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Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/08/sports/freddie-blassie-pro-wrestler-popular-as-villain-dies-at-85.html. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. It is a mostly improvised parody of the art film My Dinner with Andre and is set in a Sambo's restaurant where Kaufman and Blassie have a discussion over breakfast. One that stands out was his rivalry with Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s. . Keith Elliot Greenberg has been doing his part to preserve professional wrestling history for the past few decades. Comedian Andy Kaufman & professional wrestler Classy Freddie Blassie eat breakfast & discuss life. [3][8] In 1983, Rhino Records released a 14-track album by Blassie, titled I Bite the Songs. He was 85.Mr. Let's learn more about this classic heel! Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. Many of the viewers were horrified by Blassie's treatment of their hero. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . Blassie continued to interfere from ringside in matches, especially during Volkoff's feud with Corporal Kirchner. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. As a result he has wrought something of a revolution in the unmanly art of exhibition wrestling.. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. On top of that, hed take on English legend Billy Robinson, WWE Champion Superstar Billy Graham, and legendary masked heel wrestler Destroyer. Replying to. [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. *The 100 deaths claim was an exaggerated myth that Blassie used. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. He was popular in Japan as well. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! When Gene Okerlund confronted Blassie in an interview after the match, Blassie said, "what cane, I didn't have no cane!". Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Discover Freddie Blassie's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Managed by "Loud", Countless World Wrestling Federation TV and Pay Per View Ads. Born: 1921. Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). At Freddie Blassies wake, a family member came up to Keith Elliot Greenberg, saying that Freddies son had read the book and was ready to make peace with his father. [3], Upon Blassie's return from the war, he was billed as "Sailor" Fred Blassie to capitalize on the wave of war-time patriotism sweeping the country, but that gimmick was unsuccessful. Freddie Blassie retired as an active wrestler in 1974 in part because of the difficulty of securing a wrestling license . Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate", [3] he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. He is from USA. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. [4] After managing Sheik through a brief feud with Andre the Giant, he also became the manager of Nikolai Volkoff, with Sheik and Volkoff later becoming a tag team. Frederick Kenneth Blassie (Classy Freddy Blassie, The Vampire, Sailor Fred Blassie, The Hollywood Fashion Plate, The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling), Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. Blassie claims that he made Regis Philbin into the celebrity he is today. Freddie Blassies origins are worth knowing about, especially because they involve much earlier days of the pro wrestling world -- as in, within the first half of the 20th century. For the first installment, we look at one of the most iconic villains in pro wrestling history as both a wrestler and a manager in Classy Freddie Blassie. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. The phrase pencil neck geek is such a common bit of North American English idiom that likely few are aware that it actually comes from pro wrestling, let alone from the mouth of Freddie Blassie. Among the men he managed were Nikolai Volkoff,[2] The Iron Sheik,[2] Blackjack Mulligan,[2] High Chief Peter Maivia,[2] "The Crippler" Ray Stevens,[2] Adrian Adonis,[2] Jesse Ventura,[2] Dick Murdoch,[2] Swede Hanson,[2] Killer Khan,[2] George 'The Animal' Steele,[2] Professor Tanaka,[2] Mr. Fuji,[2] Ivan Koloff,[2] Tor Kamata,[2] Masa Saito,[2] Lou Albano,[2] Victor Rivera,[2] Kamala,[2] Hercules Hernandez,[2] and Hulk Hogan. . [15] Blassie led Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over Bob Backlund on December 26, 1983, in Madison Square Garden. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. From there, he moved on to become a regular writer, contributor, and reporter for WWE. Keith Elliot Greenberg coauthored Legends of Wrestling: Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks with wrestling icon "Classy" Freddie Blassie shortly before his death in 2003. He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . [20] Because of this, Blassie is one of, if not the only man to have worked with all four generations of the McMahon family. Using his newfound skills, Blassie became a wrestler starting in the carnival circuit, debuting in 1935 but taking a break in the 1940s to fight in World War II. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. As time goes on, many older wrestlers begin to fade out of the collective memory of wrestling, especially if their primary in-ring work happened before WWE began its takeover of the sport in the 1980s. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. He even managed Muhammad Ali going into his legendary match with Antonio Inoki. In addition to his pro wrestling notoriety, Classy Freddie Blassie also has some amusing notability in wider pop culture. On a mid-July 2001 episode of Raw, the Invasion storyline was in full swing, and Blassie was brought in to motivate the WWE in the face of their ongoing war with the WCW/ECW Alliance. Upon his return to the U.S. and the pro-wrestling circuit full time in 1946, he was repackaged by promoters as Sailor Freddie Blassie, as promoters looked to capitalize on U.S. patriotism following the war. Freddie Blassie Also known as Fred Blassie, Fred McDaniel Overview Career Career highlights Titles Matches Match Statistics Matchguide Feuds Promos Tournaments Tag Teams & Stables Entourage Awards Books Wrestling Games Movies Commentary Career Ratings Comments Matches Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 1631 items that match the search parameters. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE He hated his father for it. The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks (Wwe S) Paperback - February 1, 2004 by Keith Elliot Greenberg (Author) 115 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Hardcover $18.99 13 Used from $4.06 2 New from $38.98 1 Collectible from $15.00 Paperback He bleached his hair and quickly became a Fans might recall his interviews with local announcer Dick Lane in which he would proclaim his vast superiority over a number of lesser opponents, branding them all pencil-neck geeks. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. Notable Title Wins Include: NWA Southern Heavyweight title (14); WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight title (4); WWA World Tag Team title (2 times w/Mr. He is a writer and editor-in-chief here on the site, a podcast producer, the chief graphic designer of the cover art for the sites articles, the former host of The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo, and an elementary school teacher and assistant principal who enjoys playing guitar and spending time with his lively daughters! Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. Still a motormouth, he gave interviews in which he bragged about himself and his protgs and denounced anybody he didn't like as a "pencil necked geek". Freddie Blassie, the silver-maned wrestler with a voice from the depths of the earth who made himself a hero to mat fans in the 1950s and 60s by playing the villain, has died. He grabs his balls!" As Greenberg shares it, Bruno used to have many people follow him around in the back, many of which were purported to be in the mob. But for nearly 40 years, Fred Blassie was an in-ring talent who ruled the West Coast, a multi-time World Champion, and one of the most feared villains in pro wrestling history. After Sheik lost the belt to Blassie's former managed wrestler Hulk Hogan, Blassie managed Sheik in various rematches around the country throughout the first half of 1984, culminating into another major televised rematch on December 28, 1984, once again in Madison Square Garden. Let me take care of him in the ring.". [9] The sight of the Japanese legend covered in his own blood gave several viewers heart attacks, and some reportedly died. . Outside of being an award-winning television producer, the New York Times best-selling author began writing about professional wrestling for several newspapers and magazines in the 90s. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. The closest I ever saw him to loosing the mask was against Cowboy Bob Ellis, I believe in the mid 60's. I can still remember old Dick Lane calling the action. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on theWWE NetworkandPeacock. By 1968, WWA rejoined the NWA, becoming NWA Hollywood, but in 1971, Blassie returned to WWWF and challenged new WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales, to no avail. However, Miyako Blassie, surviving wife of the legendary "Classy" Freddie Blassie, is offering that chance as the WWE Hall of Famer's Lincoln Town Car becomes available on WWE Auction. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! "I want you to get four Orange Juliuses for me, the girls, and you.". [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. Some of the guys were businessmen, some were political types, and some others Im sure were mobsters. According to Walton, Blassies biggest achievement came Aug. 27, 1971, when he met and defeated Canadian wrestler Golden Greek John Tolos at the Coliseum before 25,000 wrestling fans. Blassie died of heart failure Monday [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. Freddie Blassie Height 5'10" Weight 220 lbs Hometown St. Louis Signature Move Stomach Claw Career Highlights 1994 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Freddie Blassie: Bio "Classy" Freddie Blassie is one of the most memorable Superstars to ever set foot inside the squared circle. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". He liked to use a variety of names but had trouble gaining the affection of fans who gravitated toward the likes of Lou Thesz and Gorgeous George. If they refused to drop a title, it didnt matter what the bookers thought. Patrick Stewart In A Checkered Coat Wallpaper. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. He has written several wrestling biographies including Freddie Blassies The Legends of Wrestling, Ric Flairs To Be The Man, "Superstar" Billy Grahams Tangled Ropes,and the unreleased biography of The Iron Sheik which, despite being chockful of stories that would be sure to make your jaw drop, will never see the light of day. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. In March of 1962, Blassie lost the WWA World title to Rikidozan, and for the next four months, Blassie competed in Japan, determined to regain his title from the Japanese wrestling innovator. Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. June 8, 2003 The professional wrestler Freddie Blassie, who became a cult figure to fans by playing the villain inside the ring during the 1950's and 1960's, died Monday. Blassie also mastered the television interview, boasting his superiority over other wrestlers he liked to call ''pencil-neck geeks.'' He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. (1965 - 1968) ( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964) ( divorced) ( 3 children) Freddie Blassie Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Lanny approached Blassie, who always had three girls with him, saying he "needed some relief. [8] In 2001, Blassie appeared in a special July 16, 2001 Raw is War segment for the Invasion storyline, wherein he exhorted a gathering of WWF wrestlers to stand tall against The Alliance and later got mocked by Alliance leaders Shane and Stephanie McMahon. This is in reference . Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. In reality, Blassie was a major on-screen figure in wrestling, both in competitive and managerial roles, and had a status in overall pop culture. Lanny stated that though Freddie Blassie never knew how to save his money well, he always had enough since he was never a drinker and saved a lot of money in that regard. At an early age, Blassie was enamored with pro wrestling, particularly the shooters of the early era of pro wrestling in the 1930s, and would often sneak into a local gym to watch the technical masters stretch and submit their opponents. [2][14] Blassie also managed Muhammad Ali in his boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976 against Antonio Inoki. Freddie Blassie managed many heels to success, including the team of The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, who would win the World Tag Team Titles from US Express thanks to Blassies delivering a strategic shot with his cane. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries. The two of them had a great relationship off-camera, but because kayfabe was well and truly protected during this time in the business unless you were on the inside, you never were to know that a heel and face got along in real life. After a 39-year in-ring career in the sport, Blassie retired as a wrestler as a 4x WWA World Heavyweight Champion, a 17x NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Champion, NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion, as well as dozens more regional titles in multiple NWA territories. One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. 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