Message-ID: 

It was announced on RAW that "Classy" Freddie Blassie passed away tonight.
He was 85.

This is Steve Yohe's biography on Blassie, available with photos at the
Other Arena: http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/biography.cgi?fredblas>

--begin included text
Freddie Blassie
Real Name: Fred Blassman
Nickname: Fred "Butcher Boy" Blassie, Sailor Fred Blassie, The Vampire, El
Rubio, Classy Freddie Blassie, Loverboy Freddy Blassie
Aliases: Fred Mc Daniel

Birthdate: 02/08/18
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 230

Wrestled in: St. Louis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, JWA, AJPW, WWWF/WWF,
Nashville, Charlotte, Memphis, Florida

Former teams: Billy & Freddy Mc Daniel, Billy & Fred Blassie, Mr. Moto &
Blassie, Blassie & Don Leo Jonathan, Blassie & Buddy Austin, Blassie &
Tarzan Tyler

Signature Moves: The Bite, Southern Neckbreaker, Multiple Knee Lift To The
Neck, Nerve Pinch, Karate, Stomach Claw


Biography

Freddie Blassie
written by Steve Yohe
Credit: The research of Wrestling Historians Don Luce, Jim Melby, Haruo
Yamaguchi, Scott Teal, Chuck Thornton, Burt Ray, Fred Hornby, and J.
Michael Kenyon contained in "The Ring Record of the Great Freddie
Blassie". Also conversations with Glen Bray, Koji Miyamoto, John D.
Williams, Mike Tenay, Bob Barnett, Mike Lano and Jeff Walton.

Born Fred Blassman in St. Louis, Mo. and raised in near by Normandy,
Blassie was an all-around athlete in High School, playing baseball and
football while excelling as a boxer. A story is that Fred turned pro in
boxing but was advised by Jack Dempsey to give up the sport because his
reach was too short, and instead try wrestling because the money was
better. He was trained by Billy Hanson. Fred claims to have started at age
17 in 1935, but no results have been found prior to 1942. He worked as a
butcher during these years, which would later be used in one of his
wrestling nicknames. Fred started in St. Louis but migrated south looking
for a push in a less competitive city. He joined the Navy at the onset of
World War II. He continued to wrestle and billed himself as Sailor Fred
Blassie. He got his first taste of L.A wrestling while stationed at Port
Huneme, CA and allegedly defeated Hans Schnabel for the Pacific Coast
Title during this period. He served 42 months in the service with 14 of
those months in the Pacific Theater of operations. While in the service,
he won the 7th Naval District Championship in boxing and wrestling. He was
discharged in 1946 and began wrestling full time. In late 1946 he was
injured in a match with Ernie Dusek which keep him out for a month. The
incident made newspapers across the nation as reporters were amused that a
pro wrestler actually got hurt wrestling. It also gave Fred his first
mention in "Ring Magazine", and started a career pattern where Fred used
injuries for self promotion.

For the next few years he worked the Midwest gaining experience and
popularity wrestling legends such as Steve Casey, Babe Sharkey, Bill
Longson, Killer Kowalski, Buddy Rogers and Gorgeous George. On 08-29-50,
he lost his 1st world title match to Lou Thesz in Louisville.

In Feb.1952, he traveled to Los Angeles to gain national exposure via the
promotion's network TV program. The Sailor Fred Blassie gimmick was put
aside, and he became part of the team of Billy and Fred McDaniels. With
his new "brother" at his side, he wrestled and learned from veterans like
Gorgeous George, Wild Red Berry, Baron Leone and his long time enemy Mr.
Moto. Upon leaving the area for Louisville, the McDaniels brothers
reverted to Billy and Fred Blassie with the name Blassie becoming well
known in the South. He also wrestled in Chicago, St. Louis and upper New
York in this time.

In June 1953, Blassie returned to the Los Angeles area as a single. During
this period he wrestled Danny McShain, Sand or Szabo, and Billy Varga and
started a life long feud with a young wrestler named John Tolos. Blassie
wasn't winning all his matches but he was gaining exposure and popularity
with his good looks and clean wrestling style.

Sept. 1953 saw Blassie return to the South, as one of the regions most
loved heroes. On 2-8-54 in Birmingham, AL, he win the Southern Heavyweight
Title from Don Mc Intyre. Over the next 7 years Fred would win and lose
that title 14 times. The Southern Title was an important Title at the time
as the champion toured the Southern territories defending it much like the
World champ and U.S. titleholder defended their titles on a national
basis. Blassie was becoming recognized as a championship level wrestler.

In 1956, to the horror of his fans, Blassie turned heel. He didn't just
get rough - he turned into a monster. With his dark hair now dyed blond he
became the most vicious performer in the game, doing anything to win
including biting. In fact he did that to see his opposition bleed, gaining
a reputation as a "vampire". Fred was in the game to win, even if it meant
killing another wrestler. Well at least that's what he said.

This turn made him the biggest and most hated wrestling star in the South.
He dominated Atlanta, drawing sellouts during blood feuds with Don
McIntyre, Haystack Calhoun, Ray Gunkel, and Dick Steinborn. On 04-17-59 he
lost in a bid for Pat O'Connor's NWA Title, but continued dominate the
Atlanta wrestling scene through 1960. Then he received a call from old
friend: Los Angeles booker Jules Strongbow.

Blassie's return to CA was greeted by one of the greatest pushes ever give
a superheel. Over the next year he would be unbeatable in matches with the
top babyfaces in the game. On 6-12-61 he won the WWA and NAWA World Title
from Edward Carpentier. On 7-21-61 Lou Thesz was brought in to put Blassie
over clean in a 2/3 fall match. He also had victories over Sandor Szabo,
Enique Torres, Gorgeous George, Nick Bockwinkle, Mike Sharpe, Lord Blears,
Mr.Moto, Billy Varga, Dick Hutton, Ramon and Alberto Torres, Ricki Starr,
Shohei Baba, Primo Carnera, Art Thomas, and even Antonio Rocca. Blassie's
star had risen high enough to match anyone's in the sport. More than any
wrestler in the history of the territory, Blassie became wrestling in Los
Angeles.

In Oct. 1961 a promotional war broke out in Los Angeles when a group
headed by John J. Doyle invaded the territory, using Roy Shire's San
Francisco wrestlers and headlining the great Ray Stevens. They booked the
new Sports Arena with a loaded up supercard that included Stevens vs Ray
Stern, The Bruiser vs. Bob Ellis, and Bobo Brazil vs Don Leo Jonathan for
Oct. 7. Not to be out done, Strongbow and the Los Angeles promotion booked
Blassie vs Ricki Starr for the same building the night before. The card
headlined by Blassie drew 12,138. The next night, opposition did 4,000. On
October 27, Blassie sold-out the Olympic Auditorium for a win over
Argentina Rocca. The following night, the opposition drew 3,500 for a
Stevens vs. Brazil match. That ended the War For Los Angeles.

On 3-28-62 Blassie lost the WWA World Title to the legendary Rikidozan,
dropping the only fall in the 2/3 fall match that went the time limit.
Blassie followed Rikidozan to Japan only to lose a rematch clean on
04-23-62. "Legend" says three people lost their lives due to heart
attacks. This is a very important period in Japanese wrestling history and
Fred left an impression... actually, the impression of his teeth in the
foreheads of opponents which earned Blassie the title of The Vampire in
Japan. While there he participated in the 4th World League Tournament,
including a payback lose to Lou Thesz on 05-18-62. His three match series
with Rikidozan ended back in Los Angeles on 07-25-62 when Fred regained
the WWA World Title in a blood bath stopped due to the cuts Blassie opened
up on the the Japanese wrestling king's head.

By this point a new superheel had emerged in the territory, and two days
later Blassie was upset for the WWA World Title in San Diego by a masked
man named The Destroyer. In a rematch at sold out Olympic Auditorium The
Destroyer again defeated Blassie. Blassie spent the rest of the year in
Atlanta winning and losing a Georgia version of the World Title to Eddie
Graham and feuding with Ray Gunkel. He returned to the Olympic in 1963 to
regain his lost glory. On 5-10-63 Blassie pined The Destroyer after a
Southern Neckbeaker in the 3rd fall of a legendary match that once again
gave him the WWA World Title. Blassie and friends pulled off The
Destroyer's mask but a towel and a dash to the dressing room saved The
Destroyer identity. The Destroyer claimed foul because of a DQ in the 1st
fall. Naturally a rematch was made, with Blassie beating him again via
COR. Victories over Moto, Carpentier, Ernie Ladd, Don Manoukian, and
Hercules Cortez followed, and his teaming with Don Leo Jonathan led to a
WWA World Tag Title reign.

On 8-23-63, Blassie lost the WWA Title to Bearcat Wright via COR at the
Olympic. 1963 saw the growth of the Black Pride movement, with Civil
Rights issues on everyone's mind. Wright was the perfect babyface champion
for the moment, overnight becoming one of the greatest draws in the
history of the Los Angeles territory with the greatest run since Gorgeous
George. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles front office didn't see what they
had on their hands, and booked a 12-13-63 rematch where the title would go
back to Blassie. Wright refused and doublecrossed Blassie, leading Wright
to skip town out of fear of reprisal from Gene LaBell, the brother of
promoter Mike LaBell and a legit tough man. To make matters worse, the
whole soap opera was revealed on TV by a local sports announcer Jim Healy.
The territory's business promptly fell apart. The title was stripped from
Wright via a "forfeit" loss to Carpentier. Blassie quickly regained the
WWA Title on 01-31-64 from Carpentier, but the damage had already been
done as the arena was half full. A three match series with Rikidozan's
successor, Shoei Baba, was cut to two as it failed draw. The failure of
the series to draw was a clear sign of how far the promotion had sunk, as
Baba had previously drawn huge in Los Angeles opposite of The Destroyer.
Blassie lost the title on 4-22-64 to Dick The Bruiser, then lost a loser
leaves town death match to The Bruiser on 5-27-64. Blassie already had
plans - the WWWF was calling.

On June 26, 1964 in New Jersey in front of 14,000 people, Blassie defeated
WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino via DQ due to one of Fred's low
blows. This was billed as a title unification match despite the fact that
the East Coast promoter knew Blassie had dropped his claim to the The
Bruiser, along with dropping three rematches. On 7-11-64 at Madison Square
Garden in front of a sellout crowd of 18, 981, Blassie once again defeated
Sammartino via DQ. Bruno finally gained his revenge pin on 08-01-64 at MSG
in front of yet another sellout crowd. The two then did great business in
rematches in most of the WWWF's major cities. While working for the WWWF,
he was give victories over Pedro Morales, Bobo Brazil, Bill Watts, and
Killer Kowalski.

In Oct 1964, Blassie return to Los Angeles to feud with Bob Ellis and
boxing Hall of Famer Archie Moore. In late 1964 into early 1965 he had a
series of matches with Lou Thesz in Florida for the NWA World title. In
April 1965, Blassie returned to Japan to participate in the 7th World
League Tournament, losing in the final to Toyonobori. Shortly thereafter,
Blassie became sick and was give a blood transfusion in Honolulu. Upon
returning home to Atlanta, he was diagnosed with hepatitis and as a result
had one of his kidneys removed. All his doctors told him that his
wrestling career was over. Freddie Blassie spent 1966 selling cars in
Decatur, GA.

On Aug. 25, 1967, Blassie returned to Los Angeles to defeat Mark Lewin at
the Olympic to become new America Titleholder. He quickly follwed up by
teaming with Buddy "Killer" Austin to win the WWA Tag Title. Back in
saddle, he wrestled programs with Bobo Brazil, Pepper Gomes, Pedro
Morales, Nick Bockwinkle, Mil Mascaras, and even pinned Karl Gotch on
11-22-67. In April 1968, Blassie toured Japan teaming with Tarzan Tyler to
lose a International .Tag Title match to Baba and Inoki. It was on this
tour that he met and wed his wife, a Japanese movie star. On 11-15-68,
Blassie defeated his old tag partner Buddy Austin in a Stretcher match
that sold-out the Olympic and turned another 4,000 away. Fred was once
again King of Los Angeles.

During 1969-70, while he was beginning to receive cheers, Blassie was
turned face. He didn't wake up one morning and start kissing babies; the
promotion just started booking him against the biggest villains in
wrestling, Fred killed them in his new role as kick ass face. In 1970
Blassie filled the Olympic battling The Sheik, Don Carson, Kinji Shibuya
Goliath, Black Gordman, and his most hated enemy John Tolos. He
specialized in death matches and even invented his own torture device -
"The Freddie Blassie Cage". In May 1971, while excepting a wrestler of the
year award, Fred had monsels powder thrown into his eyes by John Tolos.
When Fred recovered from his "blindness", he defeated Tolos on 8-27-71 at
the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 25,847 fans and a gate of
$142,158.50, both California records.

Late 1971 and early 72 saw him return for another successful tour of the
WWWF. This time the champion was Pedro Morales. On 11-15-71 the two drew
22,089 to Madison Square Garden, with their rematch the following month
also selling out. Needing surgery on a bad leg, Blassie returned to Los
Angeles only to be "crippled" by Killer Kowalski on 2-11-72. Blassie
rehabbed in time to defeat Kowalski on 6-16-72.

In Dec.1973 Blassie announced his retirement and started a new career as a
manager in the WWWF. In the 70's and 80's Fred managed many of the major
heals in the WWF. In 1976 he managed Muhammad Ali during his shoot match
against Antonio Inoki in Japan. In the 80's he guided heal Hulk Hogan in a
worldwide feud with And re the Giant. Blassie managed The Iron Sheik in
his WWF Title victory over long time champ Bob Backlund on 01-23-84. By
the late 80s, Blassie was phased out as a manger, but continues to work
for the WWF in various capacities.

Freddie Blassie was a great "pro wrestler", but by the 60's you could not
call him a great "physical worker" as he didn't like to take bumps and he
was hampered at times by illness and injuries. On the other hand, he knew
every trick in the wrestling book for connecting and getting over with the
crowd. Every movement meant something. Facial expressions and the way he
posed before a move all made for great matches and great photos. He gave
the impression that he could take a beating better than anyone, and his
finishing moves, the neckbreaker and the multiple kneelifts, were well
defined and credible with the fans. His timing was great, and just his
pacing back and forth like a tiger could create incredible heat even
before the match began. He had weird good looks, and even when he was
being a jerk there was something likeable and fun about him. This was and
is a characteristic the great heels have, such as Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous
George and Ric Flair. He was one of the greatest interviews of all time.
Angles and stunts such as filing his teeth, smashing beer cans on his
head, insulting the town's women, and throwing the Lou's garage man out a
window during a commercial spot were all memorable in getting himself
over. Long before it dawned on the promoters to turn him, Blassie was a
"hero" to the fans who packing the Olympic. Fred had a
"spirit", doing
anything to win, and no matter how bad you beat on him, he would come back
and find a way win. Before the days of the roided up supermen, he
character was a guy who told the world he was the "King of Men", and then
went about proving it.

Recommended Matches

Freddie Blassie
Freddie Blassie
Fred Blassie vs Baron Leone
04-13-53

Rikidozan vs Freddie Blassie
04-23-53

Fred Blassie vs Wild Red Berry
05-18-53

Bruno Sammartino vs Fred Blassie (2:30 highlight)
08-01-64

Pedro Morales vs Freddie Blassie (5:00 8mm Highlights)
11-15-71


Title History

Freddie Blassie
Freddie Blassie
WWA World Heavyweight Championship
06/12/1961

WWA World Heavyweight Championship
07/25/1962

WWA World Heavyweight Championship
05/10/1963

WWA World Heavyweight Championship
01/30/1964

Awards History

1996 WON Hall Of Fame

--end included text
The above material ©Steve Yohe and tOA.

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