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Jailbreak: The WWF Return of Ken Patera

Posted: May 27th 2026 By: Brian Damage - RingTheDamnBell.com

On April 6th, 1984 in Waukesha, Wisconsin pro wrestlers Masa Saito and Ken Patera went to a local McDonald’s restaurant and tried to get something to eat. After being refused service because it was after hours…Patera allegedly threw a large rock at the glass of the restaurant…shattering it. Ken Patera claimed a teenage disgruntled employee was responsible for throwing the rock. Either way, the incident did not end there as both Patera and Saito got into a physical confrontation with the two police officers responding to the situation. Because Patera and Saito were pro wrestlers and because pro wrestling was becoming a national phenomenon, the incident made national headlines.

Some fans might have forgotten that when this incident occurred, both Patera and Saito were members of the AWA promotion…not the WWF. During the lengthy trial, Patera had jumped ship from the AWA to the WWF. He was paired with manager Bobby ‘the Brain’ Heenan and worked as a heel. His time with WWF was short lived as Patera was found guilty and sentenced to two years in jail and six months of probation.

Ken Patera served roughly eighteen months of that sentence and was released. When out of prison, Vince McMahon wanted Patera to return to the WWF, as he had an angle all ready for him. McMahon had the idea that WWF cameras would follow Patera from his release of prison to returning to the wrestling ring. The storyline also had Patera angry at his manager Bobby Heenan for abandoning him and his family while incarcerated. ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund reported the story on WWF Update of the incident in question that got him arrested and that Patera was soon to be released from jail. Okerlund was sent to meet Patera at the prison once he was “released.” Ken Patera made it known that while he admitted his wrong doings, he also blamed Heenan for his lack of support. Vignettes were shown of Patera working out and lifting weights readying for his WWF return…all the while targeting Bobby Heenan for revenge.

The two would face off in a debate of sorts in the Summer of 1987. Two podiums were set up and each person was given an allotted time to speak their mind. Patera accused Heenan of being a “weasel” and not checking in and his wife and children. He said that Bobby never sent him one card or letter while he was locked up. Heenan retorted by saying he never owed Patera anything as his manager. The best line came from Heenan as he yelled at Patera and said, “You used to be only concerned with pressing weights, now you are only good for pressing license plates”! It was obvious from the fans watching this live in attendance that they were mostly siding with Bobby Heenan. Ken Patera, while acting as a babyface, was not garnering much sympathy from WWF fans. The debate would eventually get physical as Heenan became upset that Ken Patera never won him a championship belt. Heenan then took off his belt and started whipping Patera with it.

Patera would make a hero’s comeback and begin pummeling Heenan with fists. He then grabbed the belt heenan used to whip him and tied it around Heenan’s neck and flung him across the ring. Heenan legitimately had a broken neck from his earlier days in Japan and never got it fixed. The bump he took with the belt legitimately re-aggravated the old injury. Bobby would wear a neck brace for over a year and make it part of his gimmick.

On an edition of Prime Time Wrestling with Gorilla Monsoon, Heenan cut another excellent promo on Ken Patera. He said he didn’t owe Patera anything and what he did on his free time was his business. Heenan also said that once Patera went to prison, he was no longer his manager. Now it was Heenan that was going out for revenge of Ken Patera and would utilize every resource to make sure that Ken Patera was physically, mentally and financially broken. The Heenan Family would get the upper hand on Ken Patera as they all attacked him and whipped him with a belt. Patera would feud with King Harley Race, Hercules and other members of Heenan’s family. His battles with Heenan and his stable of wrestlers would ultimately fizzle out. Fans simply didn’t care enough to root for Patera. He would slowly move down the card and was being used more as a glorified jobber than a true superstar. Patera would quit the WWF after a dispute over money or lack thereof with Vince McMahon.