[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. When Gene Okerlund confronted Blassie in an interview after the match, Blassie said, "what cane, I didn't have no cane!". After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. His parents, Anna (ne Sind) and Jacob Blassman, were German immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to World War I.[3]. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. [6] He performed for that promotion until his full retirement from professional wrestling in 1986. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". "That's why he was 'Classy' Freddie Blassie." 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.". Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. Let's learn more about this classic heel! 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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. the time, get up, stand up and fight. In the 1950s, Fred Blassie was hands down the most hated wrestler in the southeastern territory. His first match with Blassie had actually. [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 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. 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. 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. 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. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. So, how much is Freddie Blassie worth at the age of 85 years old? 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. Blassie also mastered the television interview, boasting his superiority over other wrestlers he liked to call ''pencil-neck geeks.'' He graduated from McKinley High School and began work at a meatpacking plant. If they refused to drop a title, it didnt matter what the bookers thought. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. switched to professional 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)). 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". Still claiming to be the West Coast Champion, entered into a feud with Bruno Sammartino to unify the titles. 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.). Take Linda McMahon, for instance. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. For example, in the 1970s, he took on Cowboy Bill Watts, whod become a promoter and booker for Mid-South Wrestling and WCW. He did an advice segment on the Tuesday Night Titans TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. 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 . He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. By doing this, he saved Freddie Blassies life. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. By 1968, WWA rejoined the NWA, becoming NWA Hollywood, but in 1971, Blassie returned to WWWF and challenged new WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales, to no avail. [15] Blassie led Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over Bob Backlund on December 26, 1983, in Madison Square Garden. [22] In the demonstration of the dance, Blassie picked up Rob Petrie and twirled him over his head. [6] The final match of their series took place in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and set new California records for both attendance and gate. Feb 27. 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 started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. 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)). 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. According to Greenberg, Gorgeous George, towards the end of his career, wanted to form a tag team with Blassie. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. [2][14] Blassie also managed Muhammad Ali in his boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976 against Antonio Inoki. Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. 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. 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 [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. 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. 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. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. Despite that, Blassie ended the year by leaving WWWF and returning to Los Angeles and the WWA. 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. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. He returned to AJPW again in 1973, but the following year in 1974, he jumped to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) for his final tour of Japan. . Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. 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. . I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. We've received your submission. 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! Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! "I want you to get four Orange Juliuses for me, the girls, and you.". Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. in their 1992 song about Kaufman, "Man on the Moon". 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. 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. (and of course, Bubba Ray and D-Von take care of Bischoff and his cronies). We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 February. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? So when I saw this book I had to get it and read it. One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. 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 After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). By the 1970s, Blassie had relocated to the East Coast where he successfully pursued his mat career. [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. 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. Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! Freddie Blassie Also known as Fred Blassie, Fred McDaniel Overview Career Career highlights Titles Matches Match Statistics Matchguide Feuds Promos Tournaments Tag Teams & Stables Entourage Awards Books Wrestling Games Movies Commentary Career Ratings Comments Matches Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 1631 items that match the search parameters. [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. In the early 1970s, Blassie "turned face", or became a good guy, since so many fans were cheering his famous antics. Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. Blassie. for the WWF. 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. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. This story has been shared 104,709 times. [6] He also began boxing at a local community center and won a heavyweight championship title. Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say, New era of football begins at Mater Dei under coach Frank McManus. 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 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. Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. 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. 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. "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.
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