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WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson Dies at Age 79

Posted: Dec 2nd 2020 By: Mike Chiari - BleacherReport.com

WWE announced Wednesday that Hall of Fame wrestler and longtime WWE employee Pat Patterson died at the age of 79.

Patterson is perhaps best known for being crowned the first intercontinental champion in WWE history in 1979, but he also worked behind the scenes in WWE for decades as one of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's most trusted advisers.

The Montreal native was known as one of the best in the business at coming up with finishes for matches, and he also created one of the most popular and significant matches in WWE history in the Royal Rumble.

Many who worked with Patterson over the years took to social media Wednesday to remember and honor him. Among them were Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, longtime WWE Superstar Triple H and former WWE and current AEW announcer Jim Ross:

Shane McMahon - I can not express how crushed I feel right now with the loss of Pat Patterson. A true member of my family, mentor and dear friend. I love you Pat. God speed.

Stephanie McMahon - #RIPPatPatterson I’m deeply grateful to have grown up with @wwe Hall of Famer, the first-ever Intercontinental Champion, the father of the #RoyalRumble and the first openly gay wrestler of his generation. Thank you for teaching me how to not take it all so seriously. Abooze ❤️

Triple H - No words can describe what he gave to us. His body as an in-ring performer, his mind as a storyteller, and his spirit as a beloved member of our large @WWE family. I will miss him for so many reasons... it’s never goodbye, it’s see ya down the road. Love you, Pat. Abooze

Jim Ross - Just heard of the passing this morning if the great, Pat Patterson. True legend of the pro wrestling business. A wonderful mentor who taught me so much. RIP old friend. 🙏

Patterson broke into the wrestling business in his native Montreal in 1958, but it was Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco where he first truly made his mark in the 1960s and 1970s as one half of The Blond Bombers with Ray Stevens.

The Blond Bombers held the San Francisco version of the NWA Tag Team Championships twice before later going on to feud with each other. Patterson held those tag titles 11 times in total and was a five-time NWA United States heavyweight champion in the promotion.

Patterson made his WWE debut in 1979, beating Ted DiBiase for the North American Championship. In September of that year, Patterson was named the first IC champion after winning an apparent tournament held in Rio de Janeiro, although the tournament never actually took place.

After retiring from in-ring competition in 1984, Patterson wore many hats. Patterson worked as a commentator and a referee. Most notably, he was the in-ring official for the main event of the first WrestleMania in 1985, pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.

Patterson also became a creative force in WWE, and for many years it was just him, Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard calling the shots in terms of booking decisions.

While Patterson's primary role remained that of booker, producer and agent for the remainder of his wrestling career, he recaptured some in-ring glory during the Attitude Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he and fellow Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco became on-screen characters.

Known as "The Stooges," Patterson and Brisco did Vince McMahon's dirty work and often paid the price. During that run, Patterson won the Hardcore Championship once, and he infamously clashed with Brisco in an Evening Gown match at King of the Ring 2000.

More recently, Patterson appeared on the WWE Network show Legends' House in 2014. It was on the finale of the show that Patterson came out as gay for the first time in a WWE setting.

Patterson's on-screen appearances were few and far between in subsequent years, although he did show up on Raw Reunion in July 2019, winning the 24/7 Championship and becoming the oldest champion in WWE history at 78 years of age.

While Patterson was never world champion in a major promotion nor a regular main eventer, it can be argued that he had a bigger impact on the professional wrestling business than almost anyone in history because of the integral behind-the-scenes work he did in WWE for decades.