Pat Patterson has been in the wrestling business since 1958. He started off in humble beginnings in Montreal, Canada and later left for the United States in order to pursue his dream of being a top pro wrestler and that too without knowing a word of English. However, he gained the respect of many, including the legendary Bruno Sammartino, who has reached near immortal status in the world of professional wrestling.Patterson went on to have a deep body of work, becoming the first ever Intercontinental Championship in the WWF. He retired in 1984, after which he had recurring on-screen roles and also backstage roles, which he continues to have even today.It is now well known that Pat Patterson is gay. In 2014, Patterson came out on the WWE reality show Legends’ House. Now, he has even written about his life in and out of the closet for the first time with the release of his memoirs. Patterson spoke to Newsweek about his autobiography, Accepted and the changing landscape of gay tolerance in sports and the WWE product today.On experiencing homophobia in his career:
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”Never. My whole life in the business, years and years, I’ve wrestled just about everybody in the business. I’ve never had a problem. I turned out to be so good that they liked to wrestle with me because I made them look good. I had a reputation for being a good guy and friendly with everybody. The word “gay” or “queer” was never brought up.
Of course, I hid it too. I didn’t want anybody to know I was gay. All these years, I had to hide. I traveled all over the country. A lot of guys had girlfriends here, girlfriends there, but I was too afraid to go to a gay bar. I had to wear a hat so I wouldn’t be seen. I hid for years. I kept saying to myself, “One of these days, I’ve got to come out.” That’s what I did on Legends’ House. I feel like I’m free now after all these years of hiding.”
On tolerance in wrestling today:
”It is a lot easier now, of course. People are more accepting now. [Current WWE Superstar] Darren Young, I didn’t even know he was gay… I was surprised when he came out.
If you’re a performer, you’re a performer… gay or straight, it doesn’t matter. It’s no different than being a singer. If you perform really well, the fans will love you. It’s entertainment, if you go out there and give your best, that’s all that matters”
