Nick Bockwinkel

Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel (December 6, 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota – November 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American professional wrestler.
He was known for competing in American Wrestling Association (AWA). Bockwinkel was known for his technical ability and ring psychology as well as his calm, charismatic and articulate promos which helped distinguish him from many of his contemporaries.
Career.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, he was going to play football at the University of Oklahoma but he suffered a knee injury and Oklahoma withdrew his football scholarship.
He was trained by his father Warren Bockwinkel and Lou Thesz. He joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1970 and formed a team with Ray Stevens and their manager Bobby Heenan. The team won the AWA World Tag Team Championship three times.
He ended Verne Gagne's seven year reign when he won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. He won the Championship four times and had feuds with the likes of Billy Robinson, Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Jerry Lawler, Otto Wanz, Mr. Saito, Verne Gagne and Hulk Hogan. He competed in the first ever AWA versus World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Title Unification match, wrestling WWWF Champion, Bob Backlund, to a double count-out, on March 25, 1979.
He worked for the company from 1970 to 1987 and wrestled his last match against Larry Zbyszko after he paid him back for costing him the AWA World title by knocking him out with a roll of coins and pinning him on an episode of AWA Championship Wrestling.
He was the President of the Cauliflower Alley Club, as well as the on-screen General Manager for AWA Superstars. He was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007.
Death.
Bockwinkel died in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 80.