Ken Patera
Ken Patera was a former heel professional wrestler.
Career
Ken Patera was one of the first WWF strongmen. He also wrestled for quite some time in the AWA. Patera was a former Olympic Weightlifter and USA powerlifter. His greatest success was as an Olympic Weightlifter. He was the first American to clean and jerk 500 lbs and the only american to clean and press 500 lbs. He was a serious competitor to the Soviet legend Vasily Alexeev but he failed to total at the 1972 Olympic games. After the press (a lift Patera was disproportionately talented in) was eliminated from competition, Patera's weightlifting career was over. Patera, was arguably, the last American to excel at Weightlifing on an international level. Patera became a professional wrestler in the old AWA, he also had great success in the NWA Mid Atlantic, and the WWF. At the height of his career he simultaneously held the WWF's Intercontinental Championship, and the NWA's Missouri Championship – two of the most important non World Championship titles of that era. He also did some jail time with for throwing a boulder threw a window at McDonald's when it was closed and they were hungry in the 1980's.
Profile
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 264 lbs.
- Birthday: November 6, 1942
- Hometown: Portland, Oregon
- Debut: 1973
- Trainer: Verne Gagne
- Managers: Adnan El Kassey, Bobby Heenan
Championships/Accomplishments
- 1-Time WWF Intercontinental Champion
- 2-Time NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion (with Big John Studd)
- 2-Time AWA World Tag Team Champion (with Brad Rheingans & Jerry Blackwell)
- 2-Time Mid-Southern International Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time Georgia Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time Tri-State Tag Team Champion (with Killer Kox)
- 1-Time PWA Tag Team Champion (with Baron Von Raschke)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 127 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. PWI also ranked him # 75 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Jerry Blackwell.