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. [7] As the wrestlers became familiar with him, they began teaching him holds. Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say, New era of football begins at Mater Dei under coach Frank McManus. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Freddie Blassie managed many heels to success, including the team of The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, who would win the World Tag Team Titles from US Express thanks to Blassies delivering a strategic shot with his cane. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? He heard Blassie say that and whipped out a gun saying, "Ill kill that sonuvabitch! In addition to his pro wrestling notoriety, Classy Freddie Blassie also has some amusing notability in wider pop culture. He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. 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 . 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. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Freddie Blassies origins are worth knowing about, especially because they involve much earlier days of the pro wrestling world -- as in, within the first half of the 20th century. ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. 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. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. When the wife of WWEs Chairman and CEOhad heard about this, she accosted Blassie saying, "I didnt even realize you had any kids!". [4] By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. Blassie's interference at Wrestlemania 2 cost Volkoff his match with Kirchner, when the cane was grabbed by Kirchner instead of Volkoff. [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. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. 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. 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. His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Still claiming to be the West Coast Champion, entered into a feud with Bruno Sammartino to unify the titles. [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. 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. During this time, he went to New York City to work for promoter Jess McMahon. @megantheevalium. 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. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United As a result he has wrought something of a revolution in the unmanly art of exhibition wrestling.. Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. He also starred in a 1983 movie called My Breakfast With Blassie, where he sat down for a meal with Andy Kaufman as a parody of the 1981 critically acclaimed film My Dinner With Andre. He was 85. 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. (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. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. 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. [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. [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. We have estimated Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. Without further ado, lets do an overview of Blassies career for fans who may not know much about him. him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. 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. [20] Because of this, Blassie is one of, if not the only man to have worked with all four generations of the McMahon family. He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. 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. 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. Blassie Poffo, at first, played it small and declined. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. After a move to the West Coast, he tried a different promotional scheme -- that of a villain. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. RELATED: 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. 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. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? 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! Freddie had been estranged from his children for the majority of their lives. He graduated from McKinley High School and began work at a meatpacking plant. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a legendary wrestling personality, both as a wrestler and a manager. 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. 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. All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Take Linda McMahon, for instance. Gross tubs? 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)). Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. 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. He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there 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. On a mid-July 2001 episode of Raw, the Invasion storyline was in full swing, and Blassie was brought in to motivate the WWE in the face of their ongoing war with the WCW/ECW Alliance. [8], Blassie appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that featured a new dance craze called The Twizzle. While there, he won the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship, the holder of which was generally first in line to challenge the NWA World Heavyweight Champion whenever he passed through the territory. [4] He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. [4] In 1998, Blassie was the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet. Blassie did not just fade away after he left the ring. heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. His matches with Freddie Blassie were legendary. 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. Hed also engage in big title feuds with serious GOATs like Japans Rikidozan and Americas Lou Thesz, both of whom are considered among the most influential wrestlers of all time. Blassie unsuccessfully campaigned along with the other managers to manage "Macho Man" Randy Savage when Savage first entered the WWF in June 1985. "Classy" Freddie Blassie appeared in a live-action segment of the cartoon "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling." However, Blassie said he would toss his drink in the sand if he didnt drink it, so Lanny took the offer. 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. 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.". Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 February. Returning to the WWA, Blassie began feuding with the likes of Bobo Brazil, Mil Mascaras, and others, as well as teaming with another known violent savage, Mad Dog Vachon. Zach Eflin And Wife On Yacht Wallpaper. 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. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. 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. Outside of being an award-winning television producer, the New York Times best-selling author began writing about professional wrestling for several newspapers and magazines in the 90s. ", 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. [7], His career continued as he was hired by more established promoters, including Tom Packs in St. Louis and George Simpson in Kansas City. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? *Blassie also told Greenberg that women used to come up to him on the street and gawk at him because he was Gods gift to women! One that stands out was his rivalry with Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s. Originally from Chicago, he has called London home since 2008. [3][8][9], In 1960, Blassie returned to Strongbow's promotion in Los Angeles, where he was a big star for Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) of southern California, drawing many fans to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . He finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. He was 85. He did an advice segment on the Tuesday Night Titans TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. 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.
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