Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. "Typical Italian stunt! 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. It was a wonderful look back at "old-school" wrestling as told by one of the masters, both as a wrestler and as a talker. )[8] The movies title and premise are parodies of the 1981 art-house classic My Dinner with Andre.[23]. Deiveson Figueiredo Tattoo Wallpaper. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. Heres a look at Classy Freddie Blassies wrestling career, long before he decided to take on clients and become one of the most iconic managers of the 1970s and 1980s. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. The terminology would follow him for the rest of his career. In one memorable instance, Blassie, playing up the heel character, would berate Brunos followers backstage with promos, calling them derogatory names such as "grease ball" and "spaghetti bender." 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. So, how much is Freddie Blassie worth at the age of 85 years old? The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. 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. He felt this was his chance to tell his life story before moving on. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. You pencil neck geek! For those who were brought up on pro wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, one of the most colorful managers of the day was WWF stalwart, Classy Freddie Blassie. For the first installment, we look at one of the most iconic villains in pro wrestling history as both a wrestler and a manager in Classy Freddie Blassie. Hed continue being a heel, managing a number of bad guys like George The Animal Steele, Hercules, and Blackjack Mulligan. Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. [22] In the demonstration of the dance, Blassie picked up Rob Petrie and twirled him over his head. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . 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. 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. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. 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. [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s. [6] He also began boxing at a local community center and won a heavyweight championship title. Still claiming to be the West Coast Champion, entered into a feud with Bruno Sammartino to unify the titles. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! * 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! 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. [17] In 2000, Blassie made an appearance at the Royal Rumble as a judge in the Miss Rumble 2000 Swimsuit contest, which was won by Mae Young. 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 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 wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. . 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. "Classy" Freddie Blassie WWE Hall of Fame Induction Speech [1994]June 9, 1994 Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans on the other side of the ropes. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he Anyone can read what you share. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. 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. He finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Fred Blassie would meet his wife, a Japanese actress.. November 15, 1968: Fred Blassie defeated Buddy Austin in a "Stretcher" match in the Olympic Stadium.. Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. ", 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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. 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. 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. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. 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. Among the men he managed were Nikolai Volkoff,[2] The Iron Sheik,[2] Blackjack Mulligan,[2] High Chief Peter Maivia,[2] "The Crippler" Ray Stevens,[2] Adrian Adonis,[2] Jesse Ventura,[2] Dick Murdoch,[2] Swede Hanson,[2] Killer Khan,[2] George 'The Animal' Steele,[2] Professor Tanaka,[2] Mr. Fuji,[2] Ivan Koloff,[2] Tor Kamata,[2] Masa Saito,[2] Lou Albano,[2] Victor Rivera,[2] Kamala,[2] Hercules Hernandez,[2] and Hulk Hogan. This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. Blassie claims that he made Regis Philbin into the celebrity he is today. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. For example, in the 1970s, he took on Cowboy Bill Watts, whod become a promoter and booker for Mid-South Wrestling and WCW. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. [9][6], On June 2, 2003, Blassie died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 85. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. 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. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. 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. (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. . ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. Despite that, Blassie ended the year by leaving WWWF and returning to Los Angeles and the WWA. 1 One of the great legends of pro wrestling albeit one whose in-ring career predated the 1980s Golden Era wrestling boom Classy Freddie Blassie was a successful heel who wrestled all over. 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. [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. . On top of that, hed take on English legend Billy Robinson, WWE Champion Superstar Billy Graham, and legendary masked heel wrestler Destroyer. 304K views 6 years ago The Dudley Boyz put Rico through a table after getting the call from WWE Hall of Famer "Classy" Freddie Blassie at ringside. [2] He sporadically returned to make brief appearances following his retirement in 1986, mostly in produced video packages hyping the "new generation" of wrestling. wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. 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. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans. He hated his father for it. 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. [9] However, they eventually consented and Miyako returned with Blassie to the United States; they were married on September 30, 1968. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. 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. The widow of pro-wrestling villain "Classy" Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Blassie played baseball and football in high school. [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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Many people close to him actually had no idea that he had children in the first place. If you're not from the midwest you're not allowed to have an opinion on this. I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. 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 would continue to make his titles make history in 1963, he lost to Bearcat Wright, making Wright the first African-American to hold a World title in the United States. [3] Blassie, Lou Albano, and The Grand Wizard were named "The Three Wise Men of the East", as the top three heel managers in the company. ", to a monstrous applause. 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. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? [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. He grabs his balls!" He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. He heard Blassie say that and whipped out a gun saying, "Ill kill that sonuvabitch! 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. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. 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". Credited with bringing a young Hulk Hogan into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in late 1979. He did an advice segment on the Tuesday Night Titans TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. In the 1950s, Fred Blassie was hands down the most hated wrestler in the southeastern territory. [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. 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. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. [22], Filmed in 1982, My Breakfast with Blassie featured Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie eating at a Sambo's in Los Angeles. 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. [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. 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. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. 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. He did an advice segment on the ''Tuesday Night Titans'' TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. [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. In the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. 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 under the name of Sailor Fred Blassie while stationed at Port Hueneme in California. 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. 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 won the WWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from French star Edouard Carpentier at the L.A. Sports Arena in 1961. Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. 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. Blassie was more than willing to let the talented Bearcat Wright take the gold and make history. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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)). [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. However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) Some of the guys were businessmen, some were political types, and some others Im sure were mobsters. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. 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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. 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." [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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. switched to professional wrestling. *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! (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the According to Greenberg, Gorgeous George, towards the end of his career, wanted to form a tag team with Blassie. 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. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). 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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Breakfast_with_Blassie&oldid=1107033235, Articles needing additional references from June 2021, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 August 2022, at 19:43. He was popular in Japan as well. 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. "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. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. This story has been shared 143,593 times. were too short. He achieved the rank of Petty Officer (Second Class) before he was discharged. 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. Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. Blassie later challenged Morales for the WWWF Championship, but came up short. 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. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. 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. A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. After Sheik lost the belt to Blassie's former managed wrestler Hulk Hogan, Blassie managed Sheik in various rematches around the country throughout the first half of 1984, culminating into another major televised rematch on December 28, 1984, once again in Madison Square Garden. 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. Freddie Blassie retired as an active wrestler in 1974 in part because of the difficulty of securing a wrestling license . He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. 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