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. 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. 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"). 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. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. Discover Freddie Blassie's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. In the 1950s, Fred Blassie was hands down the most hated wrestler in the southeastern territory.
It was also during this period of his career when he dropped his babyface gimmick and became a full-fledged heel. @megantheevalium. Recommended:The Night Bruno Sammartino Saved Freddie Blassies Life, Lanny Poffo, speaking to his friend Keith Elliot Greenberg on The Genius Cast, shared the story of the time he and Freddie Blassie were in Hawaii in 1968. "I want you to get four Orange Juliuses for me, the girls, and you.". You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. This resulted in a weak relationship between the two. "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. 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." You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. [9][6], On June 2, 2003, Blassie died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 85. His first public wrestling match was a shoot fight which he accepted hoping to impress a girl he brought to the show. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. Towards the end of Freddie Blassies life, he began to realize that it all may be coming to an end soon. The terminology would follow him for the rest of his career. After regaining the WWA Championship from Rikidzan on July 25, 1962, Blassie lost the title two days later to the "Masked Destroyer" Dick Beyer. Blassie began portraying himself as a villain, and it worked. 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!
John Tolos: Wrestler celebrated as one of the finest ring villains 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. 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..
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.
Free Freddie Blassie Wallpaper Downloads, [100+] Freddie Blassie My Breakfast with Blassie is a 1983 film starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie.[1]. 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. 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. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie."
My Breakfast with Blassie - Wikipedia Blassie retired from active wrestling in 1974, due to a California law that prohibited anyone over 55 from getting a wrestling license. Freddie Blassie Also known as Fred Blassie, Fred McDaniel Overview Career Career highlights Titles Matches Match Statistics Matchguide Feuds Promos Tournaments Tag Teams & Stables Entourage Awards Books Wrestling Games Movies Commentary Career Ratings Comments Matches Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 1631 items that match the search parameters. Blassie was a contemporary of six-time NWA world champion Thesz, who died in 2002 at the age of 86. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The series began at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, with Blassie winning on a technicality, but not a pin. 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. And more wrestling fans definite need to know about the. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Had some great matches with Rikidozan & even back in the late 60s he was over bigtime as a heel. I think Dick Lane was as good as Gordon Solie in his day.
Freddie Blassie - Wikipedia He claimed to file his teeth to draw blood from opponents, and among his nicknames was the Vampire. His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. 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. 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. In order to impress a girl, he entered a carnival show match in a shoot fight and won. 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. Still claiming to be the West Coast Champion, entered into a feud with Bruno Sammartino to unify the titles. One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United It was not until he moved to the West Coast that fans began supporting him. [3], In 1964, Blassie feuded with Bruno Sammartino and Bobo Brazil. Even more important than that, Blassie would make a change that would make him an icon. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. [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. Sportswriter Jim Murray called him the worst villain since Hitler in a 1961 column in The Times. However, he became increasingly interested in wrestling. His father was an abusive alcoholic, prompting Frederick to stay with his grandparents whenever Jacob beat Anna. Using his newfound skills, Blassie became a wrestler starting in the carnival circuit, debuting in 1935 but taking a break in the 1940s to fight in World War II. He was now hooked, and he decided that pro wrestling was his destiny and not his backbreaking work in the meatpacking plant. Blassie also wanted to clarify through his final memoir that he was an absentee father as he was on the road for most of his sons life growing up. One of the men was Jilly Rizzo, Frank Sinatras number one sidekick and the owner of his own saloon. 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. Lanny would state that Jerry Graham "had no business living the last 15 years of his life" due to his drinking problems. In 1964, Dick the Bruiser defeated Blassie to become champion, and Blassie headed east to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).
Freddie Blassie Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - The Internet [21] The segment featured Blassie, his wife, and Raw co-General Manager Eric Bischoff, who was about to allow 3 Minute Warning to attack him, until Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Dudley Boyz stepped in. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. [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. 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. Of course, these mobsters thought he was putting them down for real. American professional wrestler and manager, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19601968), World Wide Wrestling Federation (1964; 1971). When the wife of WWEs Chairman and CEOhad heard about this, she accosted Blassie saying, "I didnt even realize you had any kids!". His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". [3] Blassie also publicly represented Ali for media events and interviews for a period in the mid-1970s.
"Typical Italian stunt! Bruno had gotten so famous that he couldnt always pick the boneheads from the rest. He returned again in 1990 briefly to do color commentary for Prime Time in April with Vince McMahon, as an emergency fill-in after Tony Schiavone quit, playing a heel once again. Worldwide star. 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. 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.
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