RIP Pat Patterson

I saw this tweet come across the timeline and it didn't come as much of a surprise considering 2020 and the wrestling world are both synonymous with the deaths of big names. What I didn't realize however was just how big of a name and pioneer Pat Patterson was in his industry.

I mean if you are responsible for ANY of those bullet points, you made a hell of a mark in wrestling. But to be the first openly gay wrestler, the first Intercontinental Champion, AND the creator of the Royal Rumble (which for my money, is the best gimmick match in wrestling), you are a legend. Not to mention that he was born Pierre Clermont before changing his name to Pat Patterson since he looked more like a Pat Patterson than any Pat Patterson to ever walk the planet, played the stooge role in The Corporation along with Gerald Briscoe about as well as you could when the WWE was cooking about as hot as it ever did, and had more than 50 years before his first professional match and last.

Add in the outpouring of tweets like this about Pat as a person and it seems like the wrestling industry truly did lose another legend.

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I'm sure Brandon Fucking Walker will have a bunch more about Patterson on his brand spanking new Rasslin' podcast. Check it out for all things about the squared circle, both old school and new.