Chris Jericho Talks Vince McMahon And Pat Patterson's Backstage Relationship

Speaking on his Talk is Jericho podcast, former WWE World Champion Chris Jericho paid tribute to his late mentor Pat Patterson.

With the WWE Hall of Famer passing way this month, Jericho chose to celebrate Patterson's life on his podcast, talking about the sayings he learned from the wrestling legend and his way of dealing with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon backstage.

Jericho admitted that he often uses some of Patterson's sayings, thinking that they're his own. One particularly great saying of his involved comparing Vince McMahon to an ice cream store owner:

"I used so many 'Pat-isms' that sometimes I think their mine, but he had a great saying. I'm sure you've heard it before, when we would talk about Vince (and) how he changes his mind, and Pat would always say, 'Sometimes he likes chocolate. Other times, he likes vanilla, but it's always his ice cream store, so give him what he wants.'"

The AEW star added that he still uses this way of thinking when approaching his current boss Tony Khan, admitting:

"And I say that all the time, even when people talk about Tony Khan. Listen, it doesn't matter what you want. It's his show. It's his company and we have to do what the boss wants. And some days, it's chocolate."

This then led to Jericho speaking about the way Patterson would approach McMahon if he didn't agree with the way the WWE Chairman was booking a show, or simply felt that the product sucked.

"Some days it's vanilla, but Pat could get away with basically telling Vince 'this show sucks,' and nobody else could ever say that. And he would sit in booking meetings. Vince goes, 'Well, what does everyone think? Do you like this?' Of course all the Yes Men are like, 'This is great.' And Pat said, 'This is terrible. This is a terrible. Where's the young guys? What are we doing?' And everyone kind of just sitting there like, 'oh my God, he's chewing out Vince at the front of the booking meeting.' And of course he could do that, but they obviously had a great relationship for many, many, many years."

This is just one of the many examples of Patterson doing everything he could to ensure that WWE pushed vibrant new stars and kept the product feeling as fresh and compelling as possible. It's also interesting to note that Jericho didn't think Patterson fit the requirements of what McMahon usually likes in a person:

"It's just interesting to me that he and Vince were so close because A, he smokes. Vince doesn't like smokers. He's French. He's got a thick accent, which we know Vince doesn't care for accents either. There was obviously something there more than just how talented Pat was. They obviously got along very well, but on the surface, seems like a very odd couple."

Patterson's legacy as both an in-ring performer and vital component backstage will live on for generations to come, but it's clear from podcasts like this that the passionate wrestling enthusiast will be sadly missed by all who knew him.