WWE to honor Pat Patterson in Montreal

Live tonight in Montreal, WWE will pay tribute to one of the most gifted and respected Superstars The Great White North has ever produced ? and we?re not talking about Bret ?Hit Man? Hart.

Pat Patterson ? the first Intercontinental Champion and perhaps the single most creative and influential member of Mr. McMahon?s staff ? will be honored in his hometown for his decades of service to WWE and his untold impact on the craft of sports-entertainment. (WATCH VIDEO PLAYLIST)

First entering the ring as a teenager in the late ?50s, Patterson made his name in the San Francisco area where he formed a hated tag team alongside the dangerous ?Crippler? Ray Stevens. Collectively known as The Blond Bombers, the inciting pair enraged Bay Area audiences and regularly sold out the Cow Palace during their wars with local heroes like ?Soul Man? Rocky Johnson.

When Patterson joined WWE at the tail end of the ?70s, he quickly wrestled his way into WWE history by winning a one-night tournament in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, to become the inaugural Intercontinental Champion. But the French-Canadian Superstar?s most famous WWE bout was his May 4, 1981, Alley Fight against Sgt. Slaughter. A shocking, no-holds-barred brawl, the match ? if one could call it that ? was so outrageous in its brutality that we cannot share footage of it on this website.

Pat retired from active competition in 1984, but went on to become an even more integral part of the WWE family. After a brief stint as a commentator alongside Mr. McMahon, Patterson turned his attention to helping younger Superstars learn the ways of the squared circle. As a producer, he drew upon his decades of ring experience to bring out the best in upcoming competitors and crafted what would become the Royal Rumble Match.

Mr. McMahon?s most trusted associate, Patterson returned to WWE TV during the late ?90s ?Attitude Era? alongside Gerald Brisco as one of The Chairman?s onscreen ?stooges.? Together, the WWE Hall of Famers had a ball as they tussled with Kane, aped Hulk Hogan, and competed in the first ? and hopefully last ? Hardcore Evening Gown Match. The antics of the stooges were often hilarious, but many WWE fans who were introduced to Patterson as Mr. McMahon?s hapless, numbskull lackey had little idea that they were watching one of sports-entertainment?s most respected figures.

Any confusion over the legacy of the 1996 WWE Hall of Fame inductee will be cleared up tonight in Montreal when Pat Patterson gets the tribute he so richly deserves. Let?s just hope he leaves his evening gown at home.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/wwe-honors-pat-patterson

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