A close friend of Vince McMahon Snr, the wrestling legend Freddie Blassie became like family with the McMahon clan. On his passing in 2003, a WWE video tribute confirmed this, with Stephanie McMahon talking about Blassie's close relationship with her father Vince. The pair were very close confidants, with Vince keeping Blassie on the WWF roster from his retirement in 1986 until his passing in 2003 even though Freddie had no real role. Blassie also had the honour of being among the very first WWF Hall of Fame inductees, earning the prestigious honour in 1994 when the hall had only existed for one year. That speaks measures of the respect which Vince had for Freddie. The reason for the affinity is most likely down to the old school admiration of Blassie's career, Freddie served in the US Navy during World War 2 before making a name for himself as a wrestler in numerous territories. His WWF fame came in a managerial run that lasted over a decade, famously barking "you pencil neck geek" at wrestlers he disliked. He made his final WWE appearance in May 2003 and was dead just a few weeks later at the age of 85. Vince McMahon emotionally described it as the passing of the last vestige of the golden generation he had grown up watching.
