[6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. A third-generation wrestling fan and senior writer for World Wrestling Entertainment publications, Greenberg is the author of more than thirty nonfiction children's books, and has written for The New York . In 1964, Blassie once again captured the WWA World title for the third time (again from Carpentier), but upon losing to Dick The Bruiser in April, he headed to the newly minted World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). [8] They received acclaim on the Dr. Demento Radio Show, and the latter song was featured on several albums, including Dr. Demento's 20th anniversary collection, The Very Best of Dr. Demento, and Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty CDs of All Time. . The rematches were held at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Sammartino winning out. Frederick Kenneth Blassman [2] (February 8, 1918 - June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name " Classy " Freddie Blassie. Moto-1964 and w/Buddy Austin-1967); NWA America's Heavyweight championships (5); Georgia Heavyweight title; "Beat The Champ" TV Title; NWA America's Brass Knuckles Title. Some of the guys were businessmen, some were political types, and some others Im sure were mobsters. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. During this time, he went to New York City to work for promoter Jess McMahon. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. Blassie did not just fade away after he left the ring. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. Deiveson Figueiredo Tattoo Wallpaper. 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. Lanny approached Blassie, who always had three girls with him, saying he "needed some relief. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. His first match with Blassie had actually. So, how much is Freddie Blassie worth at the age of 85 years old? Frederick Kenneth Blassman[2] (February 8, 1918 June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. In 1972, ten years after his last match in Japan with Rikidozans JWA, he returned to Japan and began working for Giant Babas All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between) "That's why he was 'Classy' Freddie Blassie." By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. [8] His final wrestling appearance was May 12, 2003 in Philadelphia on Raw, three weeks before his death. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. They had no connecting hallways, so he was stuck with a bunch of these people, kayfabing his gimmick as Bruno was being hauled in on a stretcher. Fred Blassie had a shocking heel turn during his stint in Georgia, which led to him becoming an extremely hated wrestler! 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. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. 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. Hed continue being a heel, managing a number of bad guys like George The Animal Steele, Hercules, and Blackjack Mulligan. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. Vampire". That year, Blassie was forced to retire from in-ring competition, as a California by-law forbade wrestling licenses for anyone upon reaching 55 years old. 3 Saving Freddie Blassie Thanks To Kayfabe. "Classy" Freddie Blassie also made a cameo appearance as himself, along with "Wrestling's Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair in the 1986 film Body Slam starring Dirk Benedict, "Captain" Lou Albano, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. [3] Blassie, Lou Albano, and The Grand Wizard were named "The Three Wise Men of the East", as the top three heel managers in the company. his service in the United States Navy during World War II. For Freddie Blassie, there was no question why he took on a villian's persona - he loved it. The film My Breakfast With Blassie, which came out in 1983, was a spoof of My Dinner With Andre. The camera followed Blassie and Kaufman as they ate and discussed life at a local restaurant that looked like a Dennys. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms were too short. [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. [8] He worked for Jack Pfefer, who he claimed would only employ people who looked like sideshow freaks at his shows, and whose wrestlers included Tor Johnson, who made movies with director Ed Wood, and Lillian Ellison, the Fabulous Moolah. 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. [10] He was so hated there that uniformed police officers were regularly brought in to protect him as he made his way to and from the ring. 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. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making Blassie claims that he made Regis Philbin into the celebrity he is today. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. Blassie held various regional titles, Walton said, including the WWA World Title on five separate occasions, the Americas Heavyweight Title nine times and tag team belts with various partners over the years. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. 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". One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. Download 100+ Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Images & 500,000+ Wallpapers for Free. [6] Blassie described this performer as "having a neck like a stack of dimes and a real pencil-neck geek". [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. Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! He came up with it back in his carnival days, when describing a literal carnival geek -- as in, a performer who bites the heads off of chickens -- who had a slender neck. Blassie originally wrestled [2] In 1963, Bearcat Wright defeated him to become champion, and it was quite a statement during the fight for civil rights that an African-American had won such a title. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. is 6'(1.83m) . 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. Blassie came into the WWWF with his own world title belt, claiming to be the Pacific World Champion, and was coming to Sammartino's "back yard" to unify the world title. He is from USA. 1 One of the great legends of pro wrestling albeit one whose in-ring career predated the 1980s Golden Era wrestling boom Classy Freddie Blassie was a successful heel who wrestled all over. Blassie would continue to make his titles make history in 1963, he lost to Bearcat Wright, making Wright the first African-American to hold a World title in the United States. [4] In 1998, Blassie was the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet. Classy car for a class act | WWE [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. . @megantheevalium. 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. Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. , money, salary, income, and assets. Blassie also mastered the television interview, boasting his superiority over other wrestlers he liked to call ''pencil-neck geeks.'' Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. In the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. One that stands out was his rivalry with Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s. Freddie Blassie Obituary (2003) - San Diego, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. The Life and Times of Classy Freddie Blassie Quiz [3], In 1964, Blassie feuded with Bruno Sammartino and Bobo Brazil. A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries. (and of course, Bubba Ray and D-Von take care of Bischoff and his cronies). You hit a guy in the neck. He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. Returning to the WWA, Blassie began feuding with the likes of Bobo Brazil, Mil Mascaras, and others, as well as teaming with another known violent savage, Mad Dog Vachon. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. Freddie Blassie | Pro Wrestling | Fandom 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. Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. This film article about a 1980s comedy is a stub. In one memorable instance, Blassie, playing up the heel character, would berate Brunos followers backstage with promos, calling them derogatory names such as "grease ball" and "spaghetti bender." States. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. switched to professional wrestling. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994] He would become a frequent foe of Morales throughout the rest of his in-ring career in WWWF. However, Blassie said he would toss his drink in the sand if he didnt drink it, so Lanny took the offer. 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 G&K did not respond to calls for comment. ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. He triggered heart attack-related deaths in Japan, was stabbed by angry fans 21 times and was once doused with acid! [7] As the wrestlers became familiar with him, they began teaching him holds. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000). 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. 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. This is in reference . This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the Despite being a 7-year pro before his duty in World War II, Blassie was still a journeyman. Blassie appeared alongside Slick to co-manage Sheik and Volkoff for a few television appearances before finally bowing out in November 1986, with Albano, the final member of the Three Wise Men, retiring a few weeks later. Without further ado, lets do an overview of Blassies career for fans who may not know much about him. Who Is Freddie Blassie's Wife? [6] He performed for that promotion until his full retirement from professional wrestling in 1986. [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". By the mid-1970s, Freddie Blassie was in his 50s and began to settle into a role as a manager in WWE, though he would still occasionally wrestle a match.
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