Thunderbolt Patterson to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame

  • Ian Carey
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Thunderbolt Patterson has been announced for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024. 

He joins Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, Muhammad Ali, and the US Express as those who have been confirmed for this year’s ceremony. 

News of the 82-year-old’s induction was first reported by Andscape, who noted Patterson was an advocate for equal pay and better rights for wrestlers. 

From Andscape.com: 

Claude “Thunderbolt” Patterson, a Black pro wrestler who was blacklisted from one of the most well-known promotions in the 1970s in part due to deeply ingrained racism in the business, will be inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame next month.

Patterson was known for catchphrases such as “We gonna get funky” and a style that was often emulated by other wrestlers, including the legendary Dusty Rhodes. 

“I was the originator of the shuck-and-jive style,” Patterson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1999.

Patterson’s wrestling career began in 1964. He worked several NWA territories after getting his start in Texas under Dory Funk. He formed a team with Jerry Brisco and won the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag titles in 1973, beating Gene and Ole Anderson. 

“This was Dusty Rhodes the American dream,” Brisco once said of Patterson. “Before Dusty Rhodes the American dream began.”

Patterson defeated The Sheik to win the NWA United States Championship (the Toronto version) in 1976 at Maple Leaf Gardens, although he would drop it back to The Sheik the following month. 

He won NWA Brass Knuckles titles several times, including the belt’s Florida, Tri-State, and Amarillo versions. He also won the NWA National Tag Titles once with Ole Anderson in 1985 before Anderson turned on him and kickstarted a feud between the two. 

Andscape’s report continues:

But Patterson’s was significantly stalled after barely a decade in the business. By the 1970s, his bookings began to dry up due to his unflinching attitude toward his humanity and his working conditions. He advocated for a more equal pay system with promoters and better rights for the wrestlers. (After Patterson retired in 1985, he lobbied state governments to regulate wrestling as they do boxing, including ringside physicians, which the WWE employs today.)

Patterson was also part of a racial discrimination lawsuit against WCW in 2003. The suit was eventually settled out of court. 

Patterson was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019. 

“I give it all to God because I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” he told The Post and Courier regarding his induction in 2019.

“It’s one of the highest honors, but that’s why you start anything … to go to the top.”

Following his career, Patterson became an ordained minister. He also worked as a labor organizer in Atlanta. 

From WWE.com:

As first reported by Andscape, Thunderbolt Patterson will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

A hugely influential, although often overlooked, figure in sports-entertainment history, Patterson’s captivating abilities on the microphone inspired a generation of talkers that followed in his footsteps.

Growing up in Iowa, Patterson moved to Texas and worked with legendary promoter Dory Funk Sr. (father of WWE Hall of Famers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk) where he began performing incredible interviews using a delivery inspired by Black Southern pastors.

Patterson backed up his talents on the microphone in the ring as he captured titles across North America while defeating iconic opponents like Bruiser Brody and WWE Hall of Famer The Sheik. Thunderbolt was also a decorated tag team competitor, most famously teaming with Ole Anderson before their partnership erupted into a brutal rivalry, which helped launch the legendary Four Horsemen.

Patterson was also a contemporary of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and was often credited with inspiring The American Dream’s charismatic persona.

Patterson’s work as a captivating performer was self-evident, but he was also a fierce advocate for the health and welfare of competitors outside of the ring.

His legacy as a showman with his signature quick punches, his incredible blend of power and speed, and his compassion for his fellow man live on as his influence can still be seen in the ring today.