WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel Dies at Age 80

WWE Hall of Fame wrestler and former Oklahoma football player Nick Bockwinkel has died at the age of 80, according to WWE.com.

Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Edge were among many who paid their respects on Twitter:

Bockwinkel was a four-time AWA world heavyweight champion, most famously beating fellow Hall of Famer Verne Gagne for the title belt in 1975, which ended Gagne's seven-year reign as champion. He also won the AWA world tag team championship with Ray "The Crippler" Stevens on three separate occasions. 

Bockwinkel appeared on a number of television shows as well, including The Monkees and Hawaii Five-O, and served as WCW commissioner in 1994-95.

The "Smartest Wrestler Alive," as he called himself, was known for his intelligence, for his elite skills in the ring and for being one of the pioneers of professional wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.