[3], One of Blassie's most famous proteges was The Iron Sheik. Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube DAVE KNOWS that Classy Freddie Blassie is a Pro Wrestling legend. 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. For example, in the 1970s, he took on Cowboy Bill Watts, whod become a promoter and booker for Mid-South Wrestling and WCW. [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". 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, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. the time, get up, stand up and fight. Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). [20] Because of this, Blassie is one of, if not the only man to have worked with all four generations of the McMahon family. September 30, 1968 - June 2, 2003 (his death), Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. And more wrestling fans definite need to know about the. Blassie was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 by Shane McMahon. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United "Classy" Freddie Blassie lead an interesting life as one of . 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. 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 Blassie is survived by his wife, Miyako, and three children. Comedian Andy Kaufman & professional wrestler Classy Freddie Blassie eat breakfast & discuss life. [6] His cousin John Frank Holaus often refereed his matches. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. Ironically, during his WWWF stint, he was managed by another former wrestler who had recently become a manager, in the form of Captain Lou Albano. for the WWF. [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. [2] He sporadically returned to make brief appearances following his retirement in 1986, mostly in produced video packages hyping the "new generation" of wrestling. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! 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. 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. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. 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. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. [3][8] In 1983, Rhino Records released a 14-track album by Blassie, titled I Bite the Songs. (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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. 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. Managed by "Loud", Countless World Wrestling Federation TV and Pay Per View Ads. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. Gross tubs? 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. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms One that stands out was his rivalry with Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? 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. RELATED: 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager. [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. 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. [9][6], On June 2, 2003, Blassie died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 85. Freddie Blassie Height 5'10" Weight 220 lbs Hometown St. Louis Signature Move Stomach Claw Career Highlights 1994 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Freddie Blassie: Bio "Classy" Freddie Blassie is one of the most memorable Superstars to ever set foot inside the squared circle. "The Fashion Plate of Wrestling" Freddie Blassie calls his interviewer and the fans "pencil neck geeks" and shows why he will always be remembered as one of the greatest managers in WWE history. (bad guys) got better pay. By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. You hit a guy in the neck. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Blassie died of heart failure Monday In the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. . He was popular in Japan as well. Freddie Blassie's net worth His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks. 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. 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. 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.. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . 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. He was feuding with a wrestler known as The Geek who had a neck like a stack of dimes, making him a literal pencil neck geek. Greenberg would add that Jerry Grahams drinking issues may have been combined with mental illness. Anyone can read what you share. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. 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!". Freddie Blassie. 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. 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". [4] Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". Also featured is Bob Zmuda, who plays a nosy fan. However, sadly, Freddie passed away before he could ever speak to his son again. He is a writer and editor-in-chief here on the site, a podcast producer, the chief graphic designer of the cover art for the sites articles, the former host of The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo, and an elementary school teacher and assistant principal who enjoys playing guitar and spending time with his lively daughters! The widow of pro-wrestling villain "Classy" Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. switched to professional wrestling. [3], Upon Blassie's return from the war, he was billed as "Sailor" Fred Blassie to capitalize on the wave of war-time patriotism sweeping the country, but that gimmick was unsuccessful. The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks (Wwe S) Paperback - February 1, 2004 by Keith Elliot Greenberg (Author) 115 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Hardcover $18.99 13 Used from $4.06 2 New from $38.98 1 Collectible from $15.00 Paperback 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. A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. Worldwide star. Blassie, whose late hubby [inset] was known for his gravel-voiced put-down pencil-neck geek, claims to have suffered excruciating pain in the January 2011 tumble, which broke her right wrist, and permanent scarring from a cut eyebrow. 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. He returned to the company in 1971, reaching the final of a tournament in January for the vacant WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship before losing to Pedro Morales. [15] Blassie led Shiek to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over Bob Backlund on December 26, 1983, in Madison Square Garden. is 6'(1.83m) . 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. In this match Hogan was once again victorious. Before The Client List is an extension of our ongoing series, Before They Were Famous, which looks at wrestlers before they became internationally famous. His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. Keith Elliot Greenberg coauthored Legends of Wrestling: Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks with wrestling icon "Classy" Freddie Blassie shortly before his death in 2003. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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).

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