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Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. In addition to his pro wrestling notoriety, Classy Freddie Blassie also has some amusing notability in wider pop culture. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? "Everything had to be the best with him," Miyako told WWE.com. Blassie did not just fade away after he left the ring. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Blassie, Murray wrote, has dedicated his life to wrapping up as much hate as one man can safely carry in a lifetime. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. He delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. 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). [3][8] In 1983, Rhino Records released a 14-track album by Blassie, titled I Bite the Songs. My Breakfast with Blassie is a 1983 film starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie.[1]. 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. One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000). 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 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. 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. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. . 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. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. Hed continue being a heel, managing a number of bad guys like George The Animal Steele, Hercules, and Blackjack Mulligan. 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. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. [9] During this stint with the company, Blassie was managed by his future nemesis, "Captain" Lou Albano.[3]. He finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. 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. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. [8] Blassie also appeared in a segment at the Vengeance pay-per-view event in December 2001, where an "undisputed" champion would be crowned. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". [8], Blassie appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that featured a new dance craze called The Twizzle. [9], In 1968, Blassie returned to Japan and was reunited with Miyako. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. 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. For Freddie Blassie, there was no question why he took on a villian's persona - he loved it. 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. Freddie Blassie. 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. One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. 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. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries. 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. 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. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. 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. 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.. [4] In 1998, Blassie was the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet. "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . 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. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. According to Greenberg, Gorgeous George, towards the end of his career, wanted to form a tag team with Blassie. Blassie was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 by Shane McMahon. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. 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. With Andy Kaufman, Freddie Blassie, Laurie Burton, Linda Hirsch. My Breakfast with Blassie was conceived of by Linda Lautrec and Johnny Legend as a satire on My Dinner with Andre. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). [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. 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. [22] In the demonstration of the dance, Blassie picked up Rob Petrie and twirled him over his head. 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. [6] Afterwards he became a manager in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and its subsequent incarnation the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. We have estimated However, he became increasingly interested in wrestling. 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. "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. 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. [2] During that same title reign, in a match against Lord James Blears a fan threw acid on his back, and he had to return immediately to the locker room to wash it off; over the course of his career, he was also stabbed 21 times and lost vision in his right eye after being struck by a thrown hard-boiled egg. Blassie. He was 85.Mr. He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. A fierce competitor in the ring known for unorthodox methods and a penchant for bloodletting, Blassie was verbose and boastful. (bad guys) got better pay. . Freddie Blassie decided to stop being a fixture of wrestling in 1986 but was no stranger to making the odd guest appearance. 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. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Lanny was only 12 or 13-years-old at the time. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. 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. "That's why he was 'Classy' Freddie Blassie." [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. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? Hed also regularly tag with Gorilla Monsoon, another wrestler better known for his non-wrestling roles. 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? [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Three injured in shooting outside Bronx funeral home, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, US home prices just did something they haven't done since 2012, How a retired detective snared his seventh 'Torso Killer' confession, It's insane that NYers can use but not buy pepper spray for self-defense: Change this now, Celeb-loved jewelry brand Dorsey drops dazzling new styles, White Lotus actor jokes about being hit on following shows success, Is this the couple behind the Worst Art Job Listing Ever?, Undertaker transforms coffin into barbecue grill, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. 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. 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. [6] Blassie described this performer as "having a neck like a stack of dimes and a real pencil-neck geek". [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. The Rock for the WWF Title)", "TJR Retro: WWE Royal Rumble 2000 Review (The Rock wins Rumble, Triple H vs. Cactus Jack)", "Freddie Blassie - Dick Van Dyke Show - 1962", "My Breakfast with Blassie: An appreciation", NWA North American Heavyweight Title (Hawaii version) history, NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida) history, NWA World Tag Team Title (Florida) history, NWA International Tag Team Title (Georgia) history, NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Georgia) history, NWA World Tag Team Title (Georgia) history, "NWA Hall of Fame Class for 2011 announced", WWA International Television Tag Team Title history, NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title history, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Inductees, 1853 Shepherd Circle SW, Blassie's Atlanta home (1960), 1950 Campbellton Road SW, Blassies Atlanta home (1966), WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Freddie Blassie, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freddie_Blassie&oldid=1142698000, NWA World Tag Team Champions (Florida version), Professional wrestling managers and valets, United States Navy personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles with disputed statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The Mysterious Medics (Mysterious Medic #1 and Mysterious Medic #2), This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 22:16. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. Freddie had been estranged from his children for the majority of their lives. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. Freddie Blassie, the silver-maned . Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. "No. 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. By the mid-1970s, Freddie Blassie was in his 50s and began to settle into a role as a manager in WWE, though he would still occasionally wrestle a match. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. [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. Frederick was an only child. His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling 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. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. 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.