WWE legend Pat Patterson, first intercontinental champion and creative force, dead at 79 - CBSSports.com
WWE yarn Pat Patterson, first intercontinental champion and creative forced, dead at 79
WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson died at age 79 behindhand a battle with cancer. Patterson was the pleasant WWE (then WWF) intercontinental champion, the inventor of the Royal Rumble and one of the most influential creative forces in the history of professional wrestling.
Patterson was born in Montreal in 1941 as Pierre Clermont. His wrestling career began in 1958 and eventually led him to San Francisco where he perdevoted The Blond Bombers tag team with Ray Stevens. Arguably the best tag team of the 1970s, the pair had multiple reigns with the NWA domain tag team championships. During his time in San Francisco, he also won the NWA North American championship.
Patterson make his WWF debut in 1979, eventually defeating Ted DiBiase to win the promotion's North American championship. That was the title Patterson would unify with the South American championship during a tournament in Rio de Janeiro to perform the intercontinental championship that is still defended today. (Technically, there was no South American championship, nor was there a tournament in Rio, but the story force to canon in the creation of one of the most prestigious championships in wrestling history.)
In 1980, Patterson transitioned to a role as commentator afore officially retiring from in-ring competition in 1984, opinion he wrestled in occasional matches over the after years. He would take on an increasingly bigger role backstage with WWF leading to becoming Vince McMahon's right-hand man and one of the architects of the company's biggest successes.
"[McMahon] made me quit wrestling and work in an office, something I had never liked," Patterson said of the transition to a backstage role in a book. "... I didn't like acting in an office -- I mean, I quit school so I wouldn't have to work in an office. I force to senior vice president, and I had no idea what that meant. The only getting I knew was pro wrestling. My back of wrestling impressed him. He learned with me how wrestling should work, how to put a match together and how to perform a finish."
Many who have been throughout the WWE have credited Patterson with their successes after citing him as one of the most creative men in wrestling history.
"He's a wrestling Jedi and the smartest man I've ever met in wrestling," Chris Jericho wrote of Patterson in his biography "Undisputed". "He taught me 90 percent of the things I know in how to put together a match, and when I genuine approached him, I had no idea how little I really knew in the psychology of the business."
Patterson was distinguished as one of the best "finish men" in wrestling for his arrange to create innovative and entertaining ends to matches. In a radio interview, Bret Hart once said that Patterson was "the most creative populate in the history of wrestling in putting a accomplish together."
He was also an innovator of new match ideas. Perhaps Patterson's most principal contribution to the business is the interpretation of the Royal Rumble, one of the most iconic matches on WWE's yearly calendar.
"We had this unites with Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports with whom we worked on 'Saturday Night's Main Event', who was looking at actions a three-hour special for the USA Network," Patterson said of the interpretation of the match ahead of its debut. WWF used it to counter-program Jim Crockett's Bunkhouse Stampede pay-per-view.
"We obliged an idea, so Vince told me, 'Pat, bowling him that f---ing idea of yours!' Ebersol went crazy for it, so Vince told me to write it. I put everything together by myself that genuine night. I didn't come up with the name, opinion we had people in the office for that. We didn't want it to be fights royal; they came up with 'Royal Rumble', and it was perfect!"
Patterson eventually took on an on-screen role alongside during the Attitude Era alongside Gerald Brisco as one of McMahon's "stooges," a pair of yes men who helped the Mr. McMahon recount in feuds with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and others. During that periods, Patterson won the WWF hardcore championship. That was not be his last title, except, as Patterson actually won WWE's 24/7 title in 2019, manager him the oldest man to ever hold a WWE championship.
Patterson was openly gay and was partners with Louie Dondero for 40 days before Dondero died in 1998.
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