The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . Replying to. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. 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. Freddie Blassie's net worth He retired from competition in the late 1970s to manage a new generation of gladiators such as Hulk Hogan. Backstage, Jilly Rizzo club owner, Frank Sinatra's bodyguard, and . Let me take care of him in the ring.". The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. [8], In 1975, Blassie recorded voiceovers for the songs "Blassie, King of Men" and "Pencil Neck Geek", which were performed by Johnny Legend, featuring Billy Zoom on guitar, Jay Phillips on guitar, Lon Osgood on bass and Steve Clark on drums. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. This story has been shared 143,593 times. RELATED: 10 Managers With The Best Claim To Be On A Wrestling Mount Rushmore. 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. [5], Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. 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. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. )[8] The movies title and premise are parodies of the 1981 art-house classic My Dinner with Andre.[23]. Blassie originally wrestled RELATED: 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. 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. One that stands out was his rivalry with Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s. A third-generation wrestling fan and senior writer for World Wrestling Entertainment publications, Greenberg is the author of more than thirty nonfiction children's books, and has written for The New York . This story has been shared 104,709 times. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. 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 Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. He felt this was his chance to tell his life story before moving on. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. Worldwide star. , money, salary, income, and assets. 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. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. 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. He spent his time in the Missouri territory, working mainly in St. Louis and Kansas City, but when the U.S. entered the Second World War, he enlisted in 1942 and joined the U.S. Navy, where he spent four years (42 months) in combat in the U.S. battles in the Pacific. Without further ado, lets do an overview of Blassies career for fans who may not know much about him. The two of them had a great relationship off-camera, but because kayfabe was well and truly protected during this time in the business unless you were on the inside, you never were to know that a heel and face got along in real life. Greenberg would add that Jerry Grahams drinking issues may have been combined with mental illness. 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. Now is Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. He triggered heart attack-related deaths in Japan, was stabbed by angry fans 21 times and was once doused with acid! A nice man, with a lovely wife and it was great having him there to cut a wonderful promo during my show. In the summer of 1986, Blassie started to slowly phase himself out of the WWF and into retirement. 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. 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. Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera. [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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. September 30, 1968 - June 2, 2003 (his death), Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. He even managed Muhammad Ali going into his legendary match with Antonio Inoki. Vince McMahon interviews "Classy" Freddie Blassie & Nikolai Volkoff | WWE After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. 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). [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! Greenbergs memoir on Freddie Blassie was released just three weeks before he died in 2003. Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on theWWE NetworkandPeacock. 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. "When hed go to a town, the most powerful Italians would latch themselves onto him and decided they were his protectors, whether Bruno liked it or not. [6] One of his most famous feuds took place in southern California in 1971, against Tolos. 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. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. 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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. [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. [9] During this stint with the company, Blassie was managed by his future nemesis, "Captain" Lou Albano.[3]. He grabs his balls!" [8] His final wrestling appearance was May 12, 2003 in Philadelphia on Raw, three weeks before his death. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 85 years old group. Stats: 6' 0" 220 lbs. With Andy Kaufman, Freddie Blassie, Laurie Burton, Linda Hirsch. 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. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. 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 briefly turned face in 1989, making an appearance on Prime Time Wrestling angry with Bobby Heenan over money Heenan hadn't paid him back. 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. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United Hogan would return in late 1983, turning face almost immediately after and thus separating from Freddie Blassie. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! He became less the focal point of WWA, and soon began working more NWA territories, as he spread his wings into enemy territory. Blassie was a regular on the WWWF's "All-Star Wrestling" and "Championship Wrestling" weekly TV shows that were videotaped at small arenas in Pennsylvania and aired throughout the Northeast. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. Im not implying that Bruno would ever have any dealings with the mafia on his own. Download 100+ Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Images & 500,000+ Wallpapers for Free. ", Bruno kayfabed him. On an episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Blassie barged into the announcer booth to proclaim that he had sold half of the contracts of Sheik and Volkoff to a mysterious benefactor for a large sum of money. [16] In 1999, he was shown making the opening narration of WrestleMania XV. (1965 - 1968)( divorced), Nettie Needles (September 1942 - 1964)( divorced)( 3 children). However, sadly, Freddie passed away before he could ever speak to his son again.

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