Rick Patterson (wrestler)
| Rick Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rick Taras |
| Born | 6 July 1964[1] Birds Hill, Manitoba, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rick Patterson Leatherface Ricky Bruno Tim Patterson |
| Billed height | 6"7[2] |
| Billed weight | 320 lb (145 kg) |
| Trained by | Jesse Hernandez |
| Debut | 1982 |
| Retired | 2013 |
Richard Taras (born 6 July 1964) is a Canadian professional wrestler who is known as Leatherface and spent his career in Western Canada, Winnipeg, Mexico and Japan.[3]
Professional wrestling career
[edit]Rick Patterson made his professional wrestling debut in 1982 in Winnipeg. In 1983, Patterson made his debut in Vancouver for NWA All-Star Wrestling where he became a four-time NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship.[4] He also worked for Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Maritimes, the Central States, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
In 1988, he was the last to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship with Stevie Ray before the promotion folded.
In 1993 Patterson became Leatherface in Japan for W*ING and tied it in with the villain of the same name from the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a gimmick given by Víctor Quiñones. Michael Penzel formerly known as Corporal Kirchner in the WWF was the original Leatherface who was sent to jail for six months following an attempted assault by a fan, which left the fan with severe facial injuries. Later went to International Wrestling Association of Japan.[3][5]
Leatherface later teamed with Penzel after being released from prison in 1994. Penzle was known as Super Leatherface/Original Leatherface. later had matches with Terry Funk, and Mick Foley.[6] In 1996, he teamed with Eddie Watts as Steelface.[7]
On May 3, 2000, Leatherface defeated Juggernaut for the ECCW Hardcore Championship in British Columbia making it Patterson's only singles title.
Later in his career, he returned to Canada working in the independents, surviving the Canadian Death Tour[8] and continued to work in Japan.
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (4 times) - with Timothy Flowers (1), Randy Rich (1) Rick Davis (1) and Sonny Myers (1)[9]
- Heart of America Sports Attractions
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Mike Stone (1) and Steve Ray (1)[10]
- NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling
Luchas de Apuestas record
[edit]| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampiro (hair) | Rick Patterson (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | June 28, 1992 | |
| Latin Lover (wrestler) (hair) | Rick Patterson (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | Unknown |
References
[edit]General
- Oliver, Greg (2003). "Roll Call: Leatherface". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. ECW Press. p. 176. ISBN 1-55022-531-6.
- Nevada, Vance (2022). (Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781039154797.
Specific
- ^ "Profile". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Leatherface « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
- ^ a b Oliver, Greg (May 3, 2000). "Leatherface a star away from home". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "All-Star Wrestling". kayfabememories.com.
- ^ Powell, John (31 October 2015). "Wrestling's most ghoulish grapplers: top ten". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Canada :: Full Roster".
- ^ Nevada, Vance (5 June 2000). "Eddie Watts a world traveller". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ^ May, Vern (September 9, 2016). "Top 15 Star Wrestlers Who Survived the Canadian 'Death Tour'". The Sportster. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "NWA Central States Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "ECCW Hardcore Championship". Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-11.