Remembering a WWE legend who shaped pro wrestling, sang and inspired the LBGTQ community
South Florida produced some fond memories for Pat Patterson, who wrestled there and spent time in Hollywood where his sister lived.
Whether wrestling in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, West Palm Beach or relaxing on Hollywood Beach or singing karaoke there or nearby, Patterson enjoyed the area, the climate, and loved to sing ... and sing well.
The memories are aplenty, and now he rests in peace, succumbing to cancer at age 79.
Newsweek reported Patterson was at a Miami hospital, battling cancer, and WWE reported his passing Wednesday morning.
Patterson, a WWE Hall of Famer who left an indelible mark on pro wrestling for his work in the ring, outside it and behind the scenes, spent time driving Tamiami Trail and I-95, when competing for Championship Wrestling from Florida in the late 1970s.
Patterson won the NWA Florida television championship and the NWA Florida tag team championship (with “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff), as well as briefly serving as booker, the person in charge of setting up matches and writing angles.
I recall as a kid watching Patterson wrestle at the West Palm Beach Auditorium on July 11, 1977. Patterson teamed with Koloff against Rocky Johnson and Jack Brisco.
Johnson and Patterson were two Canadians who became good friends and won tag team gold three times for Big Time Wrestling, based in San Francisco.
Johnson respected and trusted Patterson, and thus he asked him to help train his son, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which Patterson did, and they developed a strong bond through their very successful working relationship.
In Patterson’s autobiography, “The Rock” said: “Pat is one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had in the world of sports entertainment. He has been instrumental in some of the greatest story lines and matches in my entire career, and I am forever grateful for his guidance and knowledge.”
Many will remember Patterson as a ring legend, the prestigious first holder of WWE’s Intercontinental championship. Trained by Loisirs Saint Jean Baptiste, Patterson debuted in Montreal in 1958.
Patterson began his WWE career (then WWF) in 1979 under the guidance of heel manager the late, great Grand Wizard. His legendary feud with Sgt. Slaughter is another highlight. He retired from in-ring action in 1987, but his career in the sport he loved continued in a big way.
A WWF color commentator in 1984, he later began working backstage as a road agent and right-hand man to WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon Jr. Patterson not only helped many wrestlers/superstars progress, but he helped grow and shape the business into what WWE has become today.
One of his bigger accomplishments during that time is creating, inventing and booking the Royal Rumble match for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, a staple of annual top WWE shows.
Following his wrestling career, he is also fondly remembered on-screen as one of Vince McMahon’s comedic heel “stooges” (with Gerald Brisco) during the Attitude Era and even won the WWE Hardcore Championship in 2000 at age 59, beating his fellow stooge Brisco.
But Patterson is no stooge. Far from it.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.
An inspiration to pro wrestling and the LGBTQ community, his career is storybook with its challenges and successes. Thus, he penned his autobiography “Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE” released in 2016.
Here is a link to a Miami Herald story about his book.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/article79175762.html
Here is a link to a Miami Herald story about his last guest public appearance in South Florida in 2018.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/article205906749.html
So many wrestlers (past and present), friends, fans, the McMahons are tweeting, remembering the great Pat Patterson.
WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon Jr. tweeted: “Pat Patterson was more than the first Intercontinental Champion & father of the Royal Rumble Match. He helped lay the foundation for WWE as we know it. His mentorship shaped careers, his creativity sparked innovation and his friendship lifted spirits. Love you, Pat. We miss you.”
RIP.
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This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 12:43 PM.
