Patera was a member of the United States weightlifting team at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. He would become the first American to clean and jerk over 500 pounds, which he accomplished at the 1972 Senior Nationals in Detroit.
Ken Patera would go on to have a highly successful professional wrestling career, becoming what would eventually be known as one of AWA's all time greats, not to mention his success in WWF and the NWA territories.
Patera would win the AWA tag titles twice, as well as several NWA championships as well.
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About the author
J. Carpenter
Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.
Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.
Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.
When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.
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