This week the wrestling world a lost a man who spent most of his life in the business. The legendary Pat Patterson passed away at the age of 79. Pat maybe one of the most influential people in the history of the sport. Pat is the first ever Intercontinental Champion in the WWF and was the mind behind the concept of the Royal Rumble.
Pat Patterson was born in Montreal, Quebec and actually began training for wrestling at the age of 14. He broke into the business in 1958 and make his way to the Pacific Northwest in 1962. In 1965 while working in San Francisco for Roy Shire, he becomes a star. Working with Ray Stevens they become a tag team that won the NWA Tag Team Titles and may have been the best tag team of the 1970s.
Patterson was also a successful singles wrestler and traveled the territories winning titles and having notable feuds all around the country. He won titles in Florida working for Eddie Graham and wrestling Verne Gagne in the AWA where he also reunited with Ray Stevens. In 1979 Patterson made his way to the WWF where he would spend the rest of his career in and outside the ring.
In 1979 he is crowned the first ever Intercontinental Champion after winning a kayfabe tournament in Rio de Janeiro. One of his most famous matches came in 1981 where he faced Sgt Slaughter in a Boot Camp match at MSG. He had an active in ring role until 1984. After that he served in commentary partnering with Gorilla Monsoon and Vince McMahon. Patterson worked as a road agent and helped a lot of wrestlers put together their matches in the late 1980s and was the right-hand man for Vince McMahon. He is credited with creating the Royal Rumble. Patterson also is the man who helped bring The Rock into the business.
Fans from the Attitude Era may also remember Patterson by his on-screen role as one of the “Stooges” along with Gerald Brisco. He also worked as a producer and had many backstage roles into the 2000s. He had semi-retirement but would always come back to help in some capacity. Pat Patterson had a life of service to the wrestling business and the wrestling business was better for it.
Written By
Keith B. Holt
Follow on Twitter @Kholtjr
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