10 Things You Didn't Know About Pat Patterson

Looking back at the life and times of one of the all-time greats.

by Andrew Pollard
Pat Patterson
WWE.com

As you may well have already heard by now, Pat Patterson sadly passed away earlier today after a battle with cancer. He was 79 years of age.

To some, Pat is best known as the inaugural Intercontinental Champion. To others, he was one half of the phenomenal Blond Bombers tandem. And to even more people, he was a staple of the Attitude Era as one of Vince McMahon's famed stooges.

Along the way, Patterson was welcomed into several different Hall of Fames, amassed plentiful trinkets, and was the first big-name wrestler to come out as gay. Pat most certainly led a life full of so many memorable moments, be that in the ring or out, with many citing Patterson as having one of the greatest minds that the wrestling business has ever seen.

To coin a phrase, the world is a lesser place without Pat in it, and it goes without saying that the thoughts of us all here at WhatCulture go out to the family, friends and fans of Patterson at this time.

Looking back on the life and times of Pat Patterson, then, here are ten things you may not know about this truly legendary figure.

10. He Was A Brass Knuckles Champion

Pat Patterson
WWE Network

A decade before becoming the first ever Intercontinental Champion, Pat Patterson won the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship.

That championship was a part of Dory Funk Snr.'s Weston States Sports promotion, with the Canadian defeating Thunderbolt Patterson for the title in May 1968. Pat would go on to hold the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship for six months before losing it to Funk in November of that year.

Around this same time, Patterson also did a tour of Japan that saw him spend six weeks wrestling Antonio Inoki. Upon returning to the United States, Pat soon become embroiled in a brutal rivalry with his former Blond Bombers partner Ray Stevens, before Patterson began to wear a gimmicked mask towards the end of 1970.

The reason for this mask? Why, the heel Pat Patterson loaded this mask with a foreign object that added knockout power to his headbutt - something which has clearly been used as inspiration for the antics of NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar in recent months.

To think, there are those who only know about Patterson's time as Intercontinental Champion or his later stint as one of Vince's stooges. In reality, Pat had already done a hell of lot way before he arrived in the then-WWF in 1979.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.