7 Irrepressible "Bad Boys" of pro wrestling

#6 Ken Patera

Ken Patera

Ken Patera is a multi-sport athlete, having competed in track and field, shot put, and weightlifting. It was his skill in weightlifting that earned him a place in the 1972 summer Olympics.

Patera would parlay his success in the Olympics into other arenas; he became a strong man competitor, a fixture in the World's Strongest Man tournaments.

Of course, he also worked as a pro wrestler. Patera's natural strength and Olympic background made him a natural all American babyface. He won several championships during his career, and eventually got on the radar of the WWE.

A few bad decisions probably cost him a serious run with the company, because he never quite made it out of the mid-card.

Ken Patera's bad boy credentials: Woe to you if you work in a fast food restaurant late at night and deny Ken Patera his Big Mac. Patera hurled a large rock -- witnesses claimed it was a boulder -- through the window of a McDonald's restaurant when they denied him service after closing time. He fled the scene, and likely would only have had to pay a fine if not for what he did next.

When police arrived at his hotel room, Patera made the bad decision to fight them, eventually being brought down by the sheer weight of the entire police department. He ended up serving two years in prison, something that heel announcer Jesse Ventura would never let him live down.