Jump to content

Pat Patterson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Forbiddend (talk | contribs) at 07:06, 31 May 2010 (horseshit). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Pierre Clermont
Born (1941-01-19) January 19, 1941 (age 83)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Pat Patterson
Le Rêve du Québec
Billed height6 ft 1 in (186 cm)
Billed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Billed fromSan Francisco, CA
Trained byPat Girard
Debut1958
Retired1984

Pierre Clermont (born January 19, 1941) better known by his ring name Pat Patterson, is a Canadian former professional wrestler. He works for World Wrestling Entertainment as a Creative Consultant. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Pat Patterson debuted in Montreal, Quebec in 1958 as "Pretty Boy" Pat Patterson, an effeminate wrestler who wore red lipstick and pink trunks and was accompanied by his pet Poodle. Patterson wrestled frequently for affiliates of the National Wrestling Alliance throughout the 1960s, and was a ten time tag team champion in San Francisco with a variety of partners. His most famous pairing was with Ray Stevens, the two of them forming the heel tag team, the Blond Bombers.[1] Also, in San Francisco, Patterson was a six-time United States Champion. Pat was also a well known homosexual throughout the wrestling world.

After Stevens turned face in the late 1960s, he had a feud with the heel Patterson, culminating in the 1970s Texas Death match, in which Stevens won the title from Patterson.

In 1970 and 1971, Patterson wore a mask during his matches, and would cheat by placing a foreign object under the mask to add power to his head butts. In 1972, Patterson turned babyface, after feuding with Lars Anderson, who was managed by Dr. Ken Ramey. Later that year he teamed with Rocky Johnson and won the tag team championship. In 1975 and 1981, Patterson won the Cow Palace Battle Royal in San Francisco. The Battle Royal, an event held annually throughout the 1970s, is often cited as the predecessor of the Royal Rumble.[1] Pat left the San Francisco promotion in the mid 1970s, which folded up shop in 1980.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Active wrestling

In 1979, Patterson debuted in the then World Wide Wrestling Federation, and on June 19 of that year he defeated Ted DiBiase to win the WWF North American Championship. On September 15, 1979, Patterson allegedly won a tournament held in Rio de Janeiro, unifying the WWF North American Championship with the South American Championship to create the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the process. It is, however, widely believed that the aforementioned tournament never actually took place and was invented to add legitimacy to the Intercontinental Championship.[citation needed] In later years, Patterson apparently made an inside joke for "smark" fans by wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend "Rio de Janeiro 1979" while on camera. Patterson held the Intercontinental Championship until April 21, 1980 when he was defeated by Ken Patera in New York City, New York. The match ended in controversial fashion after Patterson placed his right leg on the ropes just before the three count was made.

On May 4, 1981, Patterson's feud with Sgt. Slaughter culminated in an "Alley Fight" in Madison Square Garden. The match was voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Back stage roles and part-time appearances

Patterson retired from active wrestling in 1984, and became a color commentator, as well as hosting an interview segment known as "Le brunch de Pat", where he would politely ask questions in English but furtively mock his guests in French. He began working backstage as a road agent and right-hand man to WWF promoter Vince McMahon, and is credited with inventing and booking the Royal Rumble match. In the late 1990s, he also worked in the talent-relations department.[2]

In 1997, Mr. Patterson became an onscreen stooge of Vince McMahon. He and Jerry Brisco became comedy heels, aiding McMahon in his rivalries with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind and The Rock. Patterson and Brisco were members of both The Corporation and The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, and used "Real American" as their entrance music to mock Hulk Hogan. They would also parody Hogan's flexing routine as they approached the ring. On June 12, 2000 the McMahon-Helmsley Faction briefly gained control over Kane after they unmasked him, enabling Patterson to photograph his "hideously scarred" face, and threatened to "expose him to the world" if he did not comply. Kane was forced to wrestle The Rock (then his ally) in a No Holds Barred match. However, the film did not develop properly, and Kane turned on the Faction. Patterson became the oldest WWF Hardcore Champion ever on June 19, 2000 after blinding reigning champion Gerald Brisco with champagne and then breaking a second bottle over Brisco's head. On June 25 at King of the Ring, Patterson defended the Championship against Brisco in an hardcore evening gown match booked by Vince McMahon after Patterson and Brisco brawled in the women's locker room. In the course of the match, Crash Holly attacked both men and pinned Patterson to become Hardcore Champion.

The Intercontinental Championship, unified with the World Heavyweight Championship on October 20, 2002, was resurrected on May 18, 2003 at Judgment Day in a Battle Royal. Patterson, as the first ever Intercontinental Champion, was at ringside to present the belt to the victor. Booker T eliminated Christian for the win, but the referee was unconscious. As Patterson attempted to give the belt to Booker T, Christian attacked him, stole the belt and used it to knock out Booker T. The referee then recovered and awarded the match to Christian.

In October 2004, Patterson retired from World Wrestling Entertainment. One of his last acts was a report for WWE which claimed that too much time was being devoted to Triple H, the son-in-law of Vince McMahon.[citation needed] Patterson returned to WWE in a limited capacity in May 2005. While he is now retired as a producer for WWE, he still acts as a consultant.[3] At WWE Breaking Point, Patterson made an appearance in his hometown of Montreal in an in-ring segment with Dolph Ziggler.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • Other honoree (1995)

References

  1. ^ a b John Molinaro, The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time, (Winding Stair Press: 2002), page 197.
  2. ^ Ellison, Lillian (2003). The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle. ReaganBooks. p. 203. ISBN 9780060012588.
  3. ^ Brady, Hicks. "2006: The year in wrestling". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 27. 2007 Edition. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pat_Patterson&oldid=365169833"