Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE Outside of being an award-winning television producer, the New York Times best-selling author began writing about professional wrestling for several newspapers and magazines in the 90s. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. 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. [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. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. 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). heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now 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". Born: 1921. Freddie Blassie. Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. Blassie's interference at Wrestlemania 2 cost Volkoff his match with Kirchner, when the cane was grabbed by Kirchner instead of Volkoff. 10 Wrestlers Managed By Classy Freddie Blassie Fans Should Know About While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. 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 the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. His matches with Freddie Blassie were legendary. [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. His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Recommended:The Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mothers Dead Body. As a German descent American, he was often faced with questions of loyalty, despite marrying a Jewish woman. Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. "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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. Fred Blassie had a shocking heel turn during his stint in Georgia, which led to him becoming an extremely hated wrestler! [21] His final words on WWE television were "D-Von, get the table! Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. [3], Blassie returned to WWA in 1968 just as promoter Mike LeBell decided to rejoin the NWA. [6] On July 7, Blassie successfully defended his title against the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. 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. He delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. "Bruno always had a huge entourage hanging around him," Greenberg wrote in "Classy" Freddie Blassie The Legends of Wrestling. Blassie also resented "Superstar" Billy Graham, at first, due to his association with Dr. Jerry Graham, who in kayfabe was Billys older brother. He won the WWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from French star Edouard Carpentier at the L.A. Sports Arena in 1961. [spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. He was 85. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. He hated his father for it. Let's learn more about this classic heel! It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. 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. In 1973, knee problems largely forced Blassie to stop wrestling personally, though he occasionally donned the tights to tag-team with one of his heels, as he did in Madison Square Garden in June 1974, teaming with the hulking Nikolai Volkoff to face then-champ Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow in a tag team match (Blassie was forced to submit for the final fall by a Bruno bearhug, and the fans almost tore the Garden's roof off). From there, he moved on to become a regular writer, contributor, and reporter for WWE. 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). Freddie Blassie, 85, died of heart failure on June 2, 2003. Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. 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. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) 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. *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! Take Linda McMahon, for instance. [6] He also began boxing at a local community center and won a heavyweight championship title. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. [10] He had main event-level feuds against stars such as The Destroyer. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? States. 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. 10 Backstage Stories About Bruno Sammartino WWE Fans Should Know Keith Elliot Greenberg has been doing his part to preserve professional wrestling history for the past few decades. He also starred in a 1983 movie called My Breakfast With Blassie, where he sat down for a meal with Andy Kaufman as a parody of the 1981 critically acclaimed film My Dinner With Andre. My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb My Breakfast with Blassie - Wikipedia 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. John Tolos: Wrestler celebrated as one of the finest ring villains Greenberg would add that Jerry Grahams drinking issues may have been combined with mental illness. . Hell, the article is entitled "Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between)" for crying out loud. 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. My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb Freddie Blassie - Wikipedia The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie Before The Client List is an extension of our ongoing series, Before They Were Famous, which looks at wrestlers before they became internationally famous. egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. 10 Things Fans Should Know About Classy Freddie Blassie, 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore, 10 Performers Who Were Great As Both A Wrestler & Manager, 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. 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. He was popular in Japan as well. For Freddie Blassie, there was no question why he took on a villian's persona - he loved it. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. He was 85. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. [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. 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. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. 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. . If you're not from the midwest you're not allowed to have an opinion on this. He did an advice segment on the ''Tuesday Night Titans'' TV program, made personal appearances and did radio interviews. . While writingThe Legends of Wrestling, Greenberg got to know Freddie Blassie quite well and mentioned in his appearance on The Genius Cast that Blassie really opened up to him. . Blassie originally wrestled [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Freddie Blassie, the silver-maned . By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. 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 the time, get up, stand up and fight. He was 85. 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. 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.