Pat Patterson: The Yoda of Professional Wrestling
And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friends, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
But more, much more than this
I did it my way
The wrestling world took a huge blow this week when news of the tragic passing of Pat Patterson made news early Wednesday morning. Patterson, unfortunately, succumbed to cancer he had been battling just weeks before his 80th birthday, so there is no denying that he lived a good life. There is also absolutely no denying that the wrestling world has lost one of its greatest minds. Widely known and praised for his ability to lay out a match psychologically, especially the finish of a given match, Patterson might be more fondly remembered for his mind than his also-excellent and stellar in-ring career. In his memory we felt it would be appropriate to look at a specific match that he was put in charge of, giving two of the biggest names in the history of the business arguably their greatest in-ring performances.
Back in 1990, Hulk Hogan was still on top of the World Wrestling Federation but it was clear to many that it may be time to give the Hulkster a rest. He had been the WWF Champion since the previous year’s WrestleMania having defeated ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage for the title as the Mega Powers exploded. While at the time it would have been easy to anoint Savage as Hogan’s successor, the immense popularity of The Ultimate Warrior was too much for Vince McMahon to look past. And so for the first time on a huge show, WWF booked a Face vs. Face match as the main event of WrestleMania VI, which would emanate from the SkyDome in Toronto. The stakes were even higher as going into ‘Mania, Warrior was the Intercontinental Champion, so the match was a Winner Take All bout.
Knowing how important this match was, Vince McMahon bestowed the job of putting the match together to Pat Patterson, who painstakingly worked with both Hogan and Warrior on putting the match together in the week preceding the big event. Having rented out a warehouse for the two with a ring in it, Patterson laid out the match blow for blow and both Hogan and Warrior spent the previous week choreographing every single move in the match.
Shockingly in a world full of shoot interviews and podcasts, there is very little known about how Patterson put together the match. Bruce Prichard did confirm on an episode of Something To Wrestle that Pat was the agent for the match and even had an emotional response shedding tears following the match and the ceremonial ‘passing of the torch.’
For one reason or another, many of Pat Patterson’s methods and ideas remain shrouded and watching this match as well as his other well-known masterpiece being the WrestleMania XII main event 60-minute Iron Man match between Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and Shawn Michaels. Add to this the invention of the Royal Rumble match and it is clear that the wrestling world will simply never be the same without Pat Patterson and his genius for professional wrestling.
In lieu of diving more into his vast knowledge and mind for the business, please enjoy arguably his greatest match, an Alley Fight between Patterson and Sgt. The slaughter that would end up being voted the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year in 1981.
