Ken Patera on Living with Ric Flair

[@jboreal7982]

Yeah, I remember when Ken hit the AWA, I was just amazed. Ken was JACKED! Guys like him set up pro wrestling for the next phase. He’s was a stellar athlete.

[@philaman1972]

It's really amazing how Mr. Patera can instantly recall things that happened 50 years ago as if it happened yesterday considering all he's been through throughout his illustrious life!

[@PROFESSOR-I.C.]

Not very well though. I know at least some of his stories are half truths for a fact.

[@stndrds79]

How do you know that he isn’t making up stories

[@MarkVrem]

I think it's easier to remember stuff from late teens early to mid 20s.

[@curthennig9448]

@@PROFESSOR-I.C. Some of his stories do vary in various interviews.

[@Mr05Chuck]

Jack Patera, the first coach of the Seahawks, was Ken’s brother.

[@GeraldGreenfield-gn9dc]

I wish Ken would have been the coach of our Seahawks, then maybe they'd of had some balls!!!!

[@curthennig9448]

@@GeraldGreenfield-gn9dc There would have been quarter pounders in catering too!

[@DD-fm7xb]

Patera and Flair, by far my favorite two wrestlers !!

[@richardcoleman9645]

I didnt even know Ken was still alive. Great to see he is still kicking.

[@geraldlocklear4373]

That was one awesome class. Ken, Ric, The Sheik, Jim Brunzell, and Greg. Wow

[@TheRmm1976]

77 year old Ken looks better than 71 year old Ric these days. I guess the partying has taken it's toll on the Nature Boy.

[@That_Guy-]

More like divorce settlements WOOOO

[@Coodeville]

As Ken said , "He was a wildman"

[@MrSmitty1074]

@Johnny Johnstone Space Mountain went out of business.

[@MrSmitty1074]

@Johnny Johnstone Hawk did say it was closed for repairs. LOL

[@norms3913]

Too much jet flying limo riding lol

[@dj7973]

Ken is awesome. Still going strong. Great interview.

[@dougfredricks2017]

I respect Patera more so because he Knew when to walk away. Talents like Flair just remain oblivious to the obvious...

[@dj7973]

True

[@toben42]

Ken used to own a gym in Maplewood mn. He was always there it seemed. Vern had the AWA market in the Midwest. That's why it was a wrestling factory with so many legends coming out of mn. Then the wwf became the Amazon of wrestling and took over the 🌎.

[@teller1290]

Sadly

[@williamolsen20]

Ric Flair's dad was the doctor that delivered my sister.

[@thadevilzadvocate]

Did daddy flair give her a spanking when she was born? Whooooo!

[@martinitime1975]

Thanks for the shoutout to Brownsville TX Ken!

[@Eli_skips]

I think Khosrow was The Iron Sheik. He did look totally different back then.

[@tully8142]

Yep that’s the sheik. He was a bad dude and a legit wrestler.

[@endrsgm]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Sheik

[@raymondtipton7243]

Flair brags on patera all the time. Duh

[@jeffreyb6165]

I remember when Ken used the "whooo" back in the day. I wonder who came up with it first? Him or Flair?

[@danski6694]

This should be a skittles commercial contest! “Buy the bag with the ticket to live with Ric Flair!!” WOOOOOOOO!

[@cobracmdr2529]

35 goes all the way to Brownsville. So I tied an onion to belt, which was the style at the time

[@mac_-mtlmcal]

Yeah but they didn’t have any red onions, because of the war

[@esfitnesspro2455]

Thought he was talking about I-29, which runs all the way from North Dakota, through South Dakota (like Watertown through Sioux Falls) near the minnesota border, all the way down to Brownsville, TX.

[@davidcota4978]

gimme 5 bees for a quarter

[@BuckeyeJAG]

And nickles had bees on them and we would say give me 5 bees for a quarter

[@scottgoodson1964]

Doesn't go to Brownsville. It's Laredo.

[@michaelfrazia4569]

on wide world of sports...world's strongest man... walks in looking for the cigarette machine...ahhh the 70s...and old school wrestling

[@FIGGY65]

David Rigert was a big smoker in his prime competition years. It had some benefits for lifting, believe it or not, but I fail to recall at the moment.

[@captainpoppleton]

@@FIGGY65 Smoking gives a boost in blood pressure, might help with explosive power. No good for endurance of course. Steroids also increase blood pressure,

[@craigforsberg9844]

Met Ken Patera at a charity event in the late 80's. Nice guy despite him having to put on the persona of a bad guy.

[@LobsterRoc]

We all know what Flair's house looks like.

[@tomvoigt]

Wasn't Paul Perschmann (Playboy Buddy Rose) part of that small training crew with Patera, Flair, Shiek, etc?

[@philipclarke9696]

The class after. Rose was in the 1974 class with Steamboat,Slaughter and Scott Irwin.

[@fuqui035]

I like ken with his attitude

[@mrbobevans]

I love it. Ken, being an Olympian, yet smoked cigarettes.

[@dollysinn]

Ric went to a private school in Beaver Falls. lol The most Ric fact ever.

[@curthennig9448]

Beaver Dam, Wis. Flair got his share at this private high school. He probably got an A+ in sex education!

[@brasidas33]

What a house that must have been!

[@derekimm]

I’m from Wisconsin and never heard of beaver falls. I think he means Beaver Dam

[@Mrsmassflex]

Beaver Falls is outside Pittsburgh. I think Joe Namath is from there. Just a mix up.

[@b-bopeddie1290]

Bullshit there is one research more......

[@mf.c4857]

Wow Ken!!! Kudos to you Sir. You look great!!! It's all about choices!!!!

[@dennykurzawski3690]

KEN IS A GREAT STORY TELLER!

[@willieholmes1483]

I’m surprised to learn that Patera smoked! Steroids and nicotine…what a combo!

[@natureboy1313]

Check out the Ken Patera and Tony Atlas feats of strength competition here on KZbin.

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Used to love the arm wrestling matches with Tony atlas

[@teller1290]

Great Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling videos, two-parts in less p.c. era. Atlas plays the stereotype to the arrogant Patera but still gets best of him in five-event contest. Patera tosses a few mildly racist comments during the contest. Hilarious...have to see it to appreciate.

[@capri8225]

How could anybody be mad at Flair? Give em hell Ricky Baby on the 31st!

[@battlestarmarc]

Patera was scary strong. Patera was world champion talent before he hurt his arm. Patera didn't seem comfortable as a good guy in the wwf.

[@Catastrophic-hk3mh]

The fact that Flair went to Beaver Falls is hilarious

[@TheHannibalTV]

Ha true!

[@kylefisher6521]

I’m from Wisconsin and it’s Beaver Dam

[@curthennig9448]

@@kylefisher6521 The Beaver did fall when Flair got there though.

[@D2Kprime]

I can't process the Iron Sheik as "skinny."

[@duncanmacock1131]

Harley race said the iron shiek was the real deal, an he worked also in the shaws protection detail..he said he would beat angle prime to prime

[@jrs6266]

Sheik was no joke. He could easily stretch out 90% of the guys in the business back in the 70”s & 80”s. Other wrestlers didn’t try to take liberties with him

[@thereal9118]

Ken Patera is a kinder gentler Ole Anderson

[@luish777]

He mentioned my home town Brownsville TX cool

[@richardwolff71]

Ric Flair was in the Big 10 area

[@brianpendergast2894]

Smoked Cigarettes while lifting weights in the Olympics!! Priceless!!

[@FIGGY65]

David Rigert was infamous for it as well….something to do with blood nitrogen retention or what not.

[@kingrobthegreat7446]

Now THAT house would be a reality show!! lo

[@PLISSTRONG]

WOOOOOOOOOO!

[@dougfredricks2017]

RIC Flair resembles Two miles of bad road in Cleveland. We shouldn't glorify bufoonery

[@punkmeathead3792]

Damn he didn’t talk about the nurses ric brought back while working as an orderly in a hospital.

[@hymansahak181]

It’s sad that Flair never mentions Patera’s name.

[@1sportsfan]

George's In the Park = The Blue Oyster

[@danielsalinas6683]

Really? Ackward...

[@michaelking2582]

I-35 runs to Laredo, Texas.

[@gatornation_1557]

Beaver Dam, WI

[@curthennig9448]

Welcome to the home of Ric Flair is what the sign should say as you enter this town.

[@alwaysamysteryyes2021]

So Patera got him in, yet Flair never mentions him. Mentions Hunter plenty though...

[@batteytehoukamau9962]

Man this dude still has his size. Fuck I hope I look good at 71

[@raymondtipton7243]

God will take you....when your number comes up.....we All have a number....

[@nathanwanner..44]

Must have been living with woody woodpecker, ken has a lot of patience 😅

[@kryptocracy4157]

Khosrovazari was the Iron Sheik's last name I think.

[@rsb512]

Fascinating interview. But I don't think smoking cigarettes before the Olympics would be okay now. ;) You mean Verne had Flair and Hogan early on and dropped the ball? Damn.

[@curthennig9448]

Flair wasn't established when he left the AWA in May 1974.

[@richardwolff71]

He must've told Heenan about Flair

[@djpuplex]

Went from drinking bars to prison bars.

[@mrleedra]

I wonder if Flair ever beat him like a red-headed step-son while they were living together.

[@craigd619]

Could never happen. And I'm a flair fan.

[@hrmarkley9758]

Not sure about that-Patera was one of the strongest guys ever, but Flair was the decorated amateur. With much better endurance...

[@b-bopeddie1290]

NOT.... !

[@steerpike77]

Loved how Mean Gene cracked up when he said that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pICUn3WBpLN6l6M

[@hrmarkley9758]

@Thė Nīnth Hært -think he won a couple of state titles and was a scholarship athlete at Minnesota. Not quite like being an Iowa or Oklahoma State athlete, but he was supposed to be pretty good.

[@thomasnoday4753]

Khosrow Vaziri is The Iron Sheik.

[@pauleswitalski8187]

Verne’s training camp demonstrates how pro rasslin was a closed shop. You had to be asked to train and vouched for. I grew up in Tampa, in the 70s. The Grahams, Briscoes, Funks, Roop & Matsuda were always beating the crap out of wannabe rasslers. Hogan was invited by Matsuda to train in Tampa, and still Matsuda broke HH’s leg.

[@patrickmcglynn5383]

Who had the Weirdest hair: Ken Patera, Andre or macho man?

[@curthennig9448]

Don't forget about trump!

[@christopherkelly2942]

50 cents for a pack of cigarettes!

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Circa 1975 lol

[@joshk4782]

So that's what is was like to live with ric

[@thegodfatherofthesec1748]

Dam ! Doesn’t even look like KEN?

[@josephvitielo1693]

sounds like his voice

[@mikeabel7577]

Ric Flair looks like a 77 year old woman in the that thumbnail pic. He was probably 26 at the time.

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

I love these Patera stories. I just can’t believe that he was smoking cigarettes as an Olympian. Some crazy Alpha sh-t. Lol

[@TheHannibalTV]

Flair said he did in his book too maybe he would have won if he hadn't smoked?

[@JoypadDivison]

Probably not a factor if what you're doing doesn't require that much endurance. I know Patrik Sjöberg smoked cigarettes throughout his career. He set the world record in high jump in the 80s and competed in the Olympics.

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Didn't know patera smoked and drank !

[@polska1958]

Can he tell a story any slower.

[@toben42]

Have you ever listened to an old guy talk, they are all slow.🙂

[@emperorburton]

Dude is almost 80. You’ll be slow too at that age.

[@wolverine4ever38]

In a hurry to get somewhere?

[@curthennig9448]

@@wolverine4ever38 The MCDonald's drive thru?

[@frankcabanski9409]

Hang out at the gym, not a night club.