Freddie accomplished that goal and did so in grand style, as only he could. 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. Born: 1921. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. For example, in the 1970s, he took on Cowboy Bill Watts, whod become a promoter and booker for Mid-South Wrestling and WCW. Classy Freddie Blassie was pro wrestling's 'Fashion Plate' [9][6], On June 2, 2003, Blassie died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 85. Blassie. He is from USA. One of Blassies most notable clients during his run with WWE, however, was Hulk Hogan, who he managed as soon as Hogan debuted in the company in 1979. [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. ", In this particular story, Blassie won a match by count-out in Roosevelt Stadium when he kicked Sammartino in the breadbasket while the referee was distracted. He joined the Navy at the start of World War II and started wrestling under the name of Sailor Fred Blassie while stationed at Port Hueneme in California. [6] One of his most famous feuds took place in southern California in 1971, against Tolos. [3][8] In 1983, Rhino Records released a 14-track album by Blassie, titled I Bite the Songs. Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.. Real Name: Fred Blassie. He returned again in 1990 briefly to do color commentary for Prime Time in April with Vince McMahon, as an emergency fill-in after Tony Schiavone quit, playing a heel once again. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. 10 Wrestling Book Must Reads and 5 You Dont Want To Waste Your Time On, Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling, The Night Bruno Sammartino Saved Freddie Blassies Life, The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body, Freddie Blassie, Lou Albano, and "The Fossil Jostle" Atrocity in 85, Roddy Piper: From The Streets to the Big Time, Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers The 1963 WWWF Title Screwjob, Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. Professional Wrestling Online Museum - Spotlight on Freddie Blassie 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 . [11], On June 12, 1961, Blassie defeated the "Flying Frenchman" douard Carpentier in a best-of-three-falls match for his first WWA World Heavyweight Championship. I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day. 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. Now is [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. Take Linda McMahon, for instance. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). Despite Blassie not actually holding any titles to unify, his feud with Sammartino saw Bruno become a national hero, but in the process, Blassie became lifelong friends with another WWWF employee, Gorilla Monsoon. "CLASSY" FRED BLASSIE on Twitter: "Your trad wife, sir. https://t.co One of the men was Jilly Rizzo, Frank Sinatras number one sidekick and the owner of his own saloon. 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 their 1992 song about Kaufman, "Man on the Moon". John Tolos: Wrestler celebrated as one of the finest ring villains Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. [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. Classy car for a class act | WWE [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. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries. 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. He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. He hated his father for it. Blassie However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. [9], In 1968, Blassie returned to Japan and was reunited with Miyako. In 1964, the legendary "Classy" Freddie Blassie was still an in-ring competitor when he took on local hero Bruno Sammartino in front of a hostile New Jersey crowd, where he cheated for a cheap countout victory over the champ. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. (bad guys) got better pay. He retired from competition in the late 1970's to manage a new generation of wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura, the future governor of Minnesota. He was 85.Mr. While there, he won the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship, the holder of which was generally first in line to challenge the NWA World Heavyweight Champion whenever he passed through the territory. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. Freddie Blassie - IMDb (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). My Breakfast with Blassie is a 1983 film starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie.[1]. He held his WWA World title for 289 days and thanks to WWAs alliance with Japan, in particular the Japan Wrestling Alliance (JWA) headed by puroresu icon Rikidozan, Blassie would not only help introduce Japanese pro wrestling to the U.S. market but help validate it in Japan as well. Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85 Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. Lanny was only 12 or 13-years-old at the time. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Freddie Blassie's net worth Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. . The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. for the WWF. 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. switched to professional wrestling. Many of the viewers were horrified by Blassie's treatment of their hero. Despite being a 7-year pro before his duty in World War II, Blassie was still a journeyman. Before The Client List: "Classy" Freddie Blassie - Last Word on Pro 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. My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. He was feuding with a wrestler known as The Geek who had a neck like a stack of dimes, making him a literal pencil neck geek. He briefly turned face in 1989, making an appearance on Prime Time Wrestling angry with Bobby Heenan over money Heenan hadn't paid him back. Anyone can read what you share. 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). "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. 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). Born in 1918 to German parents who escaped World War I, Blassie took up boxing as a teenager, but found a growing interest in wrestling and actually snuck into matches, eventually befriending catch wrestlers and learning holds from them. 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. Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - The Internet 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. For Freddie Blassie, there was no question why he took on a villian's persona - he loved it. 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! So, how much is Freddie Blassie worth at the age of 85 years old? Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there 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 also bleached his hair at this time, as many of the other stars of the era did, such as Gorgeous George, Johnny Valentine, and "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. 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. During this time, he went to New York City to work for promoter Jess McMahon. His parents, Anna (ne Sind) and Jacob Blassman, were German immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to World War I.[3]. You hit a guy in the neck. Some of the guys were businessmen, some were political types, and some others Im sure were mobsters. [4] Blassie also resented "Superstar" Billy Graham, at first, due to his association with Dr. Jerry Graham, who in kayfabe was Billys older brother. My Breakfast with Blassie is a 1983 film starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. The suit, filed in federal court in White Plains, accuses the supermarket chain of negligence and recklessness and seeks more than $1 million in damages from corporate parent A&P and mat supplier G&K Services. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. WrestlingEpicenter.com - RIP Rest in Peace Obituaries We have estimated 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. "Typical Italian stunt! Let's learn more about this classic heel! 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. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. By the 1970s, Blassie had relocated to the East Coast where he successfully pursued his mat career. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994] [6] His knees were also in terrible condition, which also contributed to his retirement. . Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between) [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. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) [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. . His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. [2][14] Blassie also managed Muhammad Ali in his boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976 against Antonio Inoki. 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. [20] Images from his WrestleMania XV promo were also included in the opening of the 2001 Survivor Series. 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. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. 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. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. 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 This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. 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. Freddie Blassie - Online World of Wrestling Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. [21] His final words on WWE television were "D-Von, get the table! [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. (and of course, Bubba Ray and D-Von take care of Bischoff and his cronies). 500,000+ HD Wallpapers & Freddie Blassie Wallpaper 100% Free to Use High Quality Wallpapers Personalise for all Screen & Devices. Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. * Blassie also told Greenberg that women used to come up to him on the street and gawk at him because he was God's gift to women! 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. 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. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. 10 Things Fans Should Know About Classy Freddie Blassie, 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore, 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager, 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. 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. [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. 10 Wrestlers Managed By Classy Freddie Blassie Fans Should Know About 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. book. The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. Fred McDaniel "Ayatollah" Blassie The Vampire The Hollywood Fashion Plate Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight 220 lbs (100 kg) Born February 8, 1918 Birth Place St. Louis, Missouri Died June 2, 2003 (aged 85) Death Place Hartsdale, New York Trainer Billy Longson Everett Marshall Warren Bockwinkle Billy Hanson Debut 1935 Retired 1986 It was in the latter that he decided to embrace his villainous side, bleaching his hair blonde like Gorgeous George. [1] 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. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. So when I saw this book I had to get it and read it. [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. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. 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. 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. 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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. According to Dave Meltzer, "legitimately there were three [deaths] in Japan from elderly men watching a match with Togo in Japan, and it became this myth that [Freddie Blassie] exaggerated.". Blassie would gain even more gold when Volkoff and Sheik defeated The US Express for the WWF Tag Team Championship at the first ever Wrestlemania. When Gene Okerlund confronted Blassie in an interview after the match, Blassie said, "what cane, I didn't have no cane!". His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he Zach Eflin And Wife On Yacht Wallpaper. He was 85. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. . Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. Blassie was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 by Shane McMahon. 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. 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)). Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. 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. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? He graduated from McKinley High School and began work at a meatpacking plant. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. This story has been shared 143,593 times. The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans on the other side of the ropes. Hear Keith Elliot Greenbergs share stories about "Classy" Freddie Blassie on The Genius Cast below: Over his 22-year wrestling career, Freddie Blassie had many notable feuds. Freddie Blassie retired as an active wrestler in 1974 in part because of the difficulty of securing a wrestling license . Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. This story has been shared 104,709 times. 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. 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. 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. Freddie Blassie | Pro Wrestling | Fandom Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Downloads, [100+] Freddie Blassie It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. On top of that, hed take on English legend Billy Robinson, WWE Champion Superstar Billy Graham, and legendary masked heel wrestler Destroyer. were too short. 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.. "I want you to get four Orange Juliuses for me, the girls, and you.". Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He also starred in a 1983 movie called My Breakfast With Blassie, where he sat down for a meal with Andy Kaufman as a parody of the 1981 critically acclaimed film My Dinner With Andre. [12], In 1962, Blassie had a feud with Japanese wrestling icon Rikidzan that established his reputation in Japan. However, he became increasingly interested in wrestling. Blassie originally wrestled 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. Sadly, the gimmick was a bomb, and Blassie jumped around territories, including working in New York City for Jess McMahon (grandfather of Vince McMahon Jr.).

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