Pro wrestling legend Pat Patterson dead at 79

Professional wrestling Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, a tag-team star who later invented the Royal Rumble match and was the industry’s first openly gay performer, has died, World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed Wednesday. He was 79.

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“WWE is saddened to learn that Pat Patterson has passed away at the age of 79,” WWE said in a statement. “WWE extends its condolences to Patterson’s family and friends.”

Patterson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 by Bret Hart.

Born Pierre Clermont on Jan. 19, 1941, Patterson made his wrestling debut in 1958 in his native Montreal. He achieved fame as a tag team partner with Ray Stevens, forming the Blond Bombers. Patterson wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance through most of the 1960s, particularly in the San Francisco area. He also starred in the Minneapolis-based AWA, run by Verne Gagne.

Patterson made his debut in the WWE (then known as WWF) in 1979 and became the organization’s first Intercontinental Champion in September 1979. Patterson later had a well-publicized feud with Sgt. Slaughter in 1981 tha culminated with a series of Boot Camp Matches.

Patterson retired as an active wrestler in 1984.

Patterson’s enduring legacy to WWE was the invention of the Royal Rumble match, first televised in 1988. It was similar to a battle royale match, except wrestlers would enter the ring at different intervals. He pitched the idea to WWE head Vince McMahon Jr., who was skeptical at first. However, it has evolved into one of the organization’s signature matches.

“The more I kept running the idea over in my mind, the more it took shape and I was sure I was on to something,” Patterson wrote in his 2016 biography, “Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE.”

“I felt it: every instinct in my body told me it would work. So I finally brought the idea to Vince. He laughed at the concept at first, saying that an hour was way too long to keep fans interested. The first Royal Rumble was a success, but until it was over, we didn’t really know if it would work. I knew it was a unique idea, but until a crowd responds, it’s hard to know for sure.”

He was a member of “The Corporation” for WWE, described by Hart in his 2007 book, “Hitman,” as “some guy who looked like Barney Rubble.”

“Pat was famous for his bumps and his ring psychology,” Hart wrote. “Behind the scenes, he was also famous for being gay and not caring whether the wrestlers knew.”

“Pat Patterson’s legacy will live forever in the world of professional wrestling,” former wrestler and “Corporation” member Gerald Brisco told Cox Media Group. “One thing that he loved to do was pass knowledge along to the younger talent.

“As long as talent is out there, Pat will be there.”

Patterson briefly returned to the ring during WWE’s “Attitude Era” of the 1990s, becoming one of McMahon’s “Stooges” along with Brisco.

Although Patterson was gay, he kept that private from the public until his career in the ring was over, ESPN reported. He later spoke about it publicly on WWE’s “Legends House” reality series.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson paid tribute to Patterson in an Instagram post.

“RIP Pat. You’ll be missed,” Johnson wrote. “Rough phone calls to get this morning to tell me, our dear family member, Pat Patterson who was my pro wrestling mentor and father figure has passed away.

“Love you, Pat. And thank you. I’ll see you down the road.”

Cox Media Group