We’ve all got to start somewhere brother, but we all don’t get the chance to be mentored by someone as influential as Freddie Blassie. Freddie ‘Classy’ Blassie was a two-time NWA Heavyweight Champion and helped to pioneer the groundwork for the professional wrestling we know today, so who would be a better pick to bring a young Hulkster up to speed and on to greatness?
Classy Freddie travelled across America in a time when wrestling promotions were entirely regional, learning the ropes the hard way but impressing challengers with his maniacal tactics and outrageous attitude. He built up his talent and made some new friends, and soon Classy Freddie Blassie was crashing talk shows and managing pro wrestlers like Nikolai Volkoff, Mr. Fuji, George Steele, The Iron Sheik, Big John Studd, and of course, Hulk Hogan.
The partnership between Blassie and Hogan was an interesting one brother, and it stood the test of time until the unfortunate day of Freddie’s passing. Freddie played the part of a heel perfectly, and if you thought Hollywood Hogan was a decent turn, you’ve gotta understand it was decades in the making!
Hogan as a heel goes back to day one in the WWE, in a matchup against Harry Valdez that introduced the world to the power of 24″ pythons. Without Blassie showing the Hulkster the ways of the dark side in his first year, who knows where Hulkamania would be today…