10 Wrestlers Who Became Successful After Getting Repackaged

10. 'Classy' Freddie Blassie

Blassie has been hailed as one of, if not the greatest manager of all time. But before he gained success as the mouthpiece for other wrestlers, he was a wrestler in his own right. He started wrestling before the outbreak of World War II, but put his grappling career on hold to serve his country. After returning from service, he decided to add his experience to his wrestling persona, dubbing himself €˜Sailor€™ Fred Blassie. While it seemed like a good idea to capitalize on post-war appreciation for veterans, wrestling fans weren€™t buying it. Blassie was booed no matter what his alignment was, almost as if he were getting what is now known as €˜X-Pac heat€™. So one day he decided to change everything completely. He bleached his hair blonde, à la Gorgeous George, started calling himself €˜Classie€™ Freddie Blassie, and became a full-fledged heel. His antics would include insulting the audience by calling them, among other things, €˜pencil-necked geeks€™ and €˜pathetic inbred hicks€™, and bragged about his power over women. These things got him so much heat that he was attacked outside of the ring many times, including getting stabbed, assaulted with acid, and getting his Cadillac set on fire. This proved to be a winning formula, as Blassie would go on to capture multiple NWA World titles, and become a major draw around the world, including in Japan, where he had a legendary match with Rikidozan. This success would parlay over into his managerial career, as he led many people to success, including then-heel rookie Hulk Hogan. Truly, none of this would€™ve happened if Blassie hadn€™t changed his gimmick and repackaged himself.