Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. 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. Blassie appeared alongside Slick to co-manage Sheik and Volkoff for a few television appearances before finally bowing out in November 1986, with Albano, the final member of the Three Wise Men, retiring a few weeks later. By the 1970s, Blassie had relocated to the East Coast where he successfully pursued his mat career. . His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. 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. Following his 1986 on-camera retirement (he remained an executive for the WWE), still made occasional on-camera appearances since then, and his last came on "WWE Raw" in May, just a few weeks before his death (to promote his newly-released biography, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks"). He graduated from McKinley High School and began work at a meatpacking plant. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. States. 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. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. The "Shakespeare of WWE" made an appearance on our podcast The Genius Cast in 2018, and he certainly had a few good stories up his sleeves! A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. As a result, fans may be aware of Classy Freddie Blassie for his appearances during WWEs Golden Era and beyond but that only scratches the surface of his career. Freddie had been estranged from his children for the majority of their lives. is 6'(1.83m) . The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. 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. 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. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? He even managed Muhammad Ali going into his legendary match with Antonio Inoki. In reality, Blassie was a major on-screen figure in wrestling, both in competitive and managerial roles, and had a status in overall pop culture. 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. 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. 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 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. "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. His eagerness to learn from 1935 to 1942 led to many of the circuits top stars sharing knowledge with Blassie, and when he returned home to the U.S. in 1946, he was determined to make an honest run as a professional wrestler. 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. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. 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 . (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). 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". "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. ", 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. [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. 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. His career began in earnest after Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube DAVE KNOWS that Classy Freddie Blassie is a Pro Wrestling legend. . Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making [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. If you're not from the midwest you're not allowed to have an opinion on this. 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. 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. 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. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on theWWE NetworkandPeacock. "No. Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. 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. *The 100 deaths claim was an exaggerated myth that Blassie used. 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. His matches with Freddie Blassie were legendary. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. 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. 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. His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. Recommended:10 Wrestling Book Must Reads and 5 You Dont Want To Waste Your Time On. [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. ROH Best in the World (7/11/21) Preview and Predictions, Preview: Ice Ribbon 1133 in 176Box (7/11/21), first African-American to hold a World title. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say, New era of football begins at Mater Dei under coach Frank McManus. 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. ", to a monstrous applause. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! 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. [4] 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). As much as governing body politics held back minorities, the wrestlers themselves had even more power. 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. Originally from Chicago, he has called London home since 2008. 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. After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. [3], In 1964, Blassie feuded with Bruno Sammartino and Bobo Brazil. [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. [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. In this series, we will look at some of pro wrestlings greatest and most well-known managers and/or valets, but explore their prior career as an in-ring professional wrestler. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. However, sadly, Freddie passed away before he could ever speak to his son again. in their 1992 song about Kaufman, "Man on the Moon". [9][6], On June 2, 2003, Blassie died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 85. Given that Hogan was the top babyface in the 1980s, this iteration of The Hulkster was actually a heel and would depart in 1981 after a dispute with Vince McMahon Sr. over Hogans taking a role in Rocky III. 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. [9] However, they eventually consented and Miyako returned with Blassie to the United States; they were married on September 30, 1968. Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). [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. [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. In March of 1962, Blassie lost the WWA World title to Rikidozan, and for the next four months, Blassie competed in Japan, determined to regain his title from the Japanese wrestling innovator. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000). [6] One of his most famous feuds took place in southern California in 1971, against Tolos. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. The film My Breakfast With Blassie, which came out in 1983, was a spoof of My Dinner With Andre. The camera followed Blassie and Kaufman as they ate and discussed life at a local restaurant that looked like a Dennys. Freddie Blassie, Pro Wrestler Popular as Villain, Dies at 85, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/08/sports/freddie-blassie-pro-wrestler-popular-as-villain-dies-at-85.html. [6] He performed for that promotion until his full retirement from professional wrestling in 1986. Feb 27. In the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. 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. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). You hit a guy in the neck. 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. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. Blassie was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 by Shane McMahon. This story has been shared 104,709 times. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. . Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Worldwide star. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. (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. were too short. Frederick Kenneth Blassie (February 8, 1918 - June 2, 2003), better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American professional wrestling villain and manager born in St. Louis, Missouri. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. . Freddie Blassie decided to stop being a fixture of wrestling in 1986 but was no stranger to making the odd guest appearance. 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. 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. Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. 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. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. [6] His knees were also in terrible condition, which also contributed to his retirement. When the wife of WWEs Chairman and CEOhad heard about this, she accosted Blassie saying, "I didnt even realize you had any kids!". [7] When Philbin had a late-night weekend talk show in San Diego, Blassie would routinely show up to yell at the audience, throw furniture, and threaten Philbin; the confrontations were wholly kayfabe and both of them were friends when the cameras weren't rolling. [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. 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). His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he 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. So when I saw this book I had to get it and read it. Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. Comedian Andy Kaufman & professional wrestler Classy Freddie Blassie eat breakfast & discuss life. He delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. Blassie died of heart failure Monday Because of his close relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. and his family, Blassie remained on the WWF payroll until the day he died. He grabs his balls!" He is a member of famous Actor with the age 85 years old group. Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. 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. 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. 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. 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. Fred Blassie had a shocking heel turn during his stint in Georgia, which led to him becoming an extremely hated wrestler! Freddie Blassie's net worth It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. Following a stint in the California wrestling scene, Freddie Blassie headed southeast to the Georgia territories in the 1950s, where he would enjoy a whopping 17 reigns with the big title of the region, the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship between 1954 and 1960. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". 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. A fierce competitor in the ring known for unorthodox methods and a penchant for bloodletting, Blassie was verbose and boastful. . 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. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! [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. [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. He did an advice segment on the Tuesday Night Titans TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. [3], Blassie returned to WWA in 1968 just as promoter Mike LeBell decided to rejoin the NWA. Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. 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. 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 became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans on the other side of the ropes. In 1950, he had his first challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, facing championLou Theszin Kentucky. With Andy Kaufman, Freddie Blassie, Laurie Burton, Linda Hirsch. . "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a legendary wrestling personality, both as a wrestler and a manager. 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. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie. 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. 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? 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 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! JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. In order to impress a girl, he entered a carnival show match in a shoot fight and won. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. Who Is Freddie Blassie's Wife? Blassie did not just fade away after he left the ring. All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. 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. him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow 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. 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. 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)). 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.
Elliot Lee Estate Agents Companies House,
Letter From Alabama Law Enforcement Agency,
Mhsaa Wrestling Team Districts 2022,
Roof Vent Leaks During Heavy Rain,
Articles F