Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. Professional Wrestling Online Museum - Spotlight on Freddie Blassie [3][8] In 1983, Rhino Records released a 14-track album by Blassie, titled I Bite the Songs. 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. Despite being a 7-year pro before his duty in World War II, Blassie was still a journeyman. egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. Because of his close relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. and his family, Blassie remained on the WWF payroll until the day he died. Freddie Blassie - IMDb 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.. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. 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. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). Feb 27. [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. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. Blassie's interference at Wrestlemania 2 cost Volkoff his match with Kirchner, when the cane was grabbed by Kirchner instead of Volkoff. He heard Blassie say that and whipped out a gun saying, "Ill kill that sonuvabitch! "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. "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a legendary wrestling personality, both as a wrestler and a manager. 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. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". 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). [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. However, sadly, Freddie passed away before he could ever speak to his son again. Worldwide star. . RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. 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. He is from USA. Freddie Blassie was one of the most hated heels of his time. Death Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. It was a wonderful look back at "old-school" wrestling as told by one of the masters, both as a wrestler and as a talker. Born: 1921. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 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. WWE Confidential: The life and times of "Classy" Freddie Blassie 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. It was in the latter that he decided to embrace his villainous side, bleaching his hair blonde like Gorgeous George. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. , money, salary, income, and assets. He would become a frequent foe of Morales throughout the rest of his in-ring career in WWWF. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. * 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! 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. "The Fashion Plate of Wrestling" Freddie Blassie calls his interviewer and the fans "pencil neck geeks" and shows why he will always be remembered as one of the greatest managers in WWE history. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - The Internet comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. 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. 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. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. He hated his father for it. 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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. 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. 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. 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. Hed also regularly tag with Gorilla Monsoon, another wrestler better known for his non-wrestling roles. Without further ado, lets do an overview of Blassies career for fans who may not know much about him. 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. 3 Saving Freddie Blassie Thanks To Kayfabe. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. After four decades, trainer Ed Moger gets his first Triple Crown starter, An exclusive look at details of Chip Kellys two-year contract extension from UCLA, His shoe game is pretty tight. Why Dodgers hope Miguel Rojas play matches his swag, Rats in the laundry? My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. 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. 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. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994]June 9, 1994 Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he And more wrestling fans definite need to know about the. [4] In 1998, Blassie was the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet. 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 - Online World of Wrestling Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85 Blassie. [2] During that same title reign, in a match against Lord James Blears a fan threw acid on his back, and he had to return immediately to the locker room to wash it off; over the course of his career, he was also stabbed 21 times and lost vision in his right eye after being struck by a thrown hard-boiled egg. [3], Blassie returned to WWA in 1968 just as promoter Mike LeBell decided to rejoin the NWA. 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). 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. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. 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. 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. He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. [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. After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. ", to a monstrous applause. Blassie got involved when he threw his cane into the ring, with Sheik and Volkoff using it to their advantage to gain the victory. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. [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. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. Linda's dual role (as director and actress) was scripted as an irritating fan who requests Andy's autograph after he washes his hands. *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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. Lanny was only 12 or 13-years-old at the time. [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. For example, in the 1970s, he took on Cowboy Bill Watts, whod become a promoter and booker for Mid-South Wrestling and WCW. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. 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. 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. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. This is in reference . I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. Tolos moved first to Vancouver, where he married his wife Ingrid in 1967 (they later divorced), then worked his way south until he reached Los Angeles. Andy Kaufman on Letterman w/ "Classy" Freddie Blassie 02/23/1983 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." WrestlingEpicenter.com - RIP Rest in Peace Obituaries [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. Freddie Blassie, 85; Became a Cult Figure in Professional Wrestling by It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. Blassie originally wrestled [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 much as governing body politics held back minorities, the wrestlers themselves had even more power. Also learn how He earned most of Freddie Blassie networth? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000).
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