[22] In the demonstration of the dance, Blassie picked up Rob Petrie and twirled him over his head. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. This story has been shared 104,709 times. heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the The Life and Times of Classy Freddie Blassie Quiz Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. , money, salary, income, and assets. It was in the latter that he decided to embrace his villainous side, bleaching his hair blonde like Gorgeous George. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000). Blassie. On top of that, hed take on English legend Billy Robinson, WWE Champion Superstar Billy Graham, and legendary masked heel wrestler Destroyer. Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - The Internet [22][2] Rose Marie's character Sally Rogers brought him on at the end of the episode claiming to have discovered another new dance sensation. Over the course of his in-ring career, Classy Freddie Blassie would wrestle a number of legends, many of whom have either become legendary wrestlers or became famous in the following decades for non-competitive roles. Fred Blassie would meet his wife, a Japanese actress.. November 15, 1968: Fred Blassie defeated Buddy Austin in a "Stretcher" match in the Olympic Stadium.. [6] He also began boxing at a local community center and won a heavyweight championship title. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). 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. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? In 1973, knee problems largely forced Blassie to stop wrestling personally, though he occasionally donned the tights to tag-team with one of his heels, as he did in Madison Square Garden in June 1974, teaming with the hulking Nikolai Volkoff to face then-champ Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow in a tag team match (Blassie was forced to submit for the final fall by a Bruno bearhug, and the fans almost tore the Garden's roof off). He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United KyleEnjoysWrestling wrote on 30.07.2019: [ 9.0] "People mostly know Blassie for his manager roles, but he was also a pro in the ring. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie. [3][8][9], In 1960, Blassie returned to Strongbow's promotion in Los Angeles, where he was a big star for Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) of southern California, drawing many fans to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. He had been in poor health for quite a while, and it was as if he wanted to wait to get his story out before he passed on. During his time on the West Coast, he was a frequent guest and/or interruption on a local show hosted by Regis Philben, and Blassies appearances thanks to his massive appeal as a wrestling draw helped push Philben into a national celebrity. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. 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. 3 Saving Freddie Blassie Thanks To Kayfabe. The widow of pro-wrestling villain "Classy" Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. 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. Deiveson Figueiredo Tattoo Wallpaper. 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Discover Freddie Blassie's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He spent his time in the Missouri territory, working mainly in St. Louis and Kansas City, but when the U.S. entered the Second World War, he enlisted in 1942 and joined the U.S. Navy, where he spent four years (42 months) in combat in the U.S. battles in the Pacific. This story has been shared 143,593 times. The "Shakespeare of WWE" made an appearance on our podcast The Genius Cast in 2018, and he certainly had a few good stories up his sleeves! RELATED: 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager. Freddie Blassie - Online World of Wrestling 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. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Freddie Blassie - Biography - IMDb The terminology would follow him for the rest of his career. [20] Images from his WrestleMania XV promo were also included in the opening of the 2001 Survivor Series. Also learn how He earned most of Freddie Blassie networth? [2] He was given a commentary tryout in 1986 and 1987 for WWF Wrestling Challenge, calling a few matches with Gorilla Monsoon. Let's learn more about this classic heel! This film article about a 1980s comedy is a stub. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. His eagerness to learn from 1935 to 1942 led to many of the circuits top stars sharing knowledge with Blassie, and when he returned home to the U.S. in 1946, he was determined to make an honest run as a professional wrestler. Ironically, during his WWWF stint, he was managed by another former wrestler who had recently become a manager, in the form of Captain Lou Albano. is 6'(1.83m) . He returned to the company in 1971, reaching the final of a tournament in January for the vacant WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship before losing to Pedro Morales. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. Frederick was an only child. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. Keith Elliot Greenberg has been doing his part to preserve professional wrestling history for the past few decades. Hed also regularly tag with Gorilla Monsoon, another wrestler better known for his non-wrestling roles. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. His parents, Anna (ne Sind) and Jacob Blassman, were German immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to World War I.[3]. In 1950, he had his first challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, facing championLou Theszin Kentucky. The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" 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. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. 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. Worldwide star. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. In the segment he is interviewed by "Mean" Gene Okerlund when the two are interrupted by a little old lady in a housekeeper outfit that Blassie claims to be his own mother. 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. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. Frederick Kenneth Blassie (February 8, 1918 - June 2, 2003), better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American professional wrestling villain and manager born in St. Louis, Missouri. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. A fierce competitor in the ring known for unorthodox methods and a penchant for bloodletting, Blassie was verbose and boastful. [17] In 2000, Blassie made an appearance at the Royal Rumble as a judge in the Miss Rumble 2000 Swimsuit contest, which was won by Mae Young. He grabs his balls!" Born: 1921. 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. Who Is Freddie Blassie's Wife? "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. [7] When Philbin had a late-night weekend talk show in San Diego, Blassie would routinely show up to yell at the audience, throw furniture, and threaten Philbin; the confrontations were wholly kayfabe and both of them were friends when the cameras weren't rolling. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 1960, he became a regular with World Wrestling Associates (WWA) in Los Angeles, a move that would cement his legacy in pro wrestling, long before he became a manager. 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". 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. Managed by "Loud", Countless World Wrestling Federation TV and Pay Per View Ads. 2018 Remaster of Andy Kaufman on The Late Show w/ David Letterman w/ "Classy" Fred Blassie on February 23rd, 1983.More remastered Andy Kaufman - https://goo.. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. Blassie would eventually come to be known as a manager (see below) in WWE, but in the 1960s and 1970s, he actually wrestled for the promotion, back then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation. 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." Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. Also featured is Bob Zmuda, who plays a nosy fan. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . The defendants had a duty to provide reasonably safe conditions for its customers, the suit charges. 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. 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. A gifted gabber and a splashy dresser, Blassie guided The Iron Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight title in 1983, Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff to the WWF World Tag Team titles, as well as managing such clients as Adrian Adonis, Jesse The Body Ventura, Kamala, Hercules Hernandez, and even Hulk Hogan during his first stint in the WWF. [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. You pencil neck geek! For those who were brought up on pro wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, one of the most colorful managers of the day was WWF stalwart, Classy Freddie Blassie. In 1961, he defeated Eduoard Carpentier for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title that held prominence in the pro-wrestling world, since WWA was an outlaw territory outside the realm of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Lanny said that if a wrestler had a bottle of cologne in their bag, or even rubbing alcohol, Jerry Graham would take it out and drink it. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. [2] He sporadically returned to make brief appearances following his retirement in 1986, mostly in produced video packages hyping the "new generation" of wrestling. Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.. Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Downloads, [100+] Freddie Blassie Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff Using a variety of names, he wrestled the top performers of the day including Lou Thesz and Gorgeous George, but did not reach their level of popularity. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. Greenberg would add that Jerry Grahams drinking issues may have been combined with mental illness. During these runs, hed take part in a couple of title feuds for the WWE Championship, challenging Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s and Pedro Morales in the 1970s, not to mention coming after Bobo Brazils US Heavyweight Title. Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85 Blassie was a regular on the WWWF's "All-Star Wrestling" and "Championship Wrestling" weekly TV shows that were videotaped at small arenas in Pennsylvania and aired throughout the Northeast. [9] While recuperating in 1966, he worked as a car salesman and married a second time to a woman whose name Blassie later claimed not to remember. Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - The Internet Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. Freddie Blassie's net worth After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. One of the men was Jilly Rizzo, Frank Sinatras number one sidekick and the owner of his own saloon. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. Following a stint in the California wrestling scene, Freddie Blassie headed southeast to the Georgia territories in the 1950s, where he would enjoy a whopping 17 reigns with the big title of the region, the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship between 1954 and 1960. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. [6] Afterwards he became a manager in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and its subsequent incarnation the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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. Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. 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. My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. 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. "No. 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. Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. 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. Blassie, who became a cult figure outside the ring and starred with comedian Andy Kaufman in My Breakfast With Blassie, died of heart failure June 2 in Hartsdale, N.Y., according to Jeff Walton, a onetime wrestling publicist in Los Angeles who knew Blassie well. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. 10 Things Fans Should Know About Classy Freddie Blassie - TheSportster "Classy" Freddie Blassie appeared in a live-action segment of the cartoon "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling." Recommended:The Night Bruno Sammartino Saved Freddie Blassies Life, Lanny Poffo, speaking to his friend Keith Elliot Greenberg on The Genius Cast, shared the story of the time he and Freddie Blassie were in Hawaii in 1968. "When hed go to a town, the most powerful Italians would latch themselves onto him and decided they were his protectors, whether Bruno liked it or not. 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). Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. switched to professional wrestling. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 85 years old group. [9], In 1968, Blassie returned to Japan and was reunited with Miyako. Gross tubs? were too short. He triggered heart attack-related deaths in Japan, was stabbed by angry fans 21 times and was once doused with acid! In the 1970s, Blassie recorded a number of novelty songs, including Pencil Neck Geek, which became a cult favorite via Dr. Dementos radio show, which specializes in sharing wacky tracks. Zach Eflin And Wife On Yacht Wallpaper. Following his 1986 on-camera retirement (he remained an executive for the WWE), still made occasional on-camera appearances since then, and his last came on "WWE Raw" in May, just a few weeks before his death (to promote his newly-released biography, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks"). All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. In it, Blassie is picked up at the Washington, D.C., airport by a limo full of young women, escorted around the nation's capital, gives his opinions and confronts tourists. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Hed also engage in big title feuds with serious GOATs like Japans Rikidozan and Americas Lou Thesz, both of whom are considered among the most influential wrestlers of all time. [10] He had main event-level feuds against stars such as The Destroyer. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. [7] As the wrestlers became familiar with him, they began teaching him holds. Blassie, well-known for exaggerating a story or two, stated that when he was wrestling Rikidozan in Japan, 100 Japanese wrestling fans dropped dead of heart attacks because the matches were so gory. 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. [13][6][dubious discuss], While touring Japan in 1965, and by this point divorced, Blassie met the woman who would eventually become his third wife, Miyako Morozumi, at a train station. ", Bruno kayfabed him. He joined the Navy at the start of World War II and started wrestling initially under the name of Sailor Fred Blassie while stationed at Port Hueneme. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". 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! 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. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. 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. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. 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". . Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. Freddie accomplished that goal and did so in grand style, as only he could. Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994] 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 delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. RELATED: 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. Blassie later challenged Morales for the WWWF Championship, but came up short. Freddie Blassie was one of the most hated heels of his time. Death My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. ", to a monstrous applause. Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. He also began filing his teeth, transitioning from Sailor to The Vampire, as his spiked teeth became effective tools in biting his opponents, creating a macabre presentation and early influence on the hardcore side of pro-wrestling. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. 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. In this match Hogan was once again victorious. Freddie Blassie Obituary (2003) - San Diego, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune Because of his close relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. and his family, Blassie remained on the WWF payroll until the day he died. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''.