“Classy” Freddie Blassie-“The Fashion Plate of Wrestling” was born on this day in 1918. Freddie Blassie in his younger years was a wrestler but I remember him best as a wrestling manager. When I think of wresting managers I think of Blassie and Captain Lou Albano. As a wrestler Blassie was managed for a time by Captain Lou. Blassie’s famous phrase was ‘pencil neck geek” He even made a song called “Pencil Neck Geek”

Blassie retired from wresting in 1974 and became a full time manager. Blassie was always entertaining. A forgotten gem is the movie he made with the late great Andy Kaufmann- “My Breakfast With Blassie” which came out in 1982. Freddie Blassie was named checked in R.E.M’s “Man On The Moon” “Mister Freddie Blassie in a breakfast mess.”

Classy Freddie Blassie died in 2003 at the age of 85.