RIP Pat Patterson

[maumann]

Was a staple on Bay Area wrestling shows long before WWE, along with Moondog Mayne, Peter Mavia and Rocky Johnson.

 

[mpcincal]

This is being discussed on the Pro Wrestling thread, but I just want to add that in addition to his legendary career in the ring, he was a huge influence behind the scenes over the last 40 or so years after he hung up the boots. More than a few past and present stars have praised his ability to put together a match. And if you enjoy the Royal Rumble every January, you can thank Patterson, who came up with the idea.

 

[HanSenSE]

Was a staple on Bay Area wrestling shows long before WWE, along with Moondog Mayne, Peter Mavia and Rocky Johnson.

He was the bad guy to Ray Stevens' good guy until sometime in the early 70s, when they became a tag team.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I'll post the same thing that I said on the pro wrestling thread over here.

No doubt he was one of the best in the ring, and while most of his career was before I started watching wrestling, I certainly enjoyed his on-air act in the late 90s as one of McMahon’s “stooges.” He and Gerald Brisco had a couple of matches with the Mean Street Posse that were surprisingly entertaining, and one of them garnered one of Raw’s highest-ever rated TV segments.

Behind the scenes, he was terrific in helping the wrestlers put together matches and finishes.

However, away from the ring is a little more complex. He was accused by a couple of people of sexual harassment (offering jobs or pushes in exchange for favors), and Superstar Graham, during the early 90s ringboy scandal, accused him of trying to molest young boys (Graham later recanted this and attempted to apologize).

But looking at all the tributes from past and present, it’s clear that he made a strong impact on their lives and made a permanent mark on the business. RIP.

 

[maumann]

This is being discussed on the Pro Wrestling thread, but I just want to add that in addition to his legendary career in the ring, he was a huge influence behind the scenes over the last 40 or so years after he hung up the boots. More than a few past and present stars have praised his ability to put together a match. And if you enjoy the Royal Rumble every January, you can thank Patterson, who came up with the idea.

Thanks. I watched Big Time Wrestling for the amusement factor and the lack of anything else on, probably. My favorite was definitely "The Soul Man." I think his kid Dwayne got into the sport after trying football, but I have no idea what happened to him after that. :)

I knew Patterson and Ray Stevens were rivals, then tag team partners, but my knowledge of wrasslin' basically ends with TBS and Gordon Solie. It was one of the Cow Palace's better-attended events during the hey-day of the 1960s and 1970s.

 

[DanOregon]

First wrestling guy I really truly hated. I didn't understand it back then - but he was a master of his craft. RIP.

 

[qtlaw]

Man my cousin and I pretended to be Pat Patterson, Rocky Johnson, Mr. Universe, Haystack Calhoun, etc. every night on the weekends and summer days as we wrestled on the bed and the floor. When I got to junior high and started wrestling, I had no idea it was going to be different than what I saw on TV. Didn't Pat Patterson use the "sleeper hold"? May he RIP. Thanks for all the joy you brought me during my childhood.

 

[HappyCurmudgeon]

Pat Patterson was the referee for the main event of the first Wrestlemania because Mr. T had pissed so many of the boys off that Vince McMahon needed someone in the ring he could trust to direct traffic and keep it on an entertainment level. You can watch Patterson in there really helping Mr. T through the match and make sure nothing got out of hand.

 

[maumann]

Man my cousin and I pretended to be Pat Patterson, Rocky Johnson, Mr. Universe, Haystack Calhoun, etc. every night on the weekends and summer days as we wrestled on the bed and the floor. When I got to junior high and started wrestling, I had no idea it was going to be different than what I saw on TV. Didn't Pat Patterson use the "sleeper hold"? May he RIP. Thanks for all the joy you brought me during my childhood.

We even had a kid "distract" the referee so that someone could fake rip the other guy's eyes or put on an "illegal tag." Supposedly the TBS studio where they filmed was barely bigger (or any taller) than a school classroom, so there probably were less than 100 people allowed to watch the taping. I'm guessing KTVU's "ring" wasn't much bigger.