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). After the war, he continued to wrestle professionally in the Midwest. 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. [22], Filmed in 1982, My Breakfast with Blassie featured Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie eating at a Sambo's in Los Angeles. 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. Freddie Blassie retired as an active wrestler in 1974 in part because of the difficulty of securing a wrestling license . After a move to the West Coast, he tried a different promotional scheme -- that of a villain. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. [6] His knees were also in terrible condition, which also contributed to his retirement. [20] Because of this, Blassie is one of, if not the only man to have worked with all four generations of the McMahon family. [2] He was given a commentary tryout in 1986 and 1987 for WWF Wrestling Challenge, calling a few matches with Gorilla Monsoon. Replying to. 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 kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. 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". You hit a guy in the neck. We have estimated wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" [4] In 1998, Blassie was the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. 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. I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day. Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . ", Bruno kayfabed him. [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 grabs his balls!" Fans might recall his interviews with local announcer Dick Lane in which he would proclaim his vast superiority over a number of lesser opponents, branding them all pencil-neck geeks. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. ", 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. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. [3], One of Blassie's most famous proteges was The Iron Sheik. At Freddie Blassies wake, a family member came up to Keith Elliot Greenberg, saying that Freddies son had read the book and was ready to make peace with his father. In the early 1970s, Blassie "turned face", or became a good guy, since so many fans were cheering his famous antics. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". One of the men was Jilly Rizzo, Frank Sinatras number one sidekick and the owner of his own saloon. Born: 1921. 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. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. Real Name: Fred Blassie. Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. * 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! 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. Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. 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. But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. Blassie was more than willing to let the talented Bearcat Wright take the gold and make history. Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. Blassie continued to interfere from ringside in matches, especially during Volkoff's feud with Corporal Kirchner. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Lakers playoff hopes take another hit after comeback fades vs. Minnesota, Ducks strike with a pair of late power-play goals to defeat Canadiens, With Norman Powell out, Clippers are edged at Sacramento for fifth loss in a row, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 15 arrested across L.A. 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Moto-1964 and w/Buddy Austin-1967); NWA America's Heavyweight championships (5); Georgia Heavyweight title; "Beat The Champ" TV Title; NWA America's Brass Knuckles Title. In 1964, Blassie once again captured the WWA World title for the third time (again from Carpentier), but upon losing to Dick The Bruiser in April, he headed to the newly minted World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). September 30, 1968 - June 2, 2003 (his death), Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. Also learn how He earned most of Freddie Blassie networth? [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. It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. [20] Images from his WrestleMania XV promo were also included in the opening of the 2001 Survivor Series. He was 85. He finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. @megantheevalium. [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. Frederick was an only child. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). 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. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). The defendants had a duty to provide reasonably safe conditions for its customers, the suit charges. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. 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. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. 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. [6] Afterwards he became a manager in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and its subsequent incarnation the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). [9] The sight of the Japanese legend covered in his own blood gave several viewers heart attacks, and some reportedly died. Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. 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. 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.). [8] They received acclaim on the Dr. Demento Radio Show, and the latter song was featured on several albums, including Dr. Demento's 20th anniversary collection, The Very Best of Dr. Demento, and Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty CDs of All Time. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. He began wrestling professionally in 1935 and it was soon after that he came up with his famous pencil neck geek insult. 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. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. 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. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. Blassie was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 by Shane McMahon. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. If they refused to drop a title, it didnt matter what the bookers thought. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. He briefly turned face in 1989, making an appearance on Prime Time Wrestling angry with Bobby Heenan over money Heenan hadn't paid him back. Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". 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". "No. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). 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. 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)). His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. 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. 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. [2][14] Blassie also managed Muhammad Ali in his boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976 against Antonio Inoki. So when I saw this book I had to get it and read it. 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. [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. Freddie Blassie's net worth [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. Vampire". By the 1970s, Blassie had relocated to the East Coast where he successfully pursued his mat career. *The 100 deaths claim was an exaggerated myth that Blassie used. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. "Classy" Freddie Blassie also made a cameo appearance as himself, along with "Wrestling's Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair in the 1986 film Body Slam starring Dirk Benedict, "Captain" Lou Albano, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. 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. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. Fred McDaniel "Ayatollah" Blassie The Vampire The Hollywood Fashion Plate Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight 220 lbs (100 kg) Born February 8, 1918 Birth Place St. Louis, Missouri Died June 2, 2003 (aged 85) Death Place Hartsdale, New York Trainer Billy Longson Everett Marshall Warren Bockwinkle Billy Hanson Debut 1935 Retired 1986 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. 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. 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. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. is 6'(1.83m) . He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on theWWE NetworkandPeacock. [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. 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. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire".