After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. Let me take care of him in the ring.". "Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Elliot Greenberg, NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship, WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship, NWA North American Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, North American Wrestling Alliance/Worldwide Wrestling Associates/ NWA Hollywood Wrestling, WWA International Television Tag Team Championship, NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Classy Freddie Blassie was pro wrestling's 'Fashion Plate', "Before The Client List: "Classy" Freddie Blassie", "Blassie toast of Cauliflower Alley Club", "WWF WrestleMania XV Results - 3/28/99 (Stone Cold vs. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. Zach Eflin And Wife On Yacht Wallpaper. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie." American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. It was in the latter that he decided to embrace his villainous side, bleaching his hair blonde like Gorgeous George. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. 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. He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. Who Is Freddie Blassie's Wife? 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. [11], On June 12, 1961, Blassie defeated the "Flying Frenchman" douard Carpentier in a best-of-three-falls match for his first WWA World Heavyweight Championship. Frederick Kenneth Blassie (Classy Freddy Blassie, The Vampire, Sailor Fred Blassie, The Hollywood Fashion Plate, The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling), Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? Let's learn more about this classic heel! 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. After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. 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. "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a legendary wrestling personality, both as a wrestler and a manager. In addition to his pro wrestling notoriety, Classy Freddie Blassie also has some amusing notability in wider pop culture. 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. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. 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. [9] The sight of the Japanese legend covered in his own blood gave several viewers heart attacks, and some reportedly died. 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. 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). The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Vampire". [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. All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. 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. 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. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. 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. 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)). 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. Blassie got involved when he threw his cane into the ring, with Sheik and Volkoff using it to their advantage to gain the victory. 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. Lanny would state that Jerry Graham "had no business living the last 15 years of his life" due to his drinking problems. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [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. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). [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. During this time, he went to New York City to work for promoter Jess McMahon. Blassie died of heart failure Monday 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. [4] He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. [7], His career continued as he was hired by more established promoters, including Tom Packs in St. Louis and George Simpson in Kansas City. [3], Blassie returned to WWA in 1968 just as promoter Mike LeBell decided to rejoin the NWA. My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. (and of course, Bubba Ray and D-Von take care of Bischoff and his cronies). In that storyline, he is menaced by Eric Bischoff and his henchmen, before calling on the Dudley Brothers to "Get the tables!" the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling RELATED: 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager. [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. Blassie, who became a cult figure outside the ring and starred with comedian Andy Kaufman in My Breakfast With Blassie, died of heart failure June 2 in Hartsdale, N.Y., according to Jeff Walton, a onetime wrestling publicist in Los Angeles who knew Blassie well. wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now [22], Filmed in 1982, My Breakfast with Blassie featured Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie eating at a Sambo's in Los Angeles. However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. When meeting someone, he would ask where they were from, and no matter their response, he would reply with, "Oh, that's God's country!". 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. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. 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. the time, get up, stand up and fight. *The 100 deaths claim was an exaggerated myth that Blassie used. [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 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. 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. Freddie Blassie's net worth Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. "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. Download 100+ Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Images & 500,000+ Wallpapers for Free. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. He was 85. June 8, 2003 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. Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . 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. He was popular in Japan as well. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! 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 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. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. When he asked for her parents' blessing, they were hesitant because of his reputation with Rikidzan and because he was 28 years older than she. In the segment he is interviewed by "Mean" Gene Okerlund when the two are interrupted by a little old lady in a housekeeper outfit that Blassie claims to be his own mother. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. 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". 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 . Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. 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. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. They had no connecting hallways, so he was stuck with a bunch of these people, kayfabing his gimmick as Bruno was being hauled in on a stretcher. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. This story has been shared 104,709 times. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. were too short. He is from USA. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. G&K did not respond to calls for comment. By 1952, Blassie was getting disillusioned by the East Coast and headed for California, although he did still work for various NWA territories in the South, particularly Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. [12], In 1962, Blassie had a feud with Japanese wrestling icon Rikidzan that established his reputation in Japan. He also began filing his teeth, transitioning from Sailor to The Vampire, as his spiked teeth became effective tools in biting his opponents, creating a macabre presentation and early influence on the hardcore side of pro-wrestling. 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. 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. Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. According to Greenberg, Gorgeous George, towards the end of his career, wanted to form a tag team with Blassie. [2] He sporadically returned to make brief appearances following his retirement in 1986, mostly in produced video packages hyping the "new generation" of wrestling. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. In 1950, he had his first challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, facing championLou Theszin Kentucky. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he Born: 1921. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. Blassie. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. [9], In 1968, Blassie returned to Japan and was reunited with Miyako. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. [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. 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. Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. [10] He had main event-level feuds against stars such as The Destroyer. By doing this, he saved Freddie Blassies life. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." 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.). His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". In 1961, he defeated Eduoard Carpentier for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title that held prominence in the pro-wrestling world, since WWA was an outlaw territory outside the realm of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). 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. Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. 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. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. 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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. He also reportedly excelled as a boxer. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. 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. 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] 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 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. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. He also bleached his hair at this time, as many of the other stars of the era did, such as Gorgeous George, Johnny Valentine, and "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. He heard Blassie say that and whipped out a gun saying, "Ill kill that sonuvabitch! 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. 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. The two of them had a great relationship off-camera, but because kayfabe was well and truly protected during this time in the business unless you were on the inside, you never were to know that a heel and face got along in real life. [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. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show.