Face or heel, i have a deep respect for Ken Patera. He was one of a kind.

The guy looks like four completely different people in his life: 1. Pre WWF. 2. WWF (1st run) 3. WWF (2nd run) 4. Retired.

@taekwondotime

6 жыл бұрын

Well, if I look at someone like John Cena or Hulk Hogan, they looked the same throughout their wrestling career. I look the same today as I did 10 years ago or 20 years ago, albeit slightly less hair. :D I'd guess that most people wouldn't be able to recognize Ken Patera from his 1st WWF run to his 2nd. They certainly wouldn't recognize him from his Olympic days that's for sure.

@Maniac_Matt

4 жыл бұрын

Totally agree

@rfjohns4452

3 жыл бұрын

People age differently it may speed up then go back to normal.

@JoeG2324

3 жыл бұрын

yeah, you're right. he looks like 3 different 40 year old men during the first 3 stages excluding retirement

@Plexpara

3 жыл бұрын

better as dudes like j.j. dillon.same look his whole life.

This man's physical strength is terrifying.

@deeward5572

Жыл бұрын

Tony Atlas...600 Bench

@charlessavoie2367

Жыл бұрын

@@deeward5572 Tony Atlas had pencil legs, two pound squat.

@UpChuckTheBoogie

7 ай бұрын

​@@charlessavoie2367😂That's the truth

@charlessavoie2367

7 ай бұрын

@@UpChuckTheBoogie Somewhere there's a report of Patera at 340 pounds doing a dead stop standing broad jump of ten feet six inches! Try that one sometime.

I didn't see Ken Patera in wrestling until the mid 1980s and late 1980s. Ken Patera was much older and smaller at that point in time than he is here. This younger version of Ken Patera is absolutely HUGE. His arms, shoulders, traps, chest, and entire upper body are truly ENORMOUS!

@jpozenel

3 ай бұрын

The aspect ratio of a video often makes everyone look "thicker" than they actually are.

@anthonyluisi7096

Ай бұрын

Never seen shoulders so Damn wide except for powerlifter Doug Young in the 70’s 😮

That truck stunt was literally life and death. Crazy. Crazy stunt and crazy how they just did it with very little drama, as if he wasn't doing something that could have killed him.

@JamesStreet-tp1vb

8 ай бұрын

I wonder what would have happened if the wall caved in? Lol.

@christopherjames9843

4 ай бұрын

Pretty sure the guy did a brake torque.

Patera was built like a Sherman tank... holy crap!

@georgedunn7825

5 жыл бұрын

philaman1972

@georgedunn7825

5 жыл бұрын

sounds like your a fan . I was just talking about the truck stunt a couple days ago and found it here. saw it originally when I was about ten on Saturday morning. You think he really did that?

@madridhotwrestling

4 жыл бұрын

Agree, a huge size bull

@masterfulsky

3 жыл бұрын

@@georgedunn7825 i think they put oil under the tyres to make them spin

@rodzor

2 жыл бұрын

@@georgedunn7825 reckon there is some kind of attachment or chain on the hitch connected to something else holding it back

The announcer is the worlds strongest voice

Ken was a huge monster .

I remember when he holds back the truck with his legs like it was yesterday. It was recorded right here in Raleigh, NC at the WRAL TV 5 studios and he is being interviewed by Bob Caudle who was WRAL's weatherman until he became the on-air personality for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

The gentleman on the cover picture was a man named Bob Caudle. It was taken at WRAL Channel 5 in Raleigh NC. My dad used to be a floor director for the wrestling show in the 70’s there. The video holding the truck back, my dad was doing the directions for that clip. He said Ken was the nicest guy there was.

@TheGeniemaster100

11 ай бұрын

Bob Caudle recently turned 93 years.

I remember when Patera held back that pickup truck, I was 10 or 11 and I was like wow!!!

Living Legend....Ken Patera.

What a beast. As a Bob Backlund fan,Patera always scared the bejesus out of me as a kid. He was so big, strong and dominant. Always thought he woul beat Backlund , but was never able to. Ken was certainly a force and he was an amazing heel. Very believable.

@duraco87

4 ай бұрын

My money is on Bob Backlund against anyone !!! lol

Thank you Kim for all of years of your professionalism love you so much

@johnlarson727

5 жыл бұрын

Ken Patera text talk mistake no disrespect

The thickness of his chest is mind blowing.

Wow the clips from the AWA training center, a barn in the wintertime. Great video here with some great history of old school wrestling.

@razzledingle

2 ай бұрын

That's Verne Gagne's barn!

It would have been awesome to have a test of strength competition at Ken Patera in his prime versus Ted Arcidi, Mark Henry, and Bill Kazmier.

@michaelradzicki2004

5 жыл бұрын

They did. There was a strongman competition on I believe ABC TV back in the late 1970s. Kazmier won. Patera came in 3rd I believe. He was legit angry because the last event was a 1-on-1 tug of war between him and Kazmier and Kaz was a lot heavier than Patera. When he lost, Patera was yelling "I'm coming back next year with 50 pounds of fat on me." or something along those lines. Kazmier just laughed at him.

@georgeelmerdenbrough6906

4 жыл бұрын

@@michaelradzicki2004 It wasn't Kazmeier . It was another guy whose name escapes me . But Ken Had an injured back at the time and was 60 lbs lighter .

@michaelradzicki2004

4 жыл бұрын

Andrew Gardener I had to look it up. It was Bruce Wilhelm that beat Patera in the tug of war.

@billyanderson6457

2 жыл бұрын

Kaz is by far the strongest of the bunch.

A real Powerful Warrior...

Nice truck!

Remember, this guy said that Andre the Giant had more natural strength than anyone who he had met.

@markl5998

Жыл бұрын

I believe it

@adamdesanti6713

3 ай бұрын

If Andre actually lifted weights and used steroids could you imagine?

@nerdsworthpoindexter6661

3 ай бұрын

@@adamdesanti6713 Imagine a 7 foot true power lifter.

I liked his teaming up with John Studd ❤

WOW. I have never seen a piece of tape from the old, mid-70s, Mid-Atlantic area look so good. I remember seeing this on Saturday morning Mid-Atlantic Wrestling show that came on at 11:00 a.m. Caudill was great. I sure wish you had more of these quality clips. That mickey on Ken's head, I'd bet money, was from a hilarious in-studio scene the week (or two) before where, still trying to establish his bona fides with local wrestling fans as to his super strength, Black Jack Mulligan challenged Patera to a bench press contest. Of course, as the weights ratcheted up, Mulligan couldn't keep up, so Mulligan took him out while he was prostrate on the bench with hundreds of pounds on the bar! What a surprise. Hilarious for this 13-year old who loved the heels.

I always thought he made strength a beautiful and crafty thing ...the only man to have ever done that...he was one of a kind.

4 minutes in Ken does the truck and wall. I remember watching this on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

Pretty scary when you see those wheels going. No way to stop in time if something gave out.

@21stCenturyTemplar.

3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same! That could turn into something very ugly and very bloody!!!

Dont ever tell this man he cant have a cheeseburger!

Awesome footage ive never seen and i thought id seen everything on Ken

@horizontoday7874

6 жыл бұрын

Steve Mcqueen For some reason, he's being purposely left out of the hall of fame

Ken Patera was the first good guy I saw turn bad guy while the wrestling match was going on in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. I think it was the mid to late 1970s. He made me believe. The fans of that era were left speechless when this took place. The ability to draw money takes a certain skill and Ken Patera drew money in those days.

INCREDIBLE. AT 5:42 AFTER HE HOLDS BACK THE TRUCK THE MICROPHONE IS PICKING UP THE SOUND OF HIS HEART POUNDING THROUGH HIS CHEST AS HE IS FINISHING THE INTERVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

@Keranu

Жыл бұрын

Lol if that is indeed the sound of his heart beat, holy crap.

@40colby

Жыл бұрын

@@Keranu It is!

@Keranu

Жыл бұрын

@@40colby As if the perm and lifting a truck with spinning wheels wasn't funny enough, the audible heart pounding picked up on the mic makes this video more hilarious. I would have never caught that if you didn't comment on his heart beat. Lol so funny and intense.

It's all up to you in that ring. That's why he chose Professional Wrestling. Ken Patera is both mind and body.

Holy shit. I've never seen Ken in his prime, only after he arrived in WWF. He was bigger than a brick shit house.

@wagsoman

6 жыл бұрын

yeah he was lol

@therealestlebomba8959

6 жыл бұрын

Steroids

@WZ912

6 жыл бұрын

nope!

@michaelray5943

6 жыл бұрын

JagsFan '95 I have seen Ken Patera, and he has monstrous strength

@theloaner4378

5 жыл бұрын

The rear break adjusters were backed off, breaks applied, front wheels locked rear wheels spin . The old trick made for a helluva gimmick. notice how front tire doesnt creep even a hair. Its breaks are locked.

A real athlete in the class with Bruno, Backlund, and Angle

you can see why Verne was so reluctant to get on board with the WWF cartoon style, he really like to have real athletes, football and wrestling drive his business..it was a way to maintain the illusion. He just didn't realize that the audience was seeing the flashy New York style and it was inevitable

@michaelmclaren1333

Жыл бұрын

Vince raided the top talent of most major promotions. the "cartoon" style was advertised towards kids and it worked. In Vince's vision if you liked Canadian style, you can see them on WWF, if you liked the stars from the uwf, you can see them on the WWF, if you liked mid south, you could see them on the WWF. Jim Crockett was the only one that kept fighting back but even he ran out of $. Turner was a godsend for everyone that loved southern wrestling.

@bobbyhulll8737

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelmclaren1333 in Central Canada in Winnipeg we had the AWA .. and Verne liked guys that were good technical wrestlers like Bockwinkel .. if Verne and the rest had banded together they might have had a chance to build a rival with a different flavour but the one thing for sure the promotion was going to change with TV and the way the market was changing .

@michaelmclaren1333

Жыл бұрын

@@bobbyhulll8737 my uncle hated the WWF so I got to see most of the nwa/WCW PPVs at his house. Not as bright and flashy but I still liked learning about the southern style

This is the early 70s and Patera looks like he is in the mid 40s

@masterfulsky

3 жыл бұрын

everyone in the 70s looked 40 even the toddlers

@beejay271

3 жыл бұрын

@@masterfulsky 😂😂💀 FYI: The announcer at the beginning was only 23. FACTS LOL

@rfjohns4452

3 жыл бұрын

When you weigh 350-360 pounds it does make you look older.

@Deeky76

2 жыл бұрын

@@masterfulsky 😂👍

I remember seeing this pickup truck deal and wondered who did it all this time

@18winsagin

3 жыл бұрын

I Saw it when he done it on television, it was built up and I couldn't wait to see it I was a kid pretty much.

He could have been the NWA's Sammartino

@WZ912

6 жыл бұрын

YES!

@jonathanturbide2232

6 жыл бұрын

Blacques Jacques Too bad he had very little charisma and was murdering promos left and right, he could have been a huge mega star. I mean he did great in the AWA and for a short while as IC champ but wow, his career went downhill fast in the mid 80's.

The WWF version of this skit is hilarious! McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes make for great sidemen and nearly kill Ken!

Thats Ric Flair Kenny is throwing around

@coda700

6 жыл бұрын

Blacques Jacques yeah when Patera bodyslammed him, I'm surprised Flair didnt scream " oh God, my back!!!"...lol

@APOCALYPSE_X-MEN

5 жыл бұрын

Old Ric when he was about 25 pounds heavier.

@georgeelmerdenbrough6906

4 жыл бұрын

@@APOCALYPSE_X-MEN Think 60 lbs

@APOCALYPSE_X-MEN

4 жыл бұрын

@@georgeelmerdenbrough6906 It depends on what version of Flair you're talking about. I was thinking late 70s-very early 80s Flair when he was maybe 240-250. Flair looks like he's 270-280 here. Classic mid late 80s Flair is like 225-230.

1:57: The Iron Sheik. Eggszactly!

@adamdesanti6713

3 ай бұрын

Yes! Good catch. Early Kosrow Vasiri in his amateur wrestling days. This must be when he came over to America became assistant coach to the US Olympic team.

The footage from him pushing the truck away from the WRAL Studios right here in my hometown of Raleigh, NC!!! Patera was one of childhood favorites!!!

@teller121

6 жыл бұрын

I saw it live '75-'76 in my Mt. Pleasant, SC living room on a Saturday morning showing of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. I've never seen a Mid-Atlantic clip this clear and seemingly shot recently. I sure wish there were more like this. I have so many old scenes in mind from my youth involving Johnny Valentine, Super Destroyer, Mulligan, Flair and Andersons, but it would be great to see them this fresh again. I know that won't happen but when I saw this clip today for first time, it made me wonder where someone even found this one, and that if there's one, maybe there's more.

One of my childhood heros

Ken Patera was strong for sure, but Paul Anderson was the strongest with feats of strength such as a world record back lift of 6,270 pounds - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Anderson_(weightlifter)

@eddieisgreat5150

3 жыл бұрын

What did he do for this 6000 lb plus back lift lol

@Keranu

Жыл бұрын

Paul was also probably natural.

Then that McDonald incident ruined him

He trained under Verne Gagne with Ric Flair, Iron Sheik, Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzel, and another wrestle who's name escapes me. I couldn't recognize any of them in that dark barn.

@KevinWindsor1971

Жыл бұрын

At 1:58 running with the tan jacket, and again at 2:40 with the dark pants, is Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri aka The Iron Sheik. RIP.

Strong as hell . Pure strength. . Rock hard body .

Ken Patera was a great heel. So believable.

Ken ,American hero

Patera was scary strong before he got hurt and went to jail. Patera was a great heel.

Ken had 2 brothers Jack Patera who was the Seattle Seahwaks 1st head coach and Dennis Patera who also played for the 49ers in the early 70's...Dennis's son Brent which was a good friend of mine was a record setting disc and shotput state champion and also went on to BYU on a track and and field scholarship. the whole were all great athletes...

@robdemare8250

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah I worked for Ken in Minnesota. We had some very candid talks. He and his brothers were phenominal athletes. He told me that he could do 100 push ups in a row at 8 years old.

@kevinspirek2397

5 жыл бұрын

It would be very interesting to chat with Ken Patera about his weightlifting career. Just looking at the clip of Ken clean and pressing 212 kilos is interesting, because his shoulders and traps were so huge, back in the day. He was definitely a larger man, than Vasily Alexeev was at that point in time.

@robdemare8250

5 жыл бұрын

After he quit wrestling and ran a training camp, I showed up to lift some weights. I was a prospect from Canada (pro wrestling), and lifted. He was very impressed and knew some of the old time weightlifters that I did (Canadian weightlifters). He is so competitive that he went under the squat bar to lift, and did quite well for a 46 year old at the time. I was about 26 years old.

he later did the same thing on the TNT show with Vince driving a van

@lefrancestokes4697

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah. I'm looking for that

@gustavopacheco919

4 жыл бұрын

That one was great, he was full heel mode in that skit.

Bret Hart said nobody messed with Petara because they all were afraid Patera would kill them.

@madridhotwrestling

4 жыл бұрын

I may have try to mess a bit to check :)

@gustavopacheco919

4 жыл бұрын

@@madridhotwrestling what the hell are you are talking about

@madridhotwrestling

4 жыл бұрын

@@gustavopacheco919 that i love jobber heel matches, and nowadays they are not trying that. At that time those matches made Wrestling real, Not only a tv show. with no real moves on the ring

@gustavopacheco919

4 жыл бұрын

@@madridhotwrestling I used to love that too

@madridhotwrestling

4 жыл бұрын

@@gustavopacheco919 i miss it I wish they bring them back

Forger Ken “McDonalds” Patera: at 2:45, in dark sweatpants, that’s the Iron Sheik!

Right around the 2 minute mark is Iron Sheik jogging. Light brown jacket.

Are here methods power building of this amazing athlete?

Dam ken

Damn !

I remember the pickup truck feat as it happened wow...

@georgeelmerdenbrough6906

4 жыл бұрын

Its a trick . The driver is braking

3:27 Is that Bob Caudle???

@teller121

5 жыл бұрын

Caudle was perfect at that role. I use to watch him every saturday morn at 11 cst on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling from about 1974-76

I want that truck

Roger Kent! I recognize that voice anywhere!

In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Ken Patera was ranked at #4 in the National Wrestling Alliance and also in the Most Hated Wrestlers category. Also, he and John Studd were ranked at #4 in the Tag Team Division.

Lot of respect for Mr Patera. I wish he would have been given an IC run in the WWF.

@philipclarke9696

3 жыл бұрын

He did. He beat Patterson in 1980 for the belt. Lost it to Pedro Morales.

at 2:41 that appears to be a young Iron Sheik holding on to the ropes, 2nd guy from the right (short sleeves, dark pants).

If Bobby Heenan was around during his Olympic lifting days, Ken would have gotten gold.

Grease on the tires?

The guy that Patera is wrestling in the ring with is a young, fat Ric Flair. Flair looks the same as he did when he did a cameo appearance in Verne Gagne's movie, THE WRESTLER.

1:57. There's Ric Flair, running behind everyone else, even behind the black haired Iron Sheik.

this is why we believed - pro wrestling was presented to us as a legitimate sport, with real - life athletes competing ... then Vince brought in his cartoon atmosphere with Hulkamania, ruining everything, SMH ...

@teller121

5 жыл бұрын

yep

@BigBadJerryRogers

3 жыл бұрын

LOL. Seriously with this? Patera was always lousy on the mic, first of all. If you can't talk people into an arena, it doesn't matter how many plates you can throw around. And secondly wrestling was obviously always that way. Ever hear of Gorgeous George? How about George The Animal Steele? And that's just flamboyant personalities before Hogan named George. Historically clueless, you certainly are.

@treywar25

3 жыл бұрын

@@BigBadJerryRogers I mean WWF in the 80s did branch off into more wild storylines. Some other promotions like NWA at the time were definitely more focused on the wrestling aspect of the shows. There's wrestling fans that never liked vince or the WWF because of that. They wanna be called wrestling "purists" lol. But I disagree with his take on athletes in the WWE because there were plenty of athletes that came in after the 80s

@mckinleymac3452

2 жыл бұрын

@Chitau APACHE I agree. Deep down of course we knew what was happening. But they cared so much for kayfabe that when Ric Flair was in the hospital and Wahoo came to visit him that security wouldn't let Wahoo in because they really believed he went there to kick Ric's ass while he was injured. And Tim Woods risked being paralyzed when he wrestled injured, after the plane crash to prove he was not aboard a small plane full of those _mean ol' cheaters._ Everything mattered back when the AWA & NWA and their territories ruled wrestling. I really can't stand Vince and haven't watched wrestling for decades. Watching Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Championship filmed at the Dorton Arena on Saturdays with my grandfather are some of my most cherished childhood memories.

Look at about 1:55, where he is jogging. That's on Billy Robinson's farm in Minn. The guy with black hair on his right is Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, The Iron Sheik. I didn't see him, but Flair should be there, too.

@TheRealCreepinogie

6 жыл бұрын

I think the barn was Gagnes Training ring.

@jonathanturbide2232

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheRealCreepinogie Yep, that's where Verne trained his students, in the old barn.

Like how this was done back in the day of kayfabe.

1:54. Jogging with the Iron Sheik. And at 2:14, isn't that Ric Flair going up for a bodyslam? Whoo!!!

@blacquesjacques7239

6 жыл бұрын

SmilingSynic All 300 lbsof him

I remember watching him do other feats of strength as well. Years later, Mark Henry did some of the same stunts.

The guy in the yellow jacket is Khozro, AKA IRON FUCKIN SHIEK!

If one looks closely that's Ric Flair Ken Patera is locking up with I'm the ring.

I remember seeing him carrying an engine block up a track on worlds strongest man!!!❤💪😎🇺🇲🇬🇧🇺🇦🇦🇷

If you look during the jogging scene the iron sheik is off his right shoulder it looks like he is wearing a Carhartt jacket he has his hair yet

You can see that the Press was not a strict press anymore...

Temper Terra. Should be in the HOF TODAY if he isnt already.

Didn’t show the rear of the pick-up, could it have been teathered?

man almost got crushed by a car, Bob, can we get a little enthusiasm?

1:54 Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, aka The Iron Sheik in the brown jacket.

I saw this the Saturday that it happen

Ken was the best wrestler.

Verga¡ He was really dangerously Strong😨

1:55 you can see the Iron Sheik in the yellow jacket.

Hulk (The Immortal Huckster) Hogan had unimaginable strength. However, Ken Patera could turn him into a human pretzel at will.

WWF back then used to steal all these storylines that were done in another promotion on a small scale... and when the WWF went national, everybody thought that's the first time that Ken Petara ever attempted that...

This was the most hilarious thing ever!

@sanddune

3 жыл бұрын

Says the guy that can't bench press the bar

That's roger Kent.

The goon swad

Wow... look at the young Iron Shiek.

@TroystonB

3 жыл бұрын

in the yellow jacket running?

@vandamation

3 жыл бұрын

@@TroystonB yes

Who is narrating? Sounds like the late Philadelphia Phillies announcer?

Ken never set a weightlifting world record never came close but he was strong on odd lifts push press of barbell from stands of 550 pounds. Ken had balance problems in lifting making him lose lifts.He was quite large ranging to 360 pounds I say him at his peak in 1972.

@FIGGY65

2 жыл бұрын

You need to use the internet some more and research your claims as to Ken never coming close to setting any world records in Olympic Weightlifting. Get back to us with what you discover. He’s the first and only American who holds the clean and press of 500#, and was the first American to clean and jerk 500#. His Olympic Lifting records are NUMEROUS and largely untouched to this day. Read up !😎.

@bobrobertson3372

Жыл бұрын

He also set the shot put record with a boulder. At mcdonald's

Interviewer: “You’ve just held back a pickup truck Ken, what are you going to do next?” Ken: “I’m going to McDonald’s!”

@handofgod2000

Жыл бұрын

🤣🤣

Ken Patera 560 lb Bench Press, 505 lb Clean and Jerk, and 505 lb Clean and Press

@FIGGY65

2 жыл бұрын

And I believe an 833 high bar Olympic Back Squat as witnessed by my old boss and friend, Bruce Wilhelm. I was able to drive KP from the airport, and to many of his wrestling matches while working for Bruce in the mid/late 1980s. Ken was 6’1” 275 and filled every doorway. Bruce said when Ken was in his early 1970s prime at 330, that he stopped traffic wherever they went!

Ken Patera 6'1" 300 lbs Bench Press 560 lbs and a 500 lb Clean and Jerk !

I think that Dino pinned him cleanly, thereby ending his career.

Legit tough guy and strong as all hell…but even he couldn’t escape a lift when Andre The Giant passed gas 😂 True! Look up the story!

500 lb's! That's Andre!

bad ass seen him bench 500 lb wow

@georgeelmerdenbrough6906

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah and bench press is not part of weightlifting , its power lifting .