Pat Patterson "Comes Out"

[Jack-Hammer]

On last night's season finale of WWE Legends House, WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson officially came out of the closet and publicly acknowledged that he's gay. The emotional segment featured Patterson mentioning his partner of more than 40 years having died of a heart attack. I don't remember all of the details exactly, can't remember if he told the name of his partner for instance, but that he had passed away. Legends House was filmed back in 2012, so I'm assuming his partner died sometime before the filming of the show in 2012 or in 2011.

Pat Patterson's homosexuality has been jokingly referred to by some wrestling personalities and insiders as the worst kept secret in pro wrestling. During the Attitude Era, while Patterson & Gerald Brisco were Vince's "stooges", Jim Ross would sometimes joke about Patterson doing "rear end work at Brisco Brothers' Body Shop in Tampa", which I never got sick of hearing. However, last night's episode was, if I'm not mistaken, Patterson's first public acknowledgement of his sexual orientation apart from his closest friends and relatives.

Patterson was 71 years old at the time the show was filmed and I think the segment mentioned that he'd personally acknowledged his sexual orientation for 50 years. Coming of age during the 1960s, arguably the single most turbulent 10 years in American history, as a gay man in a macho oriented profession like professional wrestling had to be pretty damn hard at times. I'm sure that Patterson often heard other people joking or making derisive comments towards gays, probably the same jokes & comments most of us have heard & made ourselves. In order to keep up appearances in many cases, he may have even told those same sort of jokes/comments as well.

Since he's officially come out, I wonder if he'll make an appearance on Raw in the near future. Patterson coming out has been covered by the mainstream media and has caused some buzz, so it'll be something of a surprise if Vince doesn't try to capitalize on it in some way.

 

[Tyrant25]

This "coming out" shtick is ridiculously blown out of proportion. Wrestling fans have been aware of Patterson's sexuality for quite some time, there was no need for Patterson to make it a formal thing. And what are the odds that Patterson "came out" during an episode of Legend's House... I'm sure that wasn't planned.

I have nothing against gay people, but one thing that I really can't understand is why they try to make a big thing out of "coming out." They say they don't want attention, they say straight and gay are just one big entity, yet they have to have the cake and ice cream for their big "reveal." I think the ONLY way for gay people to achieve the "equality" they've been looking for is to stop looking for attention and starting treating it like anything else.

 

[r2d2ott]

"Those people on the internet know more about me than I do." - Pierre Clermont

The show isn't made for you. It's because people like you make him feel so uncomfortable by making his personal life your business that now he's finally able to just be himself at this stage in his life. Which is too damn old.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Anyone who is old enough to actually know who Pat Patterson IS, already knew this.

I find the whole thing confusing. Are we supposed to believe that the other legends were surprised to hear him "come out"? Patterson's sexuality wasn't just the "worst kept secret" backstage, it was common knowledge. He even joked about it w/ the guys, including Hardcore Holly who took umbrage w/ Patterson saying to him "you don't want to be bending down in front of me". (BTW, read Holly's book, even if you don't care about his career, read it)

 

[akathelaw]

This "coming out" shtick is ridiculously blown out of proportion. Wrestling fans have been aware of Patterson's sexuality for quite some time, there was no need for Patterson to make it a formal thing. And what are the odds that Patterson "came out" during an episode of Legend's House... I'm sure that wasn't planned.

I have nothing against gay people, but one thing that I really can't understand is why they try to make a big thing out of "coming out." They say they don't want attention, they say straight and gay are just one big entity, yet they have to have the cake and ice cream for their big "reveal." I think the ONLY way for gay people to achieve the "equality" they've been looking for is to stop looking for attention and starting treating it like anything else.

Well, you can't say you have nothing against gay people. You clearly have something against them acknowledging who they are, if the act of coming out bothers you. When you are straight, society expects you to be based on gender identity, so engaging in a relationship with the opposite sex does not require any announcement. At this current time in our society gay people are often expected to hide their sexuality. Straight men can affirm their heterosexuality all day, with mudflap girls on their truck or whatever. It would be nice if gay folks didn't have to announce their sexuality, but unfortunately they do, otherwise they'll inadvertently shock anyone who knows them, since it's assumed that everyone is heterosexual. Sensitivity and understanding don't make you look tough, but it does make you a strong person.

 

[Pedigree1]

Kudos to Pat Patterson for coming out.. Us old school fans already knew this,but the newer viewers may have not known this... Growing up in a time such as the sixties,had to be hard on him in such a macho sport like Pro Wrestling...

I remember the jokes on the attitude era,making reference to his sexuality.. Pat had to give the Okay on those jokes it was highly offensive im sure to him.. The legends of legends house,already knew he was gay so it wasnt a shock.. But to public acknowledge it,is a different story all in itself.. Awesome for Pat and im sure Vince will capitalize on this,its a heartwarming story..

 

[babinko]

Just finished watching the episode right now. Heres my take on the whole matter:

The fans who come on these websites to talk wrestling, read rumors/spoilers, and find out more inside information on the wrestlers themselves already knew that Patterson was gay. Watching the whole series, there were little jabs using gay innuendos. Even Patterson himself jokes about it. The fact of the matter is he never has publicly stated it. Those posters who call out the other Legends for acting "shocked" and how scripted the reaction was, did you even watch the responses of their faces when he said it? They weren't even giving that "holy cow" shocked look. They knew it was time for him to say it. It was already accepted. Were living in a more accepting society today so it's great for Patterson just to say to the world, "I'm Gay", even if it is widely known backstage or on the internet. The fact that he never publicly said those two words for 50 years and now said it can finally be put to rest.

I thought some of the other stories we heard were compelling. Hart, Duggan, and Mean Gene. It was a moment where all these guys came together to tell some of there darkest days, even if its known. Nobody should come on here bashing something that is claimed to be widely known. Guy is trying to just finally say it and get it out of there.

Great series btw. Hope they have a second season next year.

 

[r2d2ott]

I love how there's always a "but" when someone says "I have nothing against gay people." and then they continue to prove that they have something against gay people.

I have nothing against gay people.

 

[PRMETFAN]

Well he "came out" decades ago but i guess he decided to "come out" again as a publicity stunt so Wwe can get more subscibers. This is a really pathetic "publicity stunt.

CNN's Anderson Copper did the same time a little while ago. He decided to "come out" years after already having "come out" years ago. I guess CNN wanted the publicity and needed the viewers.

All gays please take note you can only "come out" once. You can't be "coming out" whenever you want publicity come on!

 

[closet_fan]

I don't ever remember PP saying officially "I'm gay." It seemed more of his orientation getting passed around that everyone knew, but he didn't say anything.

Kudos to him for doing so. There's a difference between people knowing you're gay and you actually saying "Hey I'm gay."

but one thing that I really can't understand is why they try to make a big thing out of "coming out."

If you aren't gay, then you don't know what it's like to have to hide it. We were friends with a guy at work who was gay, but never told anyone. It was just assumed. He finally felt comfortable telling people who he really was.

You take a big risk by revealing yourself like that. Your whole life changes. "Will my friends still stay my friends?" "Will I have problems at work?" "Will my family disown me?"

I can't imagine having to reveal something like that, but good things and (unfortunately) bad things come of it.

Besides that, I'm glad everyone let out something "non-wrestling" that had happened to them.

 

[Harthan]

The fact tat it's caused general buzz is as good an argument for any as to why they had Pat do it - sure, it's been known and acknowledged for some time, but clearly, not everyone was aware. It's also a show produced by the WWE about wrestling, so there's absolutely no reason they shouldn't stage things and work in kayfabe, so yeah.

Overall I thought the whole scene was amazingly cool and really emotional - as close to a real moment in wrestling as you're ever going to get.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Well, you can't say you have nothing against gay people. You clearly have something against them acknowledging who they are, if the act of coming out bothers you. When you are straight, society expects you to be based on gender identity, so engaging in a relationship with the opposite sex does not require any announcement. At this current time in our society gay people are often expected to hide their sexuality. Straight men can affirm their heterosexuality all day, with mudflap girls on their truck or whatever. It would be nice if gay folks didn't have to announce their sexuality, but unfortunately they do, otherwise they'll inadvertently shock anyone who knows them, since it's assumed that everyone is heterosexual. Sensitivity and understanding don't make you look tough, but it does make you a strong person.

I don't care if they're straight, gay, pansexual, whatever... Nobody needs to make such a big deal out of it. I've got friends that are gay, and I know they're gay. They told me they were, but it wasn't really a big thing that most people make it out to be. Most of the time it would go...

"Dude, I'm gay."

"Oh, well cool. Pass the pizza."

Because who gives a shit about what you do in your spare time and the privacy of your own home?

 

[Kizzani]

The reason wwe made such a huge deal of it is the same reason NFL made a huge deal of Micheal Sam coming out as gay. It is not a big deal, but it is a hot topic in current events so the WWE will jump on anything they can to try and grab up a few more fans.

Coming out is a fucking joke now, Most of the time you know who the gay people are. When I was younger I lived with my cousin and she was openly gay from around 14 years old.
I am sure I am going to catch heat for this, but suck it up butter cup. The world is full of chicken S&^t people who can't be proud of who they are. Pro Wrestling is a AMAZING example. Arenas are full all the time, merch gets bought up in record numbers. Kids, adults, teens men and women fill these stadiums full flaunting belts, shirts, etc but out in town driving around how many people do you see or hear speaking about wrestling....VERY FEW...But they'll talk football, Dancing with the stars, American idol and so forth, but to mention wwe nope not at all. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

There are GLBT in EVERY walk of life, Sorry Pat Patterson but we have already had wrestlers come out, so nice try and getting rating but you failed.

I am glad it took Pat Patterson 70+ years to become a man and be himself.

If you didn't see that coming, crawl out from under a rock please.

 

[akathelaw]

I don't care if they're straight, gay, pansexual, whatever... Nobody needs to make such a big deal out of it. I've got friends that are gay, and I know they're gay. They told me they were, but it wasn't really a big thing that most people make it out to be. Most of the time it would go...

"Dude, I'm gay."

"Oh, well cool. Pass the pizza."

Because who gives a shit about what you do in your spare time and the privacy of your own home?

A whole lot of people give a shit. Far too many, honestly. Believe me, I know your head is in the right place, but we're not yet in that time where being gay is just accepted and cool, there's lots of people who demonize any other sexuality but their own. People were worried Darren Young was going to get fired from WWE when he came out. He still may get fired for other reasons like many have, but it really was a big deal that he came out and was supported. "Coming out" is a step towards gay acceptance, and yes eventually it won't be necessary, but it still somewhat is.

 

[BigBombB]

Knowing the history of Piper and Patterson, seeing Piper that close to Patterson while that happened was super uncomfortable...and Patterson is possibly the worst spokesperson possible for any culture, be it wrestling, sexuality, or anything else. But its nice WWE is able to get some mileage out of it, I'm sure they'll quickly sweep it back under the rug before any talk of past events gets too heated.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There are several issues at work here and it'd be easy to lump them all into "He's Gay".

The reason this is a BIG thing for the WWE is because of the allegations surrounding Pat in the past. He was accused of some pretty heinous stuff and Piper seems to be one of the guys who believed something happened "to him" rather than "with him" which is probably closer to the truth... For WWE to finally ALLOW Pat to come out on camera is a massive deal as 20 or so years ago there was a massive scandal that could have destroyed the WWE at the time. It's the flip side of Darren Young, where it's an ultra positive thing. There is some darkness to the tale of Pat whether justified or more likely not. It's the tale of a guy living as a gay man time when being gay wasn't seen a a good thing, in a business that in many ways was more tolerant than most of society but where publicly it was still taboo.

I don't know facts, only my gut... there are some who became persona non grata in WWE, to the extent they re-edit Hulk V Andre on the DVD to avoid showing them. And then there is Pat.. still front and centre but the one guy who perhaps acknowledged he is gay backstage so he got pulled into the accusations. Some may have taken Pat up on offers or even taken "advantage" to try and get ahead so to speak. It's no different in Hollywood, an office or anywhere. Only in 2014, people go to jail for such things... in 1990, not really... Everyone at that table knew the score, knew the accusations and were willing to sit there and go through it. Some like Fink and Jimmy seemed really genuinely moved, that they had perhaps been the guys who believed in Pat all that time ago and "got" why it was a big thing for others like Atlas, hell he's had his foot fetish plastered all over the world so he'd get it.

If Piper was SO angry, he'd not be in the house with Pat, much less at the table and I heard the podcast/interview... he said he was 21 at the time so hardly a "boy", just naive and a rookie who now regrets something he did. That since he has become "uncomfortable" tells a lot.

This is WWE basically openining itself up... the videos talking about this are out there on youtube, they don't own them, they can't pull them down and they didn't sue into oblivion so the reality is SOMETHING probably happened with some guys... Pat may have been involved or more likely was the only openly gay guy people could point to. For WWE to acknowledge that, to let Pat go out on camera and say something he probably wanted to for a long long time, knowing that people will then go and look and see that there is some "murkiness" is a massively brave thing for all parties and deserves respect.

 

[streicher187]

Congrats to him and wish him all the happiness in life..

If you don't think it's a big deal or brave to come out ask the couple people in Texas who were beat almost to death for being gay or the lady who was beat up by a group of guys after they recognized her from her lesbian wedding on the news. Heck Texas even has "gay correction" as a platform for the GOP..

 

[Bythedockofthebay]

A whole lot of people give a shit. Far too many, honestly. Believe me, I know your head is in the right place, but we're not yet in that time where being gay is just accepted and cool, there's lots of people who demonize any other sexuality but their own. People were worried Darren Young was going to get fired from WWE when he came out. He still may get fired for other reasons like many have, but it really was a big deal that he came out and was supported. "Coming out" is a step towards gay acceptance, and yes eventually it won't be necessary, but it still somewhat is.

I agree and disagree, I think it can be done to death and causes a backlash in a way towards the gay community. The WWE hasn't done a bad job but the NFL and the media killed the Michael Sam story with overexposure and beating the topic to death. It should be a "he's the first gay man drafted to NFL, that's cool" but the constant hammering of the subject I think bugs people. Including myself, I can't tell you if Manning, Rodgers, or Wilson are married or not. I'm sure I could look it up but I just don't care. I don't care about their private lives in that way. If Aaron Rodgers is gay, great for him, just don't message it every ten seconds like they did with the Michael Sam thing.

 

[milkman12]

Don't really care about his sexual orientation. Don't really feel like he deserves a freaking award for coming out as gay, just as John Cena doesn't deserve an award for sexually being involved with Nikki Bella. What he did/does on his free time is irrelevant to him as a wrestler and on screen character.

 

[milkman12]

I thinks they shove peoples homosexuality down our throats like ESPN often does which in turn leads to people resenting the topic/coverage not the people. I could care less what anyone does in their life but if they don't want to run stories on straight players I don't need ones on gay players/wrestlers either. Equality at least true equality is really moving past caring about sexual orientation and just appreciated the person for how they perform whether athlete or wrestler.

 

[CM Punk is a Jew]

I hope the countless aspiring wrestlers he molested over his many years at the gate of the professional wrestling industry have the courage to "come out" next. I wonder what Brooklyn Brawler thought about Patterson's "partner of forty years" when he was getting bent over motel coffee tables and sodomized night after night. Of course, here's the obligatory disclaimer that gays are "just like us" and whatever they do in their private time is of no concern to anybody, which is why it's a fitting topic for family-friendly television.

 

[d_henderson1810]

A whole lot of people give a shit. Far too many, honestly. Believe me, I know your head is in the right place, but we're not yet in that time where being gay is just accepted and cool, there's lots of people who demonize any other sexuality but their own. People were worried Darren Young was going to get fired from WWE when he came out. He still may get fired for other reasons like many have, but it really was a big deal that he came out and was supported. "Coming out" is a step towards gay acceptance, and yes eventually it won't be necessary, but it still somewhat is.

Why were you worried that Darren Young would be fired from the WWE, if it was revealed that he was gay? Pat Patterson worked for WWE for over thirty years, and you can't tell me that Vince didn't know that Pat was gay. If Vince was bothered by it to fire Darren Young, he would have fired Patterson a long time ago as well.

WWE have had other gay wrestlers in its ranks before. Orlando Jordan is apparently bisexual, and Chris Kanyon was gay.

If Darren Young is ever released, I'm worried that WWE will cop flak from the gay lobby for homophobia, when Young may have been released for other reasons, such as lack of TV time, or not knowing what to do with him now that Prime Time Players have broken up.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I'm reminded of what Bret Hart wrote about Pat Patterson in his book. I'm paraphrasing here since I don't have the book in front of me:

"Pat Patterson was famous in the wrestling industry for being openly gay and not caring who knew about it".

His 'coming out' was obviously nothing but a ratings ploy for Legends House. Even if he's never officially 'come out' in public, every single guy in that house has known that Pat is gay for as long as they've known Pat (and in each case, they've known the guy for at least 3 decades), and if any of them ever had a problem with Pat being gay, I'm sure it's been a long time since they came to terms with it. So to have them act shocked at his announcement... well that's 'reality tv' for you. It was fake, and it doesn't do what was otherwise a pretty good show any service.

The entire thing could have been handled a lot better in my eyes. They could have had Pat mention it at the start of the season if they felt the need to have him 'come out', and I'm sure if they needed to have some 'shocking' reveal for the finale, any one of the guys there has a load of real secrets that they could have used instead.

 

[milkman12]

Apparently, I cannot voice my opinion on this forum but all I simply said was that Pat Patterson is a homosexual man who enjoys men over women which is not factually inaccurate at all. The fact that I said it in slang and this website refuses to acknowledge slang is a joke. Yes, he's gay, yes he likes guys. So what, stop being so sensitive. Limiting my opinion is so homophobic especially since I come from a gay household and this is stuff my dads joke about.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Good for him lol.

Makes that video that came out around Wrestlemania of Piper crying about Patterson making it hard for him (no pun intended, really) when he was starting out kinda weird though.