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The WWE Universe woke up to the news that WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson had sadly passed away earlier today at the age of 79. Patterson had been battling cancer at the time of his death and it was revealed on Twitter that he had passed away in a Miami hospital.
Despite not being a regular face on WWE TV, Patterson was working backstage up until the time of his death as a producer, a role that he had held since 2005, making him one of the company's longest-tenured employees.
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Patterson was one of the best minds in the business and tributes following his death have shown just how much the former champion meant to the Superstars of today. The former star may not be as well-known by the younger generation, but here are just five facts about the star that guarantee his name will never be forgotten.
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#5. Pat Patterson was the inaugural Intercontinental Champion
Pat Patterson may be best-known for his behind the scenes role in WWE, but the former champion had a career that spanned six decades. It was during his time as an active performer that he became the first-ever Intercontinental Champion.
WWE introduced the Intercontinental Championship back in September 1979 and Pat Patterson was awarded the title as the first Champion after winning an alleged tournament in Rio De Janeiro. Whilst this tournament is listed in history books, it never actually took place, which means that Patterson was just handed the Championship following its unveiling.
The Championship tournament was later revealed to have been an April Fools' Joke, but it allowed Pat Patterson to take his place in the history books forever.
Patterson only held the title for around six weeks, since he later dropped the Championship to Seiji Sakaguchi in November the same year.
#4. Pat Patterson was the first-ever openly gay WWE Superstar
Pat Patterson was part of WWE at a time when being gay was less accepted, but the former champion was so comfortable with his sexuality that he was always open about it. Patterson even wrote a book about his acceptance in the wrestling business despite being gay, called Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE, which was released back in 2016.
Patterson first came out back in the 1970s and even though there were several jokes made about him by Jim Ross behind the commentary desk, his sexuality was never used in WWE storylines or acknowledged on TV.
It wasn't until Legends House, which became one of the most popular shows on the WWE Network back in 2014, that Patterson was able to openly talk about being the first gay WWE Superstar.
Pat Patterson has since inspired several other wrestlers to come forward and be open about their sexuality in the WWE locker room including former WWE star Darren Young and former Tough Enough standout Sonya Deville.
#3. Pat Patterson isn't his real name
Pat Patterson is the name that has dominated many of WWE's creative ideas over the past few decades but despite being known under this name and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with it, this isn't his real name.
Pat Patterson was actually born Pierre Clermont, to a French-speaking family in Quebec, Canada back in 1941. He began his wrestling training at the age of 14 and just three years later he made his debut wrestling at the Palais des Sports as "Killer" Pat Patterson.
In his younger years, Patterson was an altar boy and was actually raised as a Roman Catholic. The former champion initially expressed an interest in becoming a priest but was told that this wouldn't work out since he was "too adventurous".
Interestingly, Pat Patterson became better known under his wrestling name throughout his career than his given name, so he made the decision back in 2008 to legally change his name to Pat Patterson and officially left Pierre Clermont behind.
#2. Pat Patterson was responsible for creating The Royal Rumble
It's every WWE fan's favorite pay-per-view of the year and begins the Road to WrestleMania, but interestingly the idea for The Royal Rumble match itself wasn't a concept that Vince McMahon came up with.
Pat Patterson was the genius behind The Royal Rumble concept since the company needed an idea for a pay-per-view in January at the time and McMahon didn't have one to hand over, so he allowed Pat Patterson to pitch The Rumble.
Pat Patterson revealed in an interview with Inside The Ropes back in 2019 that Vince McMahon initially thought that his idea was "stupid."
“I had a big meeting with Vince McMahon and Dick Ebersol,” Patterson said. “I’m there with Vince and we’re talking about Dick Ebersol, he’s on NBC Network, wants a big show, something special, something that’s never been done. So, I gave my idea to Vince. He knew the idea but he didn’t like it, but I gave him the idea. And Vince says, ‘Alright, tell Dick Ebersol that stupid idea you’ve got.’ I said, ‘Well first of all, it’s not a stupid idea.’ So, Dick Ebersol, I told him the idea. One guy, two guys, bing boom! Dick Ebersol went crazy, he says, ‘Vince, this is unbelievable for television.’
The Royal Rumble is now one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year and is set for its 33rd event in 2021.
#1. Pat Patterson is the oldest champion in WWE history
After beginning his career back in 1958, Pat Patterson had definitively retired from in-ring competition when he was unveiled as a backstage producer for WWE back in 2005.
Despite being mostly seen as a backstage addition to the show, Patterson was included in several segments throughout his time in WWE and was close with several WWE Superstars.
Pat Patterson was even able to make history back in 2019 when he became the oldest champion in WWE history. As part of the RAW Reunion show in July 2019, the 78-year-old star pinned Drake Maverick to become the oldest champion in history, winning the 24/7 Championship.
He lost the championship to Gerald Briscoe later the same night, but his reign was able to overtake fellow WWE Hall of Famer The Fabulous Moolah, who won the Women's Championship at the tender age of 76.
This is another addition to the former champion's list of accomplishments both inside and outside of the ring that will ensure that Pat Patterson is a name that will forever be remembered in wrestling history.
