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: one of the best wrestling biographies
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: Blassie, King of Men!
Review: I am one of those lucky Southern California wrestling fans who was raised on Hollywood, beaches, and the famous Blassie vs Tolos feud. I became a bonafide pro wrestling fanatic, but even fellow SoCalifornians from my generation who had little interest in the rasslin' biz remember the Freddie Blassie vs John Tolos era. When I heard about WWE's release of Blassie autobiography, I wondered whether it would be a quality work or a mildly entertaining work of semi-fiction. In the tradition of recent pro wrestling releases, this book delivers a colorful yet insightful look into Blassie's life and career. Just like Dynamite Kid's autobiography, a nod should be given to ghostwriter Keith Greenberg for capturing Blassie's unique diction in print. This did not work with Hulk Hogan's recent book, as the repeated Hogan catch phrases just came off as comical. With Blassie, you could swear you could hear his gruff ---sometimes crass--- voice narrating his life, without diverting attention to the story. You will read an honest account from a man who is proud of his acheivements, but not too proud to admit to his shortcomings. He is macho, yet not ashamed to talk about moments that moved him to tears. His devotion to his wife Miyako moved me above all. Freddie Blassie makes no bones about who he loves and hates. His fond recollections of Nikolai Volkoff, Stepfather Eli, Stepsister Antoinette, and Andy Kaufman are very moving (even to the most cynical wrestling fan!). He does not mince words when ranting on the displeasures of working with Mike LaBell, Johnny Valentine and Antonio Inoki. Reading these in Blassie's voice makes the read a fun ride. Being such a huge Freddie Blassie and L.A. Wrestling fan, it's hard for me to step back and judge whether this book will be as entertaining to a casual fan who knows little about "The King of Men." Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day" still reigns (in my opinion) as the best overall look at one man's rise from the small time to stardom. While Blassie's book is more of a personal narrative, there is still enough basic information to supply the casual wrestling fan with an overview of pro wrestling lingo, background and inner workings. My hunch is that a reader who never heard of Freddie Blassie will feel great affection for him by the final page of the book. Other unique and hep features include firsthand narratives about Blassie by folks like Volkoff, John Tolos, Johnny Legend, George Steele, and son Ron Blassie. Personally, I was really jazzed to hear him praise the late Ray Mendoza as both an athlete and a human being. Mendoza, while a legend in Mexico, is too often overlooked in other countries. Mr. Blassie, I salute you!
Rating:
Summary: Blassie is the King of Men
Review: I enjoyed this book more than Mick Foley's. It is by far the best of the "wrestling" books of recent years. Though frequently profane, Blassie shows respect for his business and his peers. He writes (what sounds like) honestly, from his in-ring persona to his less successful family life. The "old days" stories are consistently hilarious, from the opening page recounting of a match with Bruno in Jersey to his being cursed out by an older woman in California. Fred also shows a lot of loyalty to the people he's worked with and for throughout the years. As the WWE published books tend to be, it's written in a first person style in a speaking voice that evokes the author. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: By Far, The BEST Wrestling Book to Date!
Review: I've read most of the recent books written by or about wrestlers, professional wrestling, etc. Compared to books about Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, even the late great Lou Thesz, Freddie Blassie's book is absolutely the BEST of the bunch! A lot of fans only remember Blassie as a wheel chair bound old man in recent years on WWE TV. Some fans remember him as a bad guy manager of the likes of the Iron Sheik, but the story of Freddie Blassie goes WAY WAY WAY further back than that. In fact, the man had a very SOLID wrestling career with many ups and downs for several, several decades before he became a great manager that many of us remember him being. I really couldn't say enough about this book. I loved every chapter in it from beginning to end. Another thing, Freddie Blassie passed away shortly after this book was released, so his book is without a doubt the MOST COMPLETE LOOK at a wrestlers life... EVER! Do yourself a favor, BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT WELL!
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.
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