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. 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. *The 100 deaths claim was an exaggerated myth that Blassie used. 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. 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. Hed continue being a heel, managing a number of bad guys like George The Animal Steele, Hercules, and Blackjack Mulligan. The Rock for the WWF Title)", "TJR Retro: WWE Royal Rumble 2000 Review (The Rock wins Rumble, Triple H vs. Cactus Jack)", "Freddie Blassie - Dick Van Dyke Show - 1962", "My Breakfast with Blassie: An appreciation", NWA North American Heavyweight Title (Hawaii version) history, NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida) history, NWA World Tag Team Title (Florida) history, NWA International Tag Team Title (Georgia) history, NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Georgia) history, NWA World Tag Team Title (Georgia) history, "NWA Hall of Fame Class for 2011 announced", WWA International Television Tag Team Title history, NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title history, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Inductees, 1853 Shepherd Circle SW, Blassie's Atlanta home (1960), 1950 Campbellton Road SW, Blassies Atlanta home (1966), WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Freddie Blassie, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freddie_Blassie&oldid=1142698000, NWA World Tag Team Champions (Florida version), Professional wrestling managers and valets, United States Navy personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles with disputed statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The Mysterious Medics (Mysterious Medic #1 and Mysterious Medic #2), This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 22:16. This movie got together because the man who produced wrestling manager and former wrestling champion Fred Blassie's novelty song, "Pencil-Neck Geek", Johnny Legend, wanted to film a very cheap parody of the awful art movie My Dinner with Andre, and decided that Blassie's young friend and protege, the eccentric comedian Andy Kaufman would be the . The evocative turn of phrase stuck and became Blassies catchphrase to the point where it inspired the name of his autobiography and a novelty single (see below). (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). Take Linda McMahon, for instance. Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). 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. wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" [3], One of Blassie's most famous proteges was The Iron Sheik. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Let me take care of him in the ring.". He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. He hated his father for it. In January 1962, Blassie and Mr. Moto defeated Hans Hermann and Jesus Ortega for the California version of the WWA International TV Tag Team title. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. He continued to outrage crowds by distracting referees so that his men could cheat and by getting in his own cheap shots when the refs weren't looking. Blassie also wanted to clarify through his final memoir that he was an absentee father as he was on the road for most of his sons life growing up. [6] His cousin John Frank Holaus often refereed his matches. The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. During this time, he went to New York City to work for promoter Jess McMahon. ", 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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. 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). Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making 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. One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. 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". 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)). . As a result he has wrought something of a revolution in the unmanly art of exhibition wrestling.. 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. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. 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. 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. Still claiming to be the West Coast Champion, entered into a feud with Bruno Sammartino to unify the titles. 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. His matches with Freddie Blassie were legendary. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight.
'The Destroyer' Dick Beyer story archive | Slam Wrestling Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. Without further ado, lets do an overview of Blassies career for fans who may not know much about him. 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.
Freddie Blassie | WWE [6] Afterwards he became a manager in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and its subsequent incarnation the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). Blassie got involved when he threw his cane into the ring, with Sheik and Volkoff using it to their advantage to gain the victory. , money, salary, income, and assets. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. [21] The segment featured Blassie, his wife, and Raw co-General Manager Eric Bischoff, who was about to allow 3 Minute Warning to attack him, until Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Dudley Boyz stepped in. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000). [15] Blassie led Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over Bob Backlund on December 26, 1983, in Madison Square Garden. The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans. "No. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. 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.). JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015.
The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahons Venomous 25-Year Feud, Bob Backlund Humble Beginnings to Championship Gold, World Wrestling Association: WWA Indianapolis Wrestling Territory, Rise and Sad Demise of The Midnight Express, Greatest Challenge Yet for Pro Wrestling Stories Author Jim Phillips, Adrian Street The British Brawler Who Wore Sequins, Ric Flair and Terry Funk: A Feud to Remember, Lou Thesz The Side Business Hustles of a Champion Wrestler, Velvet McIntyre | WWEs Original Irish Lass Kicker, Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco | Wrestling Territories, Wrestlers Who Shouldnt Have Followed Fathers Footsteps, Jack Donovan Deal One of Wrestlings Most Heinous Attacks. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! [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. Replying to. mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). (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. G&K did not respond to calls for comment.
My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb WWE Confidential: The life and times of "Classy" Freddie Blassie 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. 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. 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.
10 Wrestlers Managed By Classy Freddie Blassie Fans Should Know About This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. He felt this was his chance to tell his life story before moving on. [3], Blassie's famous "pencil-neck geek" catchphrase originated early in his career while describing a fellow carnival performer who appeared in a geek show. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. At the age of 13, after Jacob had beaten Anna again, Frederick threatened his father with a baseball bat; instead he lived with his aunt for six months until his mother asked him to return home. [7] As the wrestlers became familiar with him, they began teaching him holds.
My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb Blassie was more than willing to let the talented Bearcat Wright take the gold and make history. [10] He had main event-level feuds against stars such as The Destroyer. Professional wrestler Freddie Blassie, who became a cult figure for fans by playing the villain inside the ring during the 1950s and 1960s, has died. 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. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. Before The Client List is an extension of our ongoing series, Before They Were Famous, which looks at wrestlers before they became internationally famous. "Classy" Freddie Blassie appeared in a live-action segment of the cartoon "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling." This is in reference . Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 500,000+ HD Wallpapers & Freddie Blassie Wallpaper 100% Free to Use High Quality Wallpapers Personalise for all Screen & Devices. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. Heres a look at Classy Freddie Blassies wrestling career, long before he decided to take on clients and become one of the most iconic managers of the 1970s and 1980s. Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. In this match Hogan was once again victorious. [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. After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. Worldwide star. Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. Zach Eflin And Wife On Yacht Wallpaper. 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.
Before The Client List: "Classy" Freddie Blassie - Last Word on Pro comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling
He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. His ex-manager would turn out to be an enemy, representing The Iron Sheik in the match where Hulk Hogan won the WWE Championship and held it for a shade over four years. 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. Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. 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. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 February. It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. 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. Frederick Kenneth Blassie (Classy Freddy Blassie, The Vampire, Sailor Fred Blassie, The Hollywood Fashion Plate, The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling) was born on 8 February, 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is an Actor. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! 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. [2] He was given a commentary tryout in 1986 and 1987 for WWF Wrestling Challenge, calling a few matches with Gorilla Monsoon. [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. 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.
10 Things Fans Should Know About Classy Freddie Blassie - TheSportster The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! After the war, he continued to wrestle professionally in the Midwest. .
My Breakfast with Blassie - Wikipedia 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. At 85 years old, Freddie Blassie height His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". RELATED: 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. 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 . [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. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. for the WWF. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. Born: 1921. Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. On an episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Blassie barged into the announcer booth to proclaim that he had sold half of the contracts of Sheik and Volkoff to a mysterious benefactor for a large sum of money. Vampire". A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. 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. 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. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961.
From there, he moved on to become a regular writer, contributor, and reporter for WWE. [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. 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 News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. He delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. In order to impress a girl, he entered a carnival show match in a shoot fight and won.
Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85 Hed adopt a bleach-blond look, start biting his opponents in the ring, and would often be seen filing down his teeth to better sink his teeth in his opponent. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . He did an advice segment on the ''Tuesday Night Titans'' TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. 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. Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms