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Claude Patterson (born 1941) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Thunderbolt Patterson. He began his career in 1965 and wrestled primarily in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Professional wrestling career[]

Training and early career[]

Patterson had grown up in Iowa and worked for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa when he broke into professional wrestling in the Kansas City area. Promoter Gus Karras put Patterson in matches against Don Soto in 1964. In 1965, Patterson moved to Texas and worked with promoter Dory Funk Sr.. The following year, he traveled to California, where he held the WWA Tag Team Championship with Alberto Torres. He also continued to work in Texas, where he worked as a heel in the racist South.

In 1969, he worked for Big Time Wrestling in Michigan and Ohio.

In 1970, he feuded with Jose Lothario and held the Florida version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship.

Patterson agreed to work for the All-South Wrestling Alliance, an outlaw promotion (that is, one outside of the NWA) run by Ann Gunkel, the widow of his old friend and Georgia promoter Ray Gunkel, in the 1970s. He also spoke out against poor working conditions for wrestlers and sued for racial discrimination, and as a result, he was blacklisted from wrestling. He had been complaining about racism from promoters for many years (he would later recall that only Dory Funk Sr. had backed him) and wanted to start a wrestlers' union, a dream he shared with Jim Wilson a former NFL player and wrestler, himself blacklisted. It would be years, with Patterson working at the Los Angeles Times in the interim, before he would get another shot, when Dusty Rhodes took ill in Florida.

In 1976, he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship from Bruiser Brody. In 1977 He scored a surprise pinfall win over The Sheik in Toronto for the U.S. title but lost three weeks later.

Patterson joined Ole Anderson as a tag team partner in the early 1980s and they briefly held the NWA National Tag Team Championship. Ole's "relative", a young Arn Anderson, came to the sport, and Ole, saying he was "tired of carrying guys like Patterson and Dusty Rhodes" broke up with Patterson, and joined Arn in what would be the foundation for the Four Horsemen which would include NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard.

Patterson retired from the sport in 1994 (his last match was at Slamboree '93, where he teamed with Brad Armstrong to defeat Ivan Koloff and Baron Von Raschke).

Personal life[]

In 1988, he was a labor organizer for Service Employees International Union in Atlanta.

After retiring from professional wrestling, he began running a Christian camp for children. Patterson is also an ordained minister.

Championships and accomplishments[]

  • CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • ICW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time)
  • NWA Western States Sports
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version) (4 times)
  • WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Alberto Torres

External links[]

WWE Hall of Fame
1993
André the Giant
1994
Arnold SkaalandBobo BrazilBuddy RogersChief Jay StrongbowFreddie BlassieGorilla MonsoonJames Dudley
1995
Antonino RoccaErnie LaddGeorge SteeleIvan PutskiThe Fabulous MoolahThe Grand WizardPedro Morales
1996
Lou AlbanoJimmy SnukaJimmy ValiantJohnny RodzJohnny ValiantKiller KowalskiMikel SciclunaPat PattersonVince McMahon, Sr.
2004
Big John StuddBobby HeenanDon MuracoGreg ValentineHarley RaceJesse VenturaJunkyard DogPete RoseSgt. SlaughterSuperstar Billy GrahamTito Santana
2005
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
Bill WattsChris Von ErichDavid Von ErichDory Funk Jr.Fritz Von ErichHoward FinkelKerry Von ErichKevin Von ErichKoko B. WareMike Von ErichRicky SteamboatSteve AustinTerry Funk
2010
Antonio InokiBob UeckerGorgeous GeorgeMaurice VachonStu HartTed DiBiaseWendi Richter
2011
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2012
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2013
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2014
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2015
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2016
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2017
Bearcat WrightBeth PhoenixDiamond Dallas PageDr. Jerry GrahamEric LeGrandHaystacks CalhounJudy GrableJune ByersKurt AngleLuther LindsayMartin BurnsRick RudeRicky MortonRikidozanRobert GibsonTheodore LongToots Mondt
2018
Alfred HayesBoris MalenkoCora CombsDara SinghDudley BoyzEl SantoGoldbergHillbilly JimHiro MatsudaIvoryJarrius "JJ" RobertsonJeff JarrettJim LondosKid RockMark HenryRufus R. JonesSputnik MonroeStan Stasiak
2019
Bruiser BrodyBrutus BeefcakeBuddy RoseD-Generation X(Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac)Harlem Heat (Booker T, Stevie Ray)The Hart Foundation(Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart)Hisashi ShinmaThe Honky Tonk ManJim Barnett • Joseph Cohen • Luna VachonPrimo CarneraProfessor Toru TanakaS.D. Jones • Sue Aitchison • Torrie WilsonWahoo McDaniel
2020
Baron Michele LeoneThe Bella Twins (Nikki Bella, Brie Bella)Brickhouse BrownThe British BulldogGary HartJohn "Bradshaw" LayfieldJushin "Thunder" LigerNew World Order ("Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman)Ray StevensSteve WilliamsTitus O'NeilWilliam Shatner
2021
Buzz SawyerDick the BruiserEric BischoffEthel JohnsonThe Great KhaliKaneMolly HollyOzzy OsbournePaul BoeschPez Whatley • Rich Hering • Rob Van Dam
2022
The UndertakerSteiner Brothers (Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner)Big Van VaderQueen Sharmell
2023
Rey MysterioThe Great MutaAndy KaufmanStacy KeiblerTim White
2024
Paul HeymanBull NakanoU.S. ExpressMuhammad AliThunderbolt Patterson
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