Freddy Blassie and his 'pencil-neck geeks'

Freddie Blassie entertained Los Angeles as the most hated villain of local "professional" wrestling in the 1950s and 60s, when wrestling and roller derby were first hugely popular on television. Blassie was known for biting his opponents with sharpened teeth and probably uttered the putdown "pencil-neck geek" on TV more often than anyone. He had the box office clout to perform in the Coliseum and starred in "My Breakfast With Blassie" with Andy Kaufman. Blassie died Monday in Hartsdale, N.Y. at age 85, the L.A. Times obituary by Jon Thurber says.