'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE announced the sad news on Wednesday that Pat Patterson has died at the age of 79. Several WWE Superstars have been paying tributes to the Hall of Famer on social media, including Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Writing on Twitter, Reigns said Pat Patterson’s death is a “major loss” for the WWE family. He also mentioned his own family’s history with Patterson and the fact that he always liked to play jokes.
Pat Patterson passes away
Pat Patterson had a 41-year association with WWE. He joined the company in 1979 and became the first holder of the Intercontinental Championship in the same year. It is often said that he won the title in a tournament in Rio de Janeiro. However, in reality, the tournament was fictional and it never happened.
Although he enjoyed an accomplished in-ring career, Pat Patterson also had important roles behind the scenes in WWE over the last few decades. He worked closely with Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard on WWE’s creative team, while he recently helped up-and-coming Superstars in NXT.
In 2019, he pinned Drake Maverick to win the 24/7 Championship on the RAW Reunion episode of WWE RAW. This meant he became the oldest person (aged 78) to win a title in WWE.
Roman Reigns’ family history with Pat Patterson
As Roman Reigns wrote in his tweet, Pat Patterson worked alongside his family for many years in WWE. Reigns’ family history has been highlighted in recent weeks on WWE television, with Afa (his uncle) and Sika (his father) even making appearances.
Pat Patterson worked with both Afa and Sika during his days as an in-ring talent. He also had a close friendship with another of Reigns’ relatives, The Rock.
Everyone at SK Wrestling is thinking of Pat Patterson’s family and friends at this time.
