The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Fred Blassie was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Accounts about his early athletic career do not quite agree, but he first tried to make his mark as a boxer, despite warnings that his arms were too short. After being pounded by a longer-limbed opponent, he switched to professional wrestling. His career began in earnest after his service in the United States Navy during World War II. Blassie wrestled as a dark-haired good guy until he found out that the "heels" (bad guys) got better pay. He bleached his hair and quickly became a heel's heel, outraging crowds by gleefully breaking every rule in the book. His penchant for biting opponents earned him the nickname "The Vampire". One poll ranked him as the most hated wrestler in the United States. Between matches, he gave loud and boastful interviews, making him a favorite of talk shows and reportedly influencing a fellow egomaniac then known as Cassius Clay. Blassie originally wrestled mainly in the Southeast and West Coast, winning many titles in both. In the late 1960s, he moved to the East Coast and the World-Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later the World Wresting Federation (WWF) and now World Wrestling Entertainment WWE)). Managed by "Loud" Lou Albano, Blassie continued his winning ways, but never won the WWWF's championship. In 1973, knee problems largely forced Blassie to stop wrestling personally, though he occasionally donned the tights to tag-team with one of his heels, as he did in Madison Square Garden in June 1974, teaming with the hulking Nikolai Volkoff to face then-champ Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow in a tag team match (Blassie was forced to submit for the final fall by a Bruno bearhug, and the fans almost tore the Garden's roof off). He started a second career as a manager in the WWWF. He, Albano, and "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" (Ernie Roth) formed the WWWF's "Evil Trinity" of heel managers. Blassie was a regular on the WWWF's "All-Star Wrestling" and "Championship Wrestling" weekly TV shows that were videotaped at small arenas in Pennsylvania and aired throughout the Northeast. He continued to outrage crowds by distracting referees so that his men could cheat and by getting in his own cheap shots when the refs weren't looking. Occasionally, he would get too close to the action and get beaten up himself, much to the crowd's delight. Still a motormouth, he gave interviews in which he bragged about himself and his protégés and denounced anybody he didn't like as a "pencil necked geek". His heels were always a bit more exotic and meaner than most. Around 1980, he adopted a new moniker: "Ayatollah Blassie." Blassie retired from wrestling in 1986, turning over his stable of heels to another manager called Slick. By this time, Blassie has acquired a cult following, leading to appearances in several feature films. Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked as a "goodwill ambassador" (!) for the WWF.

[spoken to the WWF wrestlers during Invasion 2001] Gentleman, there
comes a time when every man must fight for that he believes in. Now is
the time, get up, stand up and fight.

[to anyone he didn&#39;t like] You pencil-necked geek!

[WWE interview, shortly before his death] I had a great life, something you can&#39;t buy. You could spend all the
money in the world and not have as much fun as I had. It was a
wonderful life.

I had a great life in wrestling. I don&#39;t consider myself a legend or anything. I just wish I didn&#39;t have to get old so I could relive those days again.

Quotes

Freddie Blassie

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