10 Wrestlers That Totally Broke The Mould

By Chris Quicksilver /

6. €˜Classy€™ Freddie Blassie

One of the most passionately loved (and violently loathed) villains of wrestling, in any era, €˜Classy€™ Freddie Blassie is probably best remembered by modern wrestling fans for his stint as a manager in the 70€™s and 80€™s WWF. During this time, he memorably guided the on-screen careers of stars like Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, High Chief Peter Maivia (grandfather of The Rock), George €˜The Animal€™ Steele, Hulk Hogan and others. In this era, Blassie enjoyed a career renaissance by making a nuisance of himself at ringside and helping inexperienced or camera shy wrestlers get their characters/angles over. In his wrestling prime, however, Blassie was one of the most charismatic men to ever set foot between the ropes. He was that special kind of heel that had audiences eating out of the palm of his hand (at one point, he was even doused with acid by angry fans) and could make a crowd hate him simply by cutting a promo, or shooting an arrogant look at the camera. Towards the end of his wrestling career, Blassie became so notable for his roguish ways that he got over as a babyface, despite his best efforts. For decades, the fans had loved to hate him, now, however, they simply loved him...