Rating: 
Summary: No pencil-necks allowed!
Review: Anyone who could think up a hilarious line like Freddie Blassie's "pencil-necked geek" deserves a place in history! Even if you aren't a big follower of Pro-Wrestling, you'll enjoy this book. Why? Because it's pure Blassie,and Blassie transcended wrestling! The book is full of his machine-gun rapid-fire diatribes, body-slam retorts, and bounce-em-off-the-post wisecracks! Here you finally have a book that shows the WHOLE Blassie: showman supreme, talented athlete, and a spieler with the soul of the best Carny ever to walk a Midway. Yes, he WAS 'The King of Men' as he was labeled. Once you start reading it, the book disappears and you are listening to Blassie talk.It's your ticket to join him, (and Andy Kaufman), for dinner---just don't order the quiche!
Rating:
Summary: By Far, The BEST Wrestling Book to Date!
Review: As it says on the book jacket, this book is about a Legend of Wrestling. This is not just faint praise or exaggeration. "Classy" Freddie Blassie is a true legend of the ring and his career spans a half century as a wrestler and a manager. All I knew of Blassie was that he was a manager and that he was still used in some WWE promotional videos about the legacy of the WWE. When I first started watching wrestling as a small child, Blassie was unfortunately ending his career as a manger, so I never had a chance to see the man work. This book takes us over the span of Blassie's wrestling career, and also his life. This is a look at a completely different era of wrestling, one where there were no high flyers and very few people outside of the business knew that wrestling was fixed. We see Blassie's rise in the business as he wrestled in various territories (there was no single big Federation like the WWE, but rather the country was split into many wrestling territories) as well as in Japan. We see Blassie's failings as a family man, a husband, and a father, and we see his partial redemption in his last wife. All of this is told in Blassie's rather crass, vulgar, but fairly genial, personality. A sense of Fred Blassie the man really comes out in this (auto)biography. Even though this book is published by WWE, Blassie does not hold back his venom against those he has issues with, nor does he stint on praise for those who have behaved well towards him. Woven in throughout this book are short segments written by people who knew Blassie and are commenting on particular things about Blassie's life and career that happen to be relevant to the chapter at hand. These people include his son Ron (the only one of his children he still had contact with), his wife, George "The Animal" Steele, Vince McMahon, The Rock, and some other professional wrestlers from Blassie's day. I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. I know very little about the older eras of professional wrestling and only the names of some of the stars of the time. I found this to be a fascinating book as a fan of wrestling, but I think that this would also be interesting for anyone (even someone who has never watched a match and never will). This is an interesting story and Blassie has led a very interesting life. The only word of warning I will give is that Blassie is frequently profane in this book, but now you are warned.
Rating: 
Summary: Blassie, King of Men
Review: Freddie Blassie tells it like it is, in his own inimitable style. He led a fascinating life and he tells all about it, both the good and the bad. He pulls no punches, whether he is talking about people he liked (Vince McMahon, Nikolai Volkoff, Bobo Brazil), or people he hated (Buddy Rogers, Mil Mascaras, Ivan Putski). The book also includes sidebars written by people who knew Blassie, giving their own accounts of events in Blassie's life. This book is wonderful account of the life of one of the squared circle's all time greats. I said it before and I'll say it again, his name was Blassie, King of Men.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Of A Dying Breed, Literally...
Review: Not only did MTV destroy rock and roll and everything it ever stood for, they were also present at the beginning of professional wrestling's long, painful disintegration from a closed-society fan base/cult into mindless pap for the masses. Cyndi Lauper as manager or "Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling" anyone? Once televised matches graduated from small, intimate studio settings to arenas and stadiums with full-blown pyrotechnics, concert lighting and sound, and wrestlers who looked as though they ate a bowl of steroids for breakfast masquerading as rock stars, it was all over but the shouting. Letting the public in on the "secret" that matches were pre-scripted was merely the last nail in the coffin. Freddie Blassie, the self-proclaimed "Hollywood Fashion Plate" is probably best known to the music video generation as manager of such no-neck wonders as the Iron Sheik, furry-backed George "The Animal" Steele, and leather-jacketed, Hell's Kitchen thug Adrian Adonis, whose later transformation into "Adorable" prompted one fan to fashion a homemade sign proclaiming him an "AIDS victim." By that point, the sandpaper larynxed Blassie had been in the biz nearly 50 years, making his wrestling debut in 1935 at the tender age of 17, a time when men were men and what went on backstage stayed backstage. Blassie soon rose, or sank to become probably the most hated heel in wrestling, showing a geniune gift for raising the collective blood pressure of a crowd, selling an opponent and/or match, and having a helluva great time doing it. Spinning tales of life on the road, in the locker room, and in the squared circle, nothing is sacred and his prose style is as salty as anyone could ever hope for. Along the way, Blassie worked for three generations of McMahons, terrorized Japan and still managed to find the love of his life Miyako there, lost enough blood to deplete the Red Cross, found a true friend in the late Andy Kaufman, and birthed the Dr. Demento cult classic "Pencil Neck Geek." What else is there, except for maybe a really good record collection? If you love wrestling or maybe just a story with a happy ending, Blassie's tome is for you, although co-author Keith Elliot Greenberg's epilogue made me cry like a baby. What the hell ever happened to the human race, Freddie? R.I.P. - you left us too soon.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Of A Dying Breed, Literally...
Review: Not only did MTV destroy rock and roll and everything it ever stood for, they were also present at the beginning of professional wrestling's long, painful disintegration from a closed-society fan base/cult into mindless pap for the masses. Cyndi Lauper as manager or "Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling" anyone? Once televised matches graduated from small, intimate studio settings to arenas and stadiums with full-blown pyrotechnics, concert lighting and sound, and wrestlers who looked as though they ate a bowl of steroids for breakfast masquerading as rock stars, it was all over but the shouting. Letting the public in on the "secret" that matches were pre-scripted was merely the last nail in the coffin. Freddie Blassie, the self-proclaimed "Hollywood Fashion Plate" is probably best known to the music video generation as manager of such no-neck wonders as the Iron Sheik, furry-backed George "The Animal" Steele, and leather-jacketed, Hell's Kitchen thug Adrian Adonis, whose later transformation into "Adorable" prompted one fan to fashion a homemade sign proclaiming him an "AIDS victim." By that point, the sandpaper larynxed Blassie had been in the biz nearly 50 years, making his wrestling debut in 1935 at the tender age of 17, a time when men were men and what went on backstage stayed backstage. Blassie soon rose, or sank to become probably the most hated heel in wrestling, showing a geniune gift for raising the collective blood pressure of a crowd, selling an opponent and/or match, and having a helluva great time doing it. Spinning tales of life on the road, in the locker room, and in the squared circle, nothing is sacred and his prose style is as salty as anyone could ever hope for. Along the way, Blassie worked for three generations of McMahons, terrorized Japan and still managed to find the love of his life Miyako there, lost enough blood to deplete the Red Cross, found a true friend in the late Andy Kaufman, and birthed the Dr. Demento cult classic "Pencil Neck Geek." What else is there, except for maybe a really good record collection? If you love wrestling or maybe just a story with a happy ending, Blassie's tome is for you, although co-author Keith Elliot Greenberg's epilogue made me cry like a baby. What the hell ever happened to the human race, Freddie? R.I.P. - you left us too soon.
Rating:
Summary: BLASSIE FOREVER!!!
Review: Probably no more than once or twice in every generation does an individual transcend his particular vocation. Freddie Blassie was without question one of those extraordinary larger than life characters. Blessed with unparalleled charisma and "star quality", combined with genuine mat wrestling skills and a kinetic brawling style, "Fearless Fred" was one of the dominant players of the mat wars for decades, actually peaking in popularity while in his fifties. Having interviewed the man, I know how colorful his anecdotes are, and this book does him full justice. His inimitable speaking style is much in evidence here, and there isn't a dull spot in the whole book. If you love the "Classy One", this book is for you. If you don't know who he is, then read this book and you will become a fan. Filled with information that's interesting and humorous, we learn how this amusingly grouchy man thinks. And he pulls no punches in discussing personalities in the game, From Buddy Rogers to Hogan. Freddie is a man that went from top Wrestler to top Manager to cult star to legend, and this book does him proud. It's a book to read and re-read. And treasure.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books Ever on Pro Wrestling
Review: Since I first heard that "The King Of Men", Freddie Blassie, was penning his autobiography, I've been looking forward to reading this book. I admittedly approached it with a bit of skepticism, since it has the WWE tag on it - and, frankly, most WWE-sponsored
bios/autobiographies have been puff pieces, seemingly written and published primarily to sing the praises of that company and its head, Vincent K. McMahon (AKA The Anti-Christ of Pro Wrestling to most older fans). (NOTE: Mick Foley's books are the exception to this rule - although Mick went very easy on the McMahon family, in my opinion, in his two books.) As any old-timer can tell you, Classy Fred B. spent very little time as a active wrestler in the WWWF/WWF/WWE, although he was a very successful manager for the company, primarily in the 80's. I'm happy to report that Freddie was allowed to tell his story unfettered by the responsibility to continually sing the praises of McMahon & co. And it's a fascinating, very lively read, spanning his entire career and life. Unlike many wrestling biographies (Arn Anderson, Bruno Sammartino, The Fabulous Moolah), Freddie lets us in early and often on the fact that pro wrestling is a pre-determined work, where the main objective is to put butts in the seats and make money by entertaining. Also, he makes no bones about whom he liked and disliked, whom he enjoyed working with in the ring, etc. Special kudos to the writer for capturing FB's manner of speaking perfectly on paper. The book reads like I would imagine a taped interview with Mr. Blassie comes off. There's even a mention about the classic "documentary" film by Jeff Krulik, "Mister Blassie Goes To Washington", an all-time favotite of mine. All in all, I'd rate it up with Mick Foley's 2 books, Lou Thesz'
"Hooker", and the Dynamite Kid's book as one of the all-time best rasslin' bios.
Rating:
Summary: They Don't Call Him "Classy" For Nothing!!!!
Review: So far I have read the books written by Foley (Have A Nice Day & Foley Is Good),Hogan,Piper,Heenan & Lawler and I must tell you all BLASSIE'S IS BY FAR THE BEST!!! BUY this book!!! READ EVERY WORD of it and you will walk away appreciating the man you grew up hating on saturday morning wrestling EVEN MORE!!!! I hated him growing up but I now have a much better appreciation for him after reading this book. As Jesse Ventura would say, he "tells it like it is" from his disliking of "polish power" Ivan Putski to his regrets of not getting closer to his children. A true classic all around filled with lots of great memories.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC READ!!!
Review: There are other great reviews so I'll be brief. This is a fantastic book. Freddie is brutally honest, although it isn't exactly a tell-all book either. If it was, it would have to be a LOT longer because he was in the business for so long. It's one of the best books on wrestling published, although I think even non-wrestling fans would enjoy the stories, despite the "colourful" language at times. It may not quite be in the league with Mick Foley's books which should be most people's first choice, but I would highly recommend it if those were already read. Also a good one to check out is Lou Thesz's autobiography called "Hooker."
Rating:
Summary: Take a look at the old wrestling days
Review: This book takes you in to the life of Classy Freddie Blassie. It gives all wrestling fans a look at how wrestling used to be. How serious people took it and how the fans responded to the kind of Freddie. If you are a wrestling fan and are into reading autobiographies then you need to pick up this book. If you are a wrestling fan and not into reading then you need to pick one up and gives you a look into how the life of a wrestler goes.
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