Gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks
![gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ssKHb4YKujfM4QThGW12cMqG1eU=/1400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19933893/Candy_Lee_3_Edited.jpg)
- #GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS PRO#
- #GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS PROFESSIONAL#
- #GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS SERIES#
In a main-event match at Madison Square Garden on, Patterson staged a bloody In September 1979, Patterson was named the WWE’s inaugural Intercontinental Champion as he continued to cement his status as one of the brightest stars in the game. Was the only wrestler to do so during Backlund’s six-year reign as champion.
![gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks](https://i.etsystatic.com/24030321/r/il/662b1e/2717832078/il_300x300.2717832078_h19a.jpg)
Patterson went on to face Backlund in four consecutive matches at the Garden. While commonplace today, the twist ending was unprecedented at the time. The stalemate finish had been the brainchild of Patterson. With both men down for the count, the match ended in a doubleĭisqualification. Their match at the Garden on 30 July 1979 gained notoriety for its dramatic ending: while Patterson’s managerĭistracted the referee, Patterson pulled a pair of brass knuckles from his trunks and knocked out Backlund Backlund’s manager then used Backlund’s championship belt to knock out Patterson.
#GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS SERIES#
In the summer of 1979, McMahon booked Patterson as the heel in a series of matches against Bob Backlund, the WWE’s top draw and most popular star. His World Wrestling Federation (known as World Wrestling Entertainment since 2002) was the most popular wrestling draw in the New York region. In 1979, a Los Angeles promoter put Patterson in touch with Vince McMahon Sr. Patterson spent the next three years wrestling under various promotions, including the popular American Wrestling Association (AWA) and overseas with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In 1977, Patterson and Dondero moved to Florida. “I just think it’s important to stress how easy it wasĭuring his time in San Francisco, Patterson began to take on a bigger role behind the scenes, booking smaller shows and helping to orchestrate match results. He encountered the occasional incident of homophobia but was highly respected among his peers. Patterson’s sexual orientation was an open secret in wrestling circles, and something he never hid. He also became embedded in San Francisco’s queer community. In 1965, Patterson moved to San Francisco, where he and Ray “Crippler” Stevens formed the tag team the Blond Bombers. The popular act helped propel Patterson to top billing at wrestling shows. Patterson would be rude and abusive toward his manager, but the moment his opponent laid a hand on Dondero, Patterson would explode in anger and fight in Dondero’sĭefence.
![gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks gay men wrestling in a ring in trunks](https://static0.thesportsterimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Brooklyn-Brawler-wwe.jpg)
In Patterson’s mostĬommon gimmick at the time, Dondero would take on the role of Patterson’s in-ring manager. Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon, where he took on the persona “Pretty Boy.” He continued to develop a rich understanding of performance psychology. After being recruited by French Canadian wrestling icon Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, Patterson moved to Pacific Me that’s so much more than a boyfriend.”īefore long, Patterson earned a reputation as a standout performer. “It was always ‘my friend Louie.’… And to “I never introduced Louie as my boyfriend,” Patterson wrote. The two became a couple and were partners until Dondero’s death in 1998. Louie Dondero, who was working in a slaughterhouse when he met Patterson. In 1961, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to wrestle for Tony Santos’s Big Time Wrestling promotion. Patterson came out to his parents at the age of 16, only to be angrily rejected by his father and told to leave the house. It was a quality that quickly drew him favour with veteran wrestlers and bookers alike. He would do whatever it took to make opponents look good and earn the crowd’s support. He prided himself in playing the bad guy (the heel, in wrestling parlance).
#GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS PRO#
At 17, Patterson had his first pro match and continued to hone both his technical ability and his wrestling skills. Wrestling promoter who staged shows in the province. He began training with local wrestler Gilles “Cyclone” Samson, whose father, Sylvio, was a Montreal-area
#GAY MEN WRESTLING IN A RING IN TRUNKS PROFESSIONAL#
He dreamed of entertaining crowds, whether it be as a singer or a figure skater.Īt the age of 14, he was introduced to professional wrestling. “I was already living in the closet,” he wrote in his 2016 autobiography, Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE.Īs a child, Patterson was a natural performer. At night, he slept in the hallway in a folding bed he kept inside a closet. One of nine siblings in a two-bedroom apartment with no hot water. He legally changed his name in 2009.) The son of a milkman, he grew up in poverty, (He was born Pierre Clermont but began wrestling under the pseudonym Pat Patterson in 1958. Pat Patterson was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1941. "File: Pat Patterson April 2014 crop.jpg" by Cropped and rotated version of photoīy Miguel Discart from Bruxelles, Belgique is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Early Years