Linda Lautrec and Andy Kaufman loosely scripted the film over several months late at night on the telephone. That revolution -- making the villain the hero -- put fans in the seats and money in Blassies pocket. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match. RELATED: 10 All-Time Greats You Forgot Had Managers. Managed by "Loud", Countless World Wrestling Federation TV and Pay Per View Ads. 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. Lanny approached Blassie, who always had three girls with him, saying he "needed some relief. Frederick was an only child. He was 85. We have estimated Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making Feb 27. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. The nastier he was in the ring, the more popular he became to fans on the other side of the ropes. is 6'(1.83m) . Before The Client List is an extension of our ongoing series, Before They Were Famous, which looks at wrestlers before they became internationally famous. Wrestler's widow goes to the mat - New York Post Classy Freddie Blassie was pro wrestling's 'Fashion Plate' In 1960, he became a regular with World Wrestling Associates (WWA) in Los Angeles, a move that would cement his legacy in pro wrestling, long before he became a manager. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). While there, he feuded with Soulman Rocky Johnson, The Sheik, and "The Golden Greek" John Tolos. 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. 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. As a result he has wrought something of a revolution in the unmanly art of exhibition wrestling.. [6] In later years, Blassie also appeared on The Mike Douglas Show when Philbin was a guest host. Blassie also was seen with the comedian Andy Kaufman in ''My Breakfast With Blassie,'' a 1983 spoof of ''My Dinner With Andre.''. heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the 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. My Breakfast with Blassie (1983) - IMDb He was 85. the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling 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 Fans might recall his interviews with local announcer Dick Lane in which he would proclaim his vast superiority over a number of lesser opponents, branding them all pencil-neck geeks. Those colorful interviews helped make him a celebrity in the newly expanding medium of television. He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. It was in the latter that he decided to embrace his villainous side, bleaching his hair blonde like Gorgeous George. WrestlingEpicenter.com - RIP Rest in Peace Obituaries He finally defeated Rikidozan and won back his title at a WWA event in Los Angeles but it had served his purpose. Blassie also mastered the television interview, boasting his superiority over other wrestlers he liked to call ''pencil-neck geeks.'' 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. Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. )[8] The movies title and premise are parodies of the 1981 art-house classic My Dinner with Andre.[23]. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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. Freddie Blassie - The Truth (and Somewhere In-Between) One of Blassie's gimmicks was to file his teeth, and draw blood from his opponents by biting their foreheads. Freddie Blassies income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. My Breakfast with Blassie - Wikipedia switched to professional wrestling. [7] Later, he received regular work wrestling at local carnivals. 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. 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. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) 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. September 30, 1968 - June 2, 2003 (his death), Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. 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. 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. (bad guys) got better pay. 500,000+ HD Wallpapers & Freddie Blassie Wallpaper 100% Free to Use High Quality Wallpapers Personalise for all Screen & Devices. 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. 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. Andy Kaufman on Letterman w/ "Classy" Freddie Blassie 02/23/1983 His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. The Legends of Wrestling - "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil If you're not from the midwest you're not allowed to have an opinion on this. He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. 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. 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. 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. Most recently, he co-authored the 2016 edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. One of Blassies most notable clients during his run with WWE, however, was Hulk Hogan, who he managed as soon as Hogan debuted in the company in 1979. This resulted in a weak relationship between the two. [22], Filmed in 1982, My Breakfast with Blassie featured Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie eating at a Sambo's in Los Angeles. He married his first wife Nettie Needles while on shore leave during the war. For a brief period of time after World War Two, he was billed as "Sailor" Freddie Blassie in matches, a gimmick that did not prove successful. [3], In 1953, he worked in the Atlanta, territory for Paul Jones (the wrestler of the 1930s, not the wrestler/manager of the 1980s). Freddie Blassie | WWE Freddie Blassie. ROH Best in the World (7/11/21) Preview and Predictions, Preview: Ice Ribbon 1133 in 176Box (7/11/21), first African-American to hold a World title. [2] He sporadically returned to make brief appearances following his retirement in 1986, mostly in produced video packages hyping the "new generation" of wrestling. The two spoke the same dialect of German, their parents had mutual friends, and . [8] He teamed with Billy McDaniel as the McDaniel Brothers, but when they went east, they were known as the Blassie Brothers. [3], In 1952, Blassie moved to Los Angeles to work for Jules Strongbow. Greenberg would add that Jerry Grahams drinking issues may have been combined with mental illness. [21] His final words on WWE television were "D-Von, get the table! She . When Gene Okerlund confronted Blassie in an interview after the match, Blassie said, "what cane, I didn't have no cane!". This story has been shared 104,709 times. In the early 1970s, Blassie "turned face", or became a good guy, since so many fans were cheering his famous antics. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He won the World Wrestling Association world heavyweight championship from the Frenchman douard Carpentier at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1961. 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. "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a legendary wrestling personality, both as a wrestler and a manager. My wife joined Toastmasters International in October of last year. 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. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. Blassie, who became a cult figure outside the ring and starred with comedian Andy Kaufman in My Breakfast With Blassie, died of heart failure June 2 in Hartsdale, N.Y., according to Jeff Walton, a onetime wrestling publicist in Los Angeles who knew Blassie well. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? 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. Take Linda McMahon, for instance. Back in the dressing room, Blassie realized he was in the wrong one. This benefactor was later revealed to be Slick. Freddie Blassie decided to stop being a fixture of wrestling in 1986 but was no stranger to making the odd guest appearance. "Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Elliot Greenberg, NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship, WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship, NWA North American Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, North American Wrestling Alliance/Worldwide Wrestling Associates/ NWA Hollywood Wrestling, WWA International Television Tag Team Championship, NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Classy Freddie Blassie was pro wrestling's 'Fashion Plate', "Before The Client List: "Classy" Freddie Blassie", "Blassie toast of Cauliflower Alley Club", "WWF WrestleMania XV Results - 3/28/99 (Stone Cold vs. He heard Blassie say that and whipped out a gun saying, "Ill kill that sonuvabitch! [3][8][9], In 1960, Blassie returned to Strongbow's promotion in Los Angeles, where he was a big star for Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) of southern California, drawing many fans to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. [24], In the early 1990s, the wrestler starred in a documentary directed by Jeff Krulik, titled Mr. Blassie Goes To Washington. 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. He won the WWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from French star Edouard Carpentier at the L.A. Sports Arena in 1961. Blassie worked for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, which presented him with its lifetime achievement award in 1996. However, later that year Blassie suffered from kidney stones and had surgery to remove them. It made Japanese wrestling a commodity on the West Coast and had given Rikidozan the credibility of conquering America. He worked for Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. You can watch him on Autopsy: The Last Hours of on Reelz in the United States and Channel 5 in Great Britain. G&K did not respond to calls for comment. The widow of pro-wrestling villain "Classy" Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. In this match Hogan was once again victorious. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! By doing this, he saved Freddie Blassies life. Classy Freddie Blassie knew how to get heat and anger fans. 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. ", to a monstrous applause. Vampire". Hed also regularly tag with Gorilla Monsoon, another wrestler better known for his non-wrestling roles. Hed also engage in big title feuds with serious GOATs like Japans Rikidozan and Americas Lou Thesz, both of whom are considered among the most influential wrestlers of all time. This film article about a 1980s comedy is a stub. first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms Freddie had been estranged from his children for the majority of their lives. His wife is Miyako Morozumi (30 September 1968 - 2 June 2003) ( his death), ? You hit a guy in the neck. Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Downloads, [100+] Freddie Blassie 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. The widow of pro-wrestling villain Classy Freddie Blassie got thrown for a fall by a supermarket floor mat. JP Zarka created Pro Wrestling Stories in May 2015. @megantheevalium. Miyako Blassie, 68, says in court papers that she was shopping for groceries when she tripped near the entrance to a Pathmark in Westchester. [2][14] Blassie also managed Muhammad Ali in his boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976 against Antonio Inoki. My Breakfast with Blassie: Directed by Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend, Mark Shepard. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Breakfast_with_Blassie&oldid=1107033235, Articles needing additional references from June 2021, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 August 2022, at 19:43. [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. 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. Let me take care of him in the ring.". Blassie originally wrestled [8] He married a girl in California while on shore leave. WWE Confidential presents a feature on the life and times of the fashion plate of professional wrestling, "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The [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. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he Because of his close relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. and his family, Blassie remained on the WWF payroll until the day he died. This story has been shared 143,593 times. Freddie accomplished that goal and did so in grand style, as only he could. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. He joined the Navy at the start of World War II and started wrestling initially under the name of Sailor Fred Blassie while stationed at Port Hueneme. 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. After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. However, he became increasingly interested in wrestling. He kept track of all of his matches during his career, including personal anecdotes. As a result, fans may be aware of Classy Freddie Blassie for his appearances during WWEs Golden Era and beyond but that only scratches the surface of his career. [3] As an adult, Frederick was a teetotaler. So, how much is Freddie Blassie worth at the age of 85 years old? Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. [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. Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks by Classy Freddie Blassie - Goodreads Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. [12], In 1962, Blassie had a feud with Japanese wrestling icon Rikidzan that established his reputation in Japan. Some wrestlers choose to play a villain as a way of promoting their career, while others are forced to by their promoters. 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. His parents repeatedly separated, only to reconcile. He delivered a rousing speech, dramatically standing up from his wheelchair to get the WWE-loyal wrestlers pumped up for the next battle. Blassie also resented "Superstar" Billy Graham, at first, due to his association with Dr. Jerry Graham, who in kayfabe was Billys older brother. [7], After the US entered World War II, Blassie enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater for 42 months. Following his 1986 on-camera retirement (he remained an executive for the WWE), still made occasional on-camera appearances since then, and his last came on "WWE Raw" in May, just a few weeks before his death (to promote his newly-released biography, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks"). 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. As a wrestling manager, wore shirts and trousers of the exact same color, sometimes with a matching jacket. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. . He achieved the rank of Petty Officer (Second Class) before he was discharged. . The Life and Times of Classy Freddie Blassie Quiz A child of two German immigrants, Freddie Blassie was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. With Andy Kaufman, Freddie Blassie, Laurie Burton, Linda Hirsch. He also bleached his hair at this time, as many of the other stars of the era did, such as Gorgeous George, Johnny Valentine, and "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. Freddie Blassie Obituary (2003) - San Diego, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune All the while, he reveled in his role as being one of professional wrestlings most despised villains. Moto-1964 and w/Buddy Austin-1967); NWA America's Heavyweight championships (5); Georgia Heavyweight title; "Beat The Champ" TV Title; NWA America's Brass Knuckles Title. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? But while his US in-ring career ended (while still working for WWWF), he remained employed by WWWF and became a manager instead. [10] He had main event-level feuds against stars such as The Destroyer. 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.
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