Blassie later challenged Morales for the WWWF Championship, but came up short. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Downloads, [100+] Freddie Blassie Freddie Blassie | WWE [6] Blassie lost the title to Rikidzan on March 28, 1962.[9]. 10 Wrestlers Managed By Classy Freddie Blassie Fans Should Know About 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. Freddie Blassie. [8], Blassie appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that featured a new dance craze called The Twizzle. 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. Freddie never held a true world title but he was still one of the greatest of the 50s through the 60s". [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Keith Elliot Greenberg has been doing his part to preserve professional wrestling history for the past few decades. World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Classy Freddie Blassie was pro wrestling's 'Fashion Plate' 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. 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 retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. 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". 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. [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. 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. 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. 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. 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. 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. [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. 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. Freddie Blassie Obituary (2003) - San Diego, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune In the early 1970s, Blassie "turned face", or became a good guy, since so many fans were cheering his famous antics. At an early age, Blassie was enamored with pro wrestling, particularly the "shooters" of the early era of pro wrestling in the 1930s, and would often sneak into a local gym to watch the technical masters stretch and submit their opponents. Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. [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. Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". As time goes on, many older wrestlers begin to fade out of the collective memory of wrestling, especially if their primary in-ring work happened before WWE began its takeover of the sport in the 1980s. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. [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. [8] His death was announced by Jim Ross, 20 minutes into that same day's episode of Raw. [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. Blassie would show Greenberg dozens of notebooks with "beautiful cursive handwriting." The suit, filed in federal court in White Plains, accuses the supermarket chain of negligence and recklessness and seeks more than $1 million in damages from corporate parent A&P and mat supplier G&K Services. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 85 years old group. Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Blassie's interference at Wrestlemania 2 cost Volkoff his match with Kirchner, when the cane was grabbed by Kirchner instead of Volkoff. Why FREDDIE BLASSIE Was So Great f/ WRESTLINGBIOS - YouTube Also learn how He earned most of Freddie Blassie networth? . This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This story has been shared 143,593 times. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. [9] The sight of the Japanese legend covered in his own blood gave several viewers heart attacks, and some reportedly died. 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. In that storyline, he is menaced by Eric Bischoff and his henchmen, before calling on the Dudley Brothers to "Get the tables!" He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. 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. Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. Born: 1921. Blassie continued to manage Sheik and Volkoff even after they lost the tag team titles. [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. 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. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. Head on over to theLWOS Boardsto engage in conversation with fellow fans! (and of course, Bubba Ray and D-Von take care of Bischoff and his cronies). His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September1968 - 2 June2003)( his death), ? [8] The fans consistently booed him because he was considered a "Yankee". Deiveson Figueiredo Tattoo Wallpaper. He continued to outrage crowds by distracting referees so that his men could cheat and by getting in his own cheap shots when the refs weren't looking. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. 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 switched to professional wrestling. [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. After managing Sheik through a brief feud with Andre the Giant, he also became the manager of Nikolai Volkoff, with Sheik and Volkoff later becoming a tag team. 10 Backstage Stories About Bruno Sammartino WWE Fans Should Know According to Dave Meltzer, "legitimately there were three [deaths] in Japan from elderly men watching a match with Togo in Japan, and it became this myth that [Freddie Blassie] exaggerated.". While there, he won the NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship, the holder of which was generally first in line to challenge the NWA World Heavyweight Champion whenever he passed through the territory. Freddie Blassie - Online World of Wrestling 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. [9] During this stint with the company, Blassie was managed by his future nemesis, "Captain" Lou Albano.[3]. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he [3][23] (The film was referenced by American rock band R.E.M. However, he became increasingly interested in wrestling. 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. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). 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. In the 1970s, Blassie recorded a number of novelty songs, including Pencil Neck Geek, which became a cult favorite via Dr. Dementos radio show, which specializes in sharing wacky tracks. 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. After Blassie lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Rikidzan in Los Angeles, the two had a rematch on live Japanese television. switched to professional wrestling. [7] As the wrestlers became familiar with him, they began teaching him holds. 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. However, Blassie said he would toss his drink in the sand if he didnt drink it, so Lanny took the offer. Blassie held various regional titles, Walton said, including the WWA World Title on five separate occasions, the Americas Heavyweight Title nine times and tag team belts with various partners over the years. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''. [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. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. He did an advice segment on the ''Tuesday Night Titans'' TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. 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! He was 85. 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." 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). His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. 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 finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. Blassie got involved when he threw his cane into the ring, with Sheik and Volkoff using it to their advantage to gain the victory. 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. [21] His book, Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks, was released on May 13, 2003. Matches Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database - CAGEMATCH Let's learn more about this classic heel! Freddie accomplished that goal and did so in grand style, as only he could. The widow of pro-wrestling villain "Classy" Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. [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. Blassie also resented "Superstar" Billy Graham, at first, due to his association with Dr. Jerry Graham, who in kayfabe was Billys older brother. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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), ? Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. . It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [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. [8] He was often billed as "The Vampire" during this time for biting his opponents and filing his teeth during interviews and promos. 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. Blassies father was a heavy alcoholic and was abusive towards his beloved mother. Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. [6] His knees were also in terrible condition, which also contributed to his retirement. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. 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. ", "Heres some money," Blassie would say. Freddie Blassie, the silver-maned wrestler with a voice from the depths of the earth who made himself a hero to mat fans in the 1950s and 60s by playing the villain, has died. [12], In 1962, Blassie had a feud with Japanese wrestling icon Rikidzan that established his reputation in Japan. 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. Many of the viewers were horrified by Blassie's treatment of their hero. Managed by "Loud", Countless World Wrestling Federation TV and Pay Per View Ads. His matches with Freddie Blassie were legendary. 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. After a 39-year in-ring career in the sport, Blassie retired as a wrestler as a 4x WWA World Heavyweight Champion, a 17x NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Champion, NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion, as well as dozens more regional titles in multiple NWA territories. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) Blassie would turn heel during this period, developing a lot of the characteristics that hed become known for. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. 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. After the war, Blassie returned to the Midwest and continued wrestling professionally. The "Shakespeare of WWE" made an appearance on our podcast The Genius Cast in 2018, and he certainly had a few good stories up his sleeves! His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). *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! [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. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. 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. Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. When the wife of WWEs Chairman and CEOhad heard about this, she accosted Blassie saying, "I didnt even realize you had any kids!". This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. "That's why he was 'Classy' Freddie Blassie." 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). 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. My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. Blassie died in Hartsdale, N.Y., Jeff Walton, a former wrestling publicist, told The Los Angeles Times. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. 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." A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. From there, he moved on to become a regular writer, contributor, and reporter for WWE. However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). 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. 10 Things Fans Should Know About Classy Freddie Blassie - TheSportster Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. [7], His career continued as he was hired by more established promoters, including Tom Packs in St. Louis and George Simpson in Kansas City. the time, get up, stand up and fight. 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. Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. John Tolos: Wrestler celebrated as one of the finest ring villains 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). book. Real Name: Fred Blassie. After the war, he continued to wrestle professionally in the Midwest. him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow * 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! Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. 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. By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. Lanny would state that Jerry Graham "had no business living the last 15 years of his life" due to his drinking problems. 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). Frederick Kenneth Blassie (Classy Freddy Blassie, The Vampire, Sailor Fred Blassie, The Hollywood Fashion Plate, The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling) was born on 8 February, 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is an Actor. 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.
Neighbourhood Housing Officer Lambeth,
Hartlepool Mail Deaths Announcements,
Wilford Hall Appointment Line Hours,
Blackfoot Name For Grandma,
Articles F