"Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. [4] . As a result he has wrought something of a revolution in the unmanly art of exhibition wrestling.. 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. 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 the 1950s, Fred Blassie was hands down the most hated wrestler in the southeastern territory. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994]June 9, 1994 (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. 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. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. 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 decided to stop being a fixture of wrestling in 1986 but was no stranger to making the odd guest appearance. However, Blassie wanted nothing to do with him because he too had a massive drinking problem and felt that it would "hit too close to home." It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. While writingThe Legends of Wrestling, Greenberg got to know Freddie Blassie quite well and mentioned in his appearance on The Genius Cast that Blassie really opened up to him. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. is 6'(1.83m) . After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. The Dudleyz get the tables with "Classy" Freddie Blassie's help: Raw 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. Lanny was only 12 or 13-years-old at the time. 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. Let's learn more about this classic heel! 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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he 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. Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. 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. 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.". It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. 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. (bad guys) got better pay. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube DAVE KNOWS that Classy Freddie Blassie is a Pro Wrestling legend. In 1950, he had his first challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, facing championLou Theszin Kentucky. 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. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. [8], In 1975, Blassie recorded voiceovers for the songs "Blassie, King of Men" and "Pencil Neck Geek", which were performed by Johnny Legend, featuring Billy Zoom on guitar, Jay Phillips on guitar, Lon Osgood on bass and Steve Clark on drums. 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 1964, Blassie feuded with Bruno Sammartino and Bobo Brazil. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. . Gross tubs? Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. 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. [8], Blassie appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that featured a new dance craze called The Twizzle. Vampire". He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. 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. For a brief period of time after World War Two, he was billed as "Sailor" Freddie Blassie in matches, a gimmick that did not prove successful. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb At 85 years old, Freddie Blassie height Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. One of the men was Jilly Rizzo, Frank Sinatras number one sidekick and the owner of his own saloon. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. 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. heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between) Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. 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.. He felt this was his chance to tell his life story before moving on. 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. He was 85.Mr. [15] Blassie led Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over Bob Backlund on December 26, 1983, in Madison Square Garden. Recommended:10 Wrestling Book Must Reads and 5 You Dont Want To Waste Your Time On. Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. [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. [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. [18][19] Blassie also appeared in the SummerSlam opening video. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. He won the WWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from French star Edouard Carpentier at the L.A. Sports Arena in 1961. Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say, New era of football begins at Mater Dei under coach Frank McManus. A wildly popular villain in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, he later managed other wrestlers, including then-bad guy Hulk Hogan and the ever-evil Iron Sheik. 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. Let me take care of him in the ring.". the time, get up, stand up and fight. switched to professional wrestling. [6] Blassie lost the title to Rikidzan on March 28, 1962.[9]. 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! Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. 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. 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. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Originally from Chicago, he has called London home since 2008. Blassie. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate", [3] he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 February. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube . Blassie, whose late hubby [inset] was known for his gravel-voiced put-down pencil-neck geek, claims to have suffered excruciating pain in the January 2011 tumble, which broke her right wrist, and permanent scarring from a cut eyebrow. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! Download 100+ Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Images & 500,000+ Wallpapers for Free. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. Blassie died of heart failure Monday The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. )[8] The movies title and premise are parodies of the 1981 art-house classic My Dinner with Andre.[23]. 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. Lanny approached Blassie, who always had three girls with him, saying he "needed some relief. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. 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. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). in their 1992 song about Kaufman, "Man on the Moon". He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. 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. [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. He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. 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. Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.. [3], One of Blassie's most famous proteges was The Iron Sheik. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. 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.

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