Warren Bockwinkel
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| Warren Bockwinkel | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | "St. Louis Flash" Warren Bockwinkel [1] |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) [2] |
| Born | May 21, 1911 |
| Died | March 25, 1986 (aged 74) St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Billed from | St. Louis, Missouri, United States[3] |
| Debut | c. 1935 |
| Retired | c. 1955 |
Warren Bockwinkel, often misspelled Bockwinkle (May 21, 1911-March 25, 1986) was an American professional wrestler who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance and North American regional promotions during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. One of the earliest wrestlers to appear on television, he teamed with many of the top wrestlers of the day including Ray Vilmer, Killer Kowalski and "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Although never winning a world title during his career, he was involved in many high profile feuds including Ernie Dusek, Paul Boesch [4], Sandor Szabo, George Zaharias [5] [6] and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. [7]
He was also the trainer of several wrestlers of the "Golden Age of Wrestling"-era including Wilbur Snyder and, along with Lou Thesz, his son Nick Bockwinkel who would eventually become a major star in the American Wrestling Association winning the AWA World Heavyweight Championship 6 times during the 1970s and 1980s.
A personal friend of promoter Lord James "Tallyho" Blears, he convinced Blears to allow Nick Bockwinkel to compete in his NWA Hawaii territory [8] and later teamed with his son during the early 1950s. [9]
Retiring during the late 1950s, he briefly came out of retirement to team with his son to face Verne Gagne and his son Greg in Montreal at a memorial show for promoter Johnny Rougeau in 1984; Bockwinkel, at age 72, is one of the oldest wrestlers to ever compete in a professional wrestling match. He later died in St. Louis, Missouri on March 25, 1986.
Nick Bockwinkel later acknowledged his father in his induction speeches for the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
[edit] Further reading
- Conner, Floyd. Wrestlings Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Pro Wrestling's Outrageous Performers, Punishing Piledrivers and Other Oddities. Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's, 2001. ISBN 1-57488-308-9
- Thesz, Lou. Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling. Wrestling Channel Press, 2001. ISBN 0970651600
[edit] References
- ^ "Ernie Dusek, Bockwinkle Rassle Tonight". Washington Post. 05 Dec 1940
- ^ "Bockwinkle Battles Olson On Londos-Cox Mat Card". Washington Post. 03 Apr 1940
- ^ "Bockwinkle Engages Golden Terror on Mat Thursday Night". Washington Post. 04 Aug 1940
- ^ Boesch, Paul (1981). The Career of Paul Boesch -- One Man, One Sport, One Lifetime -- 53 Years on the Mat. The Wrestling News. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ "'Glamour Boy' Wrestles Tonight". Washington Post. 24 Oct 1940
- ^ "Torrid Mat Foes to Meet In Rematch". Washington Post. 27 Oct 1940
- ^ Bowden, Scott (2006-12-07). Kentucky Fried Rasslin': The Beverly Hills Blonde Bomber. Comics101.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ Ohira, Rod (2005-07-24). Iaukea reminisces about 50th-state wrestling. The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ Zordani, Jim (2004). Regional Territories: AWA. KayfabeMemories.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
