10 Wrestling Heels Who Generated The Most Heat

7. 'Classy' Freddie Blessie

Hollywood Rock The Rock Concert 2003
WWE.com

A handsome, eloquent son of a gun with bright white hair wears a suit. He brags about his mastery of wrestling holds and his multiple counters to them. He casually dismisses the chances of his female admirers.

"They may swoon over me, but it doesn't do 'em any good. The women where I come, they dress like women, and they want the fellas to appreciate them. But the women I've seen out here are nothin' but pigs, believe me." That is not a transcription of a Ric Flair promo.

That is a Freddie Blassie original.

His DNA courses through the lifeblood of professional wrestling. In that same promo, Blassie referred to himself in the third person and signed off with a catchphrase - "pencil necks" - that will live on forevermore. A certain other charisma-sh*tting megastar was also paying strict attention.

Blassie, who as the 'Vampire' filed his teeth to sink 'em into his opponents, was also among the first to open up the supernatural chapter of wrestling's multi-genre story. Across several of the old US territories and in Japan, the fans hated Blassie. Hated him. He was stabbed - stabbed! - throughout his career on more occasions than his disciple Ric Flair won the World Championship...and that's the real number. One particularly irate punter once doused him in acid. This was America; in Japan, he helped shape the success of the very industry with his despicable treatment of its Godfather, Rikidozan.

Crazed apocrypha has it that some of the massive TV viewing audience suffered heart attacks, they were that distressed.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!