The Legends of Wrestling - Classy Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks

Not only did MTV destroy rock and roll and everything it ever stood for, they were also present at the beginning of professional wrestling's long, painful disintegration from a closed-society fan base/cult into mindless pap for the masses. Cyndi Lauper as manager or "Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling" anyone? Once televised matches graduated from small, intimate studio settings to arenas and stadiums with full-blown pyrotechnics, concert lighting and sound, and wrestlers who looked as though they ate a bowl of steroids for breakfast masquerading as rock stars, it was all over but the shouting. Letting the public in on the "secret" that matches were pre-scripted was merely the last nail in the coffin.Freddie Blassie, the self-proclaimed "Hollywood Fashion Plate" is probably best known to the music video generation as manager of such no-neck wonders as the Iron Sheik, furry-backed George "The Animal" Steele, and leather-jacketed, Hell's Kitchen thug Adrian Adonis, whose later transformation into "Adorable" prompted one fan to fashion a homemade sign proclaiming him an "AIDS victim." By that point, the sandpaper larynxed Blassie had been in the biz nearly 50 years, making his wrestling debut in 1935 at the tender age of 17, a time when men were men and what went on backstage stayed backstage.Blassie soon rose, or sank to become probably the most hated heel in wrestling, showing a geniune gift for raising the collective blood pressure of a crowd, selling an opponent and/or match, and having a helluva great time doing it. Spinning tales of life on the road, in the locker room, and in the squared circle, nothing is sacred and his prose style is as salty as anyone could ever hope for. Along the way, Blassie worked for three generations of McMahons, terrorized Japan and still managed to find the love of his life Miyako there, lost enough blood to deplete the Red Cross, found a true friend in the late Andy Kaufman, and birthed the Dr. Demento cult classic "Pencil Neck Geek." What else is there, except for maybe a really good record collection?If you love wrestling or maybe just a story with a happy ending, Blassie's tome is for you, although co-author Keith Elliot Greenberg's epilogue made me cry like a baby. What the hell ever happened to the human race, Freddie? R.I.P. - you left us too soon.

I enjoyed this book more than Mick Foley's. It is by far the best of the "wrestling" books of recent years. Though frequently profane, Blassie shows respect for his business and his peers. He writes (what sounds like) honestly, from his in-ring persona to his less successful family life. The "old days" stories are consistently hilarious, from the opening page recounting of a match with Bruno in Jersey to his being cursed out by an older woman in California.Fred also shows a lot of loyalty to the people he's worked with and for throughout the years. As the WWE published books tend to be, it's written in a first person style in a speaking voice that evokes the author. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Probably no more than once or twice in every generation does an individual transcend his particular vocation. Freddie Blassie was without question one of those extraordinary larger than life characters. Blessed with unparalleled charisma and "star quality", combined with genuine mat wrestling skills and a kinetic brawling style, "Fearless Fred" was one of the dominant players of the mat wars for decades, actually peaking in popularity while in his fifties. Having interviewed the man, I know how colorful his anecdotes are, and this book does him full justice. His inimitable speaking style is much in evidence here, and there isn't a dull spot in the whole book. If you love the "Classy One", this book is for you. If you don't know who he is, then read this book and you will become a fan. Filled with information that's interesting and humorous, we learn how this amusingly grouchy man thinks. And he pulls no punches in discussing personalities in the game, From Buddy Rogers to Hogan. Freddie is a man that went from top Wrestler to top Manager to cult star to legend, and this book does him proud. It's a book to read and re-read. And treasure.

Since I first heard that "The King Of Men", Freddie Blassie, was penning his autobiography, I've been looking forward to reading this book. I admittedly approached it with a bit of skepticism, since it has the WWE tag on it - and, frankly, most WWE-sponsoredbios/autobiographies have been puff pieces, seemingly written and published primarily to sing the praises of that company and its head, Vincent K. McMahon (AKA The Anti-Christ of Pro Wrestling to most older fans). (NOTE: Mick Foley's books are the exception to this rule - although Mick went very easy on the McMahon family, in my opinion, in his two books.) As any old-timer can tell you, Classy Fred B. spent very little time as a active wrestler in the WWWF/WWF/WWE, although he was a very successful manager for the company, primarily in the 80's. I'm happy to report that Freddie was allowed to tell his story unfettered by the responsibility to continually sing the praises of McMahon & co. And it's a fascinating, very lively read, spanning his entire career and life. Unlike many wrestling biographies (Arn Anderson, Bruno Sammartino, The Fabulous Moolah), Freddie lets us in early and often on the fact that pro wrestling is a pre-determined work, where the main objective is to put butts in the seats and make money by entertaining. Also, he makes no bones about whom he liked and disliked, whom he enjoyed working with in the ring, etc. Special kudos to the writer for capturing FB's manner of speaking perfectly on paper. The book reads like I would imagine a taped interview with Mr. Blassie comes off. There's even a mention about the classic "documentary" film by Jeff Krulik, "Mister Blassie Goes To Washington", an all-time favotite of mine.All in all, I'd rate it up with Mick Foley's 2 books, Lou Thesz' "Hooker", and the Dynamite Kid's book as one of the all-time best rasslin' bios.

I am one of those lucky Southern California wrestling fans who was raised on Hollywood, beaches, and the famous Blassie vs Tolos feud. I became a bonafide pro wrestling fanatic, but even fellow SoCalifornians from my generation who had little interest in the rasslin' biz remember the Freddie Blassie vs John Tolos era. When I heard about WWE's release of Blassie autobiography, I wondered whether it would be a quality work or a mildly entertaining work of semi-fiction.In the tradition of recent pro wrestling releases, this book delivers a colorful yet insightful look into Blassie's life and career. Just like Dynamite Kid's autobiography, a nod should be given to ghostwriter Keith Greenberg for capturing Blassie's unique diction in print. This did not work with Hulk Hogan's recent book, as the repeated Hogan catch phrases just came off as comical. With Blassie, you could swear you could hear his gruff ---sometimes crass--- voice narrating his life, without diverting attention to the story. You will read an honest account from a man who is proud of his acheivements, but not too proud to admit to his shortcomings. He is macho, yet not ashamed to talk about moments that moved him to tears. His devotion to his wife Miyako moved me above all.Freddie Blassie makes no bones about who he loves and hates. His fond recollections of Nikolai Volkoff, Stepfather Eli, Stepsister Antoinette, and Andy Kaufman are very moving (even to the most cynical wrestling fan!). He does not mince words when ranting on the displeasures of working with Mike LaBell, Johnny Valentine and Antonio Inoki. Reading these in Blassie's voice makes the read a fun ride.Being such a huge Freddie Blassie and L.A. Wrestling fan, it's hard for me to step back and judge whether this book will be as entertaining to a casual fan who knows little about "The King of Men." Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day" still reigns (in my opinion) as the best overall look at one man's rise from the small time to stardom. While Blassie's book is more of a personal narrative, there is still enough basic information to supply the casual wrestling fan with an overview of pro wrestling lingo, background and inner workings. My hunch is that a reader who never heard of Freddie Blassie will feel great affection for him by the final page of the book.Other unique and hep features include firsthand narratives about Blassie by folks like Volkoff, John Tolos, Johnny Legend, George Steele, and son Ron Blassie. Personally, I was really jazzed to hear him praise the late Ray Mendoza as both an athlete and a human being. Mendoza, while a legend in Mexico, is too often overlooked in other countries. Mr. Blassie, I salute you!