit he deserved - he was a top-notch sell - so under-utilized in AWA.
In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Nick Bockwinkel was ranked at #6 in the Most Hated Wrestler category and was the American Wrestling Association (AWA) World's Heavyweight Champion. Ric Flair was ranked at #3 in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and was #1 in the Most Hated Wrestler category.
Nell Bowie Wrong. Flair was often #1 most hated in PWI ratings. There were even times when he was tops in Most Popular AND the Most Hated in the same issue based on fan mail to the magazine.
The GOAT vs Nick Bockwinkle. Nick had the AWA belt for years and was a great in ring performer and a pretty good promo guy. I wonder why he isn't talked about as one of the greatest of all time. His name is usually left out of that conversation
The greatest of all AWA World Champions Vs the greatest NWA World Champion of all time ! This match more than lived up to the hype !
Huh, I didn't know this was Verne Gagne vs Lou Thesz.
@@Aphelion_k9f 👎👎
Flair...better than Harley Race? C'mon!
@@preachinoldschool5726 A lot of people said that Flair wrestled the same match. Race was better than Flair.
@Paul Wilson The flip in the corner and go to the top turnbuckle was so funny. LOL
What wrestling still should be, much respect for both men
This is the professional wrestling that I grew up watching. Two of the all-time great pro wrestlers in the same ring. A treat to watch. Thanks for posting.
Lucky you. I grew up watching Hogan, Sting, Austin, and Rock so I suppose I lucked out in a way as well.
Ian Burton I jacked to it too, growing up, lol, and I agree, 2 of the best, but I favor Bock, he just made me want to watch him beat on somebody, loved his jobber squashes
Wrestling Scholar Bernkastel: Hey those guys were great too. When you list the top 100 wrestlers of all time, all of those guys you named plus Flair and Bockwinkel are gonna be on that list. Everyone of them at some point was a World....Heavyweight.....Champion. Regardless of what they were really like, they are owed that much respect. The crowd reactions alone tell the story.
Agreed!
Now this is a wrestling match.Flair being my favorite wrestler,but grew up watching AWA and thoroughly familiar with Nick Bockwinkle this is a dream match,the thought of seeing these two wrestle each other never accord to me,wow, totally enjoyable!!!!!
Yeah thanks for TH-cam being invented
Wow that is almost exactly what I was about to post. My favorites were Arn and Ole, but 4 horsemen for life. Arn, Ole, Tully and Ric the OG
This for all you young ones is what you call working a match, real technical wrestling, not the flying trapeze show of today, this is two of the best to ever strap on a pair of wrestling boots.
it's a semi shoot
Nick was trained by Lou Thesz, Flair by Vern Gagne. The great tradition was passed down!
Nick really passed a lot along to Flair, as well.
@@gopherstate777 eh, just a few small things....you have to remember, Nick had most of his training by his father Warren Bockwinkel and Lou Thesz also trained him a little bit. Bock started in the business a lot earlier than people think....1957 or 1958, somewhere around there. I don't think he went to Minneapolis until the mid 1960's. It's obvious that Verne trusted Nick completely to have Nick hold the belt for five years in the late 70's. Nick was beyond loyal to Verne all of those years. That loyalty was borne out of how Verne used Nick as his ultimate foil against him, ensuring Nick got paid top-draw money. The schedule also played a big part of Nick not wanting to go anywhere else....think about it, Bock made killer money, only had to work nine months out of the year and Verne still let him do shots for other promoters from time to time. You can definitely say that Verne tried to mess around with Hogan (playing games on "maybe" giving him a run with the belt, etc.) but Verne never did that with Bock, there was too much respect there.
Gagne NEVER taught Flair to act like a jerk!
@@billnelson8517 true
@@furnitureconsortium absolutely fantastic comment. hit every nail on the head. having warren as your pops is like having verne, stu hart, larry hennig, or johnny valentine as your trainer. i remember nick coming to montreal in 85-86 for matches against martel. great times. thanks again 4 your comment, take care.
The two best ring psychologists of all time in pro-wrestling. And the best on the mic.
Sorry but the best ever on the mic was Ernie Ladd hands down!
@@billnelson8517 Mumbles Ernie my brother? Never heard that one before. Thunderbolt Patterson was better on the mic and inspired Dusty Rhode's funky speech patterns as well as a healthy dose of Superstar Billy Graham.
@@billnelson8517 nope Terry Funk or Roddy Piper
I grew up with these guys I miss them dearly in their prime and that era as well... Thanks Nick and Ric for the memories👏!
Two masters who could either brawl or give you a scientific match.
NOT bad at all when you can do a little bit of everything.
@@suzannewillis817 ...and even better when they did BOTH in the same match....these two knew how to keep us on "edge" the whole match....
Bockwinkle being cheered as babyface is something very rare. This match is true pro wrestling
It shows how great of a heel Flair is when he's booed against another great heel wrestler like Bockwinkel.
Winnipeg was AWA country at this point, so Bockwinkle had that advantage. He may have already turned babyface at this point as well.
@@nomaamguyplusseinfeldandco2870 another great heel was Glamor Queen GORGEOUS GEORGE.
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
@@travismcdonald6576 Bockwinkel turned babyface in October of 85
The Nature Boy and Bockwinkle were pretty evenly matched----- This was a great match!!!!!
Wow! This is the defenition of DREAM match!
Nick Backwinkel, Ric Flair these two are untouchable! You could argue that Backwinkel was Ric Flair 20 years before the Naich!
What a match, they totally delivered!
Vince r u watching? This is what professional wrestling should be! Smack down and Raw is a joke compared to this! Ric and Nick in their prime.
Where is the AWA now?
It’s funny that you say Nick was in his prime, Bockwinkel was either 50 or more at the time and he was still a top tier wrestler.
@@johndeagle4389 I'd rather have it than WWE right now.
Nick probably past his prime and yet still taking a much younger World Champion right up to and past his limit. BAM!
I quit watching Vince's circus about 10 years ago because that's what it's become, you dont see 45 min matches anymore that's a thing of the past unites it's a ppv, and even then its just huge roid freaks doing dives off 40ft ladders, or some crazy flipping crap, the days of technical wrestling and 2 guys simply beating the shit out of each other are long gone, wwe now is a joke.
Two of the best technicians ever!!!!!
Nick was the second best wrestler of his era....Ric flair and Bockwinkel made me believe they was the champions of the world
Number 2 and 3 respectively. After Harley Race.
@@Michael_Chandler_Keaton Race said that Flair is the greatest ever.
I can’t believe I found this match! I was at this event! I would have been 9 years old.😊
R.I.P. Mister Nick Bockwinkel!!!🏆🏆🏆💗💗💗🙏🙏🙏
I was in attendance at this event, thanks for the memory 👍
Do you remember if this was promoted as part of a Pro Wrestling USA card?
Man both men killed it! Great stuff, and the fact both looked great and Nick was so much older then Flair here, shows how timeless the presence and ability of Bockwinkle was
Are we really ignoring the fact that a young Scott Hall is on commentary?
amazing match.Both were the best of their era.
Bockwinkel was once offered the job of NWA champion but declined it in order to have more family time. Had he accepted he would be regarded as one of the best ever, if he is not already. He was a very polite and nice type in person away from the cameras also.
Yep old fashioned gent. Almost my dad's age. RIP champ - and rest!
it's sad most of these guy's have passed now, i had so much fun watching the awa when i was a kid.
Wow that move at 00:48 was pretty swift for an old guy like Bockwinkle! Two of my top 3 of all time going at it. The third being Harley Race.
Remember Bockwinkle is in his late 40s....such a great performer....they both were outstanding here...
Nick was 51 here. He was in remarkable shape.
Back in the days guys could go into their 50s they didn't need to abuse their body to entertain
No 2 wrestlers ever were better at making an average guy look like a legitimate contender. It must have been a pleasure for them to work together. Easy to make the other look great.
2 years late but still great! That was the cover for Wrestling Illustrated. Mr. Nick Bockwinkel was a real gentleman. An individual who you can be proud to have as World Champion!
They made it look like a athletic contest kudos to both men
Interestingly, in 1969 Bockwinkle was a top contender for the NWA title and from what I heard had some classics against Dory Funk. However, as his career went on when he was suggested for a run with the NWA belt he would decline due to the fact that he didn't want to be away from his family for extended periods of time. Also, Flair began his career in the AWA and was there until about 74 when Verne sent him to the Carolinas where he became a star.
Eddie Graham and then Fritz
Von Erich twice offered the NWA belt to Nick. He refused it..
Nick Bockwinkle Is Sadly So Underrated!
Brian Long all Nick needed was a fly-front opening on his trunks and they would of looked exactly like a pair tighty whities.....bet that would of sold tickets!
Did you just try to say that Bock had no charisma? LOL to that.
JC1990wm -- Your standards are wonky. Nick looked incredible here for a 51 year old man, especially one who: kept his schedule, paid his own healthcare out of pocket, took care of his family, and kept himself clear of trouble. Watch his old promos, and in them you'll hear the same charisma as Paul Orndorff, Jim Cornette or Rick Rude, among others. Watch his old matches, and you'll see how much he shared in common with: Lou Thesz, Dory Funk, Jack Brisco, Billy Robinson, Antonio Inoki and other "average" wrestlers of "limited skill." During his time, he was exactly what people wanted a champion wrestler/heel to be.
TheLeroyMoon I agree, and Nick was very "enjoyable" to watch wrestle, his early stuff is quite entrancing, his in ring cocky, almost sniveling bully like demeanor later on was, well, satisfying as hell to watch, and his jobber squash matches....cherishable....I can't, at my age of 48, even imagine pro wrestling without Nick Bockwinkel, its unimaginable
absolutely agree!!!!
Goes without saying, these are two of the greatest to ever lace em up. Cool to hear a young Scott Hall at the announcers table.
They really worked well together. That was a great exhibition of professional wrestling!
😎👍
these two legends should have had way more matches with each other. This was awesome !!!
I agree wholeheartedly! I really, really enjoyed watching this one. The chemistry these two legends had with each other was amazing.
Enter Bobby Heenan and the AWA title, this would've been a promoters dream match!
Two great in ring generals, that understand the art of in ring storytelling. Their chemistry is anazing
Nick might have been past his prime but he still had it.
Great match between 2 World Champions 2 legends.
The two masters of their craft.
flair is a living legend alot of people hate on him but he was great worker who wrestled hour matches
Flair is the GOAT.
100% correct.
at this age, nick can still go AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My two favorite wrestlers. Best heels, best sellers and promos. Bockwinkel was the original Cerebral Assassin. Brought most of what Flair brought to the table, without the personal issues.
30 minutes at Winnipeg arena made me fans is both these men. Best wrestling card ever. Bob Baklund walking around shaking hands. Nice night.
Any idea where to get the match.
2 of the all time greats thanks for posting this match!
This is one of my favorite matches! They are so similar to each other. Bockwinkle is just a little more classy. I love em both!! Whooooo!!
Scott Hall on color commentary makes this one of the best rasslin vids on YT
Scott Hall on commentary this is the first time I ever heard him call a match.
Can't believe how far I had to scroll before the first comment recognizing this lol
@@CarterJ9 Yea TH-cam hates me LOL
Bockwinkel was flair before flair and the million dollar man before the million dollar man
a great match between two legendary champions
Was lucky enough to be at this match, great seeing it again
Classic. It doesn't get any better than two of the greatest world champions in wrestling history, going against each other. Bockwinkel needs to be mentioned more when wrestling is being talked about. When you talk about champions, Bockwinkel should be mentioned just as much as Flair.
The GREATEST World Champion of them all was Bruno Sammartino! Flair couldn't carry his jock strap.
@@billnelson8517 Since you brought it up, it's a damn shame that a Sammartino vs Bockwinkel fight was somehow never made. They were both around the same age and wrestled for over 30 yrs.
A million thanks for these great memories. Thanks from St. Paul Minnesota.
Bockwinkle and Flair imagine how much money they would've made today two great personalities
Bockwinkel should have been number one everywhere.
Ric has a basic match that he could put any opponent in and they would look good. This was necessary for wrestling in different promotions/territories. The reason you notice it is because once wrestling hit mainstream tv VIA cable you could see it's the same match. But most wrestlers did the same thing. Flairs PPV matches were usually different though.
I was there it was a great nite of wrestling. I had season tickets since the 70’s.
Bockwinkle wrestled for Don Owen in Portland for a bit early in his career..(was Pacific Northwest champ a couple of times)
I remember reading about this bout in Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Two of the best ever!
I grew up in Winnipeg, I was 7 when this happened! I lived 5-10 minutes from the old arena. I was just starting my crippling Wrestling addiction around then!!!! 😀
Thank you so much for putting this video up. One thing I will say, this was and is entertainment extraordinare! Good stuff!
That was one of the best matches ive ever seen. Thanks for the upload.
Bockwinckel is 51 years old, Flair is 36.
My Dream Match Bockwinkel&Stevens Vs Ric Flair&Arn Anderson
Two of the sport's greatest legends!!!😎
My Dream Match Ric Flair&Arn Anderson Vs Nick Bockwinkel&Ray Stevens
Bockwinkle was one the greatest wrestler of all time.
nick bockwinkle was not a muscular guy but he was one hell of a worker and he had bobby heenan in his corner he couldn't go wrong.
First time ever seeing this two great bad guys.
I think Flair is calling the match. It's fun to see Bockwinkle wrestling "NWA style."
Nick could wrestle any style. He was a all time great in the ring
Heel always called the match back then, it bockwinkle is being cheered
Great chain wrestling.
2 masters of their craft in this classic
Now I’m imagining Flair and Bockwinkle as a heel tag team with Bobby Heenan as their manager. Between the three men, the promos, the charisma, the work rate, all of it would have been unmatchable. I want to alternate universe where that happened
Wrestling today is reality that these matches back then absolutely in the 80s. I was kid growing up teenager Saturdays in Philly. I’ve been watching this. There is nothing else to do. There was but.
Great classic match between 2 ring masters.
Nick was great, he had matches around the world and as for the NWA , Nick wrestled Harley Race to a 60 minute draw, after having already wrestled. I can't remember the wrestler was that didn't show up for the match with Harley Race. The promoter got Bockwinkle to wrestle Race, so the wrestling fans wouldn't be disappointed.
The headline in one of the apter mags after this match occurred in 1986 was four years too late but still great.
Nick was great wrestler .
Everyone says Flair wrestled the same match. He wrestled almost every night for 30 years. You didn't see him wrestle every match or even 50% of his matches. Maybe he did what was comfortable in alot of his matches because he wrestled different cities every night. He wrestled alit if tag matches, cage matches, etc. They were not all the same
I mean if you look at wrestlers like Brett Hart,Hogan,Harley Race, Steve Austin, The Rock, Cena and so many others they all actually wrestled the same matches. I think Flair just gets roasted more for whatever reason. Still think his matches with Steamboat were the best I've seen.
most guys worked the same match every night of the week in those days - Flair would only be seen a few times per year wherever he was so it never got old
But didn’t Flair’s heavy travel schedule mean that he made his way around the territories somewhat frequently?
Happiness gratitude and greatness amazing nothing else
Bockwinkle is incredibly underrated in my opinion. When wrestling blew up in the 80’s, he was a bit old but still very capable.
AWA vs NWA was the best...this match is ten times better than ANYTHING wrestlemania threw up
Wow these guys are great champion vs champion dig it brother 👍👍
I wished I had seen this. I didn't even know they had a match. Two of the cream of the crop. Match should've been title "The irresisdable force meets the immovable object"
This is professional wrestling at it's finest
I was at this match..it was great and a great card!!
When and where did this match take place?
@@robertcoggeshall3071 Jan 16, 1986 in Winnipeg manitoba
@@madmantrader cool. I was at first Hogan and flair match at msg.
One great all time pro wrestling classic old school entertaining tough smart skilled dream match video
The only Nick vs Ric match, with Scott Hall on commentary, and a young Chris Jericho as a fan ringside. Things can converge in strange ways at times in wrestling.
Nick was underrated I allways thought the Nwa / Awa angle was amazing . It just never took off Maybe if their went to New York and promoted a few programs it would have gone National. Growing up in Toronto Canada my friends and I loved Nwa wrestling Ric flair Sting Harlem Heat just to name a few. Wwf destroyed wrestling turned It into a celebrity entertainment gimmick. I also thought if the NWA focused a little more in Canada it would have helped the promotion. The wrestlers where over huge in Canada.......!
Grew up watching NWA wrestling and going to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto - one of the greatest feuds ever was Piper v. Flair in early 1980s. Nick Bockwinkel never got the credit he deserved - he was a top-notch sell - so under-utilized in AWA.
The Advent of the WWF damaged pro wrestling in Winnipeg. Only one card per year and often just generic matches.
I don't watch todays wwe matches. The old matches posted here on TH-cam are superior
👍👍👍👍
In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Nick Bockwinkel was ranked at #6 in the Most Hated Wrestler category and was the American Wrestling Association (AWA) World's Heavyweight Champion. Ric Flair was ranked at #3 in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and was #1 in the Most Hated Wrestler category.
awesome stats, good job
That hated list is not accurate. Even though Flair was a heel most of the time he was never the most hated
Nell Bowie Wrong. Flair was often #1 most hated in PWI ratings. There were even times when he was tops in Most Popular AND the Most Hated in the same issue based on fan mail to the magazine.
AWA at the Winnipeg Arena!!!
THIS is wrestling.
I met Bockwinkel a bunch of years ago. He was a cool OG.
I was so drunk at the match I all most got kicked out of the arena that night ,great match
Dennis Williams me too!!!
Wow! I never knew Flair and Bockwinkle tied it up! How did I ever miss this???
+Richard bain ..Each champ with their number 1...their enforcer..you're right, that would be one for the ages, good call..
This is a classic wow 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
If this match was 1986, Nick was 52!
Yes I think Nick a little past his prime but could still go with Flair or Hennig. Would like to have seen this in 81-82 maybe.
The GOAT vs Nick Bockwinkle. Nick had the AWA belt for years and was a great in ring performer and a pretty good promo guy. I wonder why he isn't talked about as one of the greatest of all time. His name is usually left out of that conversation
What a great "jack" match... especially when Bockwinkel was in control, you could always tell how great it was makin him feel as a MAN...
What's a jack match?
The Master teaching the student.