As legends go, no doubt, not too many of today’s pro wrestling fans will even vaguely know the name of Johnny Weaver. Even Mr. Mal himself will reveal that, as a pro wrestler, my memories of this man are few, and are instead resigned almost exclusively to his color commentary work with Bob Caudle on the National Wrestling Alliance’s World Wide Wrestling program from back in the day. But did you know that Weaver is credited as inventing the sleeperhold?Better known then as the “Weaver-lock” this submission manoever even led to a great angle that Mr. Mal lived through, back in the 80s, when Weaver “taught” the hold to the great Dusty Rhodes in his battle against the dastardly Hiro Matsuda and an up and coming Lex Luger. To hear Rhodes scream passionately in his Southern drawl of “learning the Weah-vah lock!” was a thing of beauty, especially when we all knew (even back then, amid the height of our glorious markdom) that it was nothing more than a sleeper hold.

Regardless, it brought Weaver into our reality as a former pro wrestler, and not just another voice behind the camera. It made him real to us. Adding this to the memories of his almost-as-equally distinctive drawl announce the pending arrival on that week’s NWA show of such luminaries as Rocky King or Lazer Tron made him a true, sure-fire Hall of Famer in our days of pro wrestling’s past — now one man less, with the passing of Johnny Weaver yesterday at the age of 72. Rest in peace, oh master of the Weaver lock . . .

- Mr. Mal

For a great article on Johnny Weaver’s career, click here.

It’s about time we got down and dirty with the old-school in our Old School Sundays, exclusively here on WrestlersRamblings.com. Today, we pay tribute the late, great Classy Freddie Blassie.

CLASSY FREDDIE BLASSIE 

While new-school fans may remember Blassie best for his time managing such pro wrestling greats as The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, “Classy” Freddie Blassie was himself a champion wrestler famous the world over as a teeth-sharpening villain of legendary proportions. A former WWA World Heavyweight Champion, Blassie was often referred to as “The Vampire” in Japan following his classic battles with the legendary Rikidozan. According to reports, the sight of Blassie’s carnage unleashed upon the Japanese hero on live TV, blood dripping off the country’s hero’s face, was so vicious that it caused some viewers to have heart attacks — with some dying. Blassie drew such heat in territories across the U.S. that police escorts to and from the arena were not uncommon. Ironically, toward the end of his career, Blassie’s antics drew the cheers of fans in Southern California (many of whom were Hispanic). They honored Blassie with a sombrero that then frequently played into angles. Blassie would later befriend eccentric comedian Andy Kaufman, teaming up for the memorable “My Breakfast with Blassie.” Fred Blassie was elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 1994. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 85.

Included below are some great Fred Blassie moments: the first, see Blassie as a wildly-popular face taking on the Hangman; Blassie facing off against Bruno Sammartino; and finally, a tribute to Blassie shown upon his death. Enjoy.

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CLICK HERE to read Mr. Mal’s take on Big Show — the boxer?!?

CLICK HERE to read about connection between BASEBALL and pro wrestling

CLICK HERE for Mr. Mal’s take on the latest activities of Hulk Hogan

If anyone reading this board has only heard about — and not yet seen — either of these two pro wrestling icons in action, you are truly in for a treat here. Welcome back to another instalment of Old School Sundays, today, featuring Abdullah the Butcher versus The Sheik inside a cage. Now, let’s get this right outta the way: this is the “Original” Sheik, as he is most-commonly referred to nowadays. This is Sabu’s uncle. In fact, you can see a young Sabu accompany his Uncle Ed (now deceased) at the beginning of this match. A legend the world over, the “Original” Sheik was a foreign object-carrying, flame-throwing, always-cheating tough son-of-a-gun that ran the Detroit territory and worked mostly in the Midwest and Ontario, Canada — as well as Japan. Born Ed Farhat, he worked almost until the end of his life in 2003. Abdullah, on the other hand, is very much still with us — as you can see by clicking the link at the bottom of our match when the crew of WrestlersRamblings.com ran into hardcore legend last year. Another true legend (yes, I know I said that about The Sheik — but this truly is a match of immortals!) Abdullah always left the fans with brutal memories from his matches . . . etched with a fork, and usually soaked in blood. Tell Grandma to go soak her feet during this one - it ain’t for the faint at heart. Mr. Mal’s got goose bumps!! Let’s hit it!! Ring that bell!!

 CLICK HERE to see the night WrestlersRamblings.com came face-to-face with Abdullah the Butcher — and barely lived to tell the tale!!! See the savage brutality!!!

 CLICK HERE to read about the night Mr. Mal first saw the brutal Sheik in person — from ringside!!! 

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