Line #28 Wrestling/KenPatera


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ken_Patera_7510.jpg]]
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3	Kenneth Wayne Patera (born November 6, 1942) is a retired American {{Professional Wrestl\|ing}}er and Olympic weightlifter from UsefulNotes/{{Portland}}, Oregon who is best known for his work for Wrestling/{{WWE}} and [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation the AWA]] in the 1970s and 1980s. He debuted in 1973 and would compete for a variety of territories. Among his in-ring achievements, he was a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]], a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-t.html AWA World Tag Team Champion]] and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/mo/mo-h.html NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion]]. In 1980, ''Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter'' named the Texas Death Match he had with Wrestling/BobBacklund on May 19th "Match of the Year."
4	----
5	!! "Olympic Strongman Tropes":
6	* AllAmericanFace: As a member of the Olympians with Wrestling/BradRheingans.
7	* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, Bobby Heenan
8	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: To say the least. He was a four-time champion at the U.S. National Weightlifting Championships, came in third in the 1977 World's Strongest Man Competition, and won gold at the Pan-American Games in 1971.
9	* FinishingMove: Swinging Full-Nelson Neckbreaker, BearHug
10	* {{Heel}}: ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' named him "Most Hated Wrestler" in 1977 and 1981.
11	* HeelFaceTurn: Shortly after Patera finished his two-year prison term, he was rehired by the WWF and agreed to become a babyface who had atoned for his ways and -- most importantly -- that Wrestling/BobbyHeenan had abandoned him and in fact all but became estranged from him while in prison. Following a series of vignettes which chronicled Patera's life -- a mix of real-life (such as his Olympic and weightlifting career, and what led him to prison) and kayfabe (his storylines, including Heenan abandoning him) -- that aired on national television, the storyline advanced to Heenan growing disgusted with fans embracing a "criminal" and demanded to confront him on television. Patera obliged, and after Heenan viciously insulted him, Patera had enough and beat Heenan to a pulp. Patera naturally began feuding with the Heenan Family and even got a few shots at his old Intercontinental Championship (by now, held by the Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan), but a legit injury ended his push, and he soon reverted to mid-card status.
12	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He had his first significant feud, against Johnny Valentine in Mid-Atlantic, as a face. He turned heel and was very successful in that role. He went face in 1987 WWE.
13	* HotbloodedSideburns: In his early days.
14	* JerkJock: An excellent athlete who was an arrogant heel.
15	* LeotardOfPower
16	* LightningBruiser
17	* PowerStable:
18	** (in the AWA): The Shiek's (Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie)'s Army
19	*** (in the AWA and WWE): [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan The Heenan Family]])
20	** (in NWA Mid-Atlantic): [[Wrestling/BuddyRogers Buddy Rogers' Army]]
21	* RedBaron: "WorldsStrongestMan"
22	* SmallNameBigEgo
23	* TagTeam:
24	** Both in the AWA: The Sheiks, with [[Wrestling/JerryBlackwell Jerry "The Crusher" Blackwell]]; and later The Olympians, with Brad Rheingans.
25	** WWF: Semi-regularly, with Big John Studd. Their most famous match was against Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, where they beat Andre unconscious and then cut his hair.
26	* UrExample: Paved the way for other Olympians (i.e. Wrestling/MarkHenry and Wrestling/KurtAngle) to come into Pro-Wrestling.
27	* [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Wearing A Flag As A Wrestling Attire]]

Context Wrestling / KenPatera