Ken Patera is an all-time great heel who has written one of the best wrestling books I have EVER read in his Ken Patera Weight of the World.
And just why is it great?
Because it’s not just about wrestling.
Unlike some WWE sanctioned bios, which go on and on endlessly about some inane Wrestlemania angle or whatnot, this one is about a champion athlete who conquered many worlds.
Patera was a natural competitor who played football, loved track and field, switched to shot put and discus, and later turned to Olympic weightlifting.
He goes into great detail on all of his triumphs and disappointments, emphasizing his discipline, passion, training methods, and unbelievable drive and desire not only to win but also to break records.
Interestingly, the first two hundred pages of the generous 456-page book contain little on pro wrestling. Kudos to Patera (and Kenny Casanova and George Luse) for allowing the man to tell the story he wanted to tell rather than bombard the reader with wrestling minutia.
Weight Of The World – An Honest Review of Ken Patera’s Wrestling Journey
His tale of being at the 1972 Summer Olympics during the Munich massacre is particularly harrowing and horrifying.
Imagine being a competitor and looking out your window and seeing the armed terrorists who had just murdered several Israeli athletes and wondering if you and your teammates would be next.
Compared to that ordeal, Patera looks back at Verne Gagne’s brutal training in a bitterly cold camp with some amusement. He also chronicles his long-time friendship with former roommate Ric Flair.
“From the day I got back to Minneapolis, the only thing Ric did consistently was to ask me to get him in touch with Verne.
It was every other sentence. I couldn’t count on Rick to show up to a job or to grab groceries on the way home.
I couldn’t count on Ric to take proper messages for me if the phone rang. I could be damn sure he would ask me every day if I would put in a good word with Verne for him. So did I? I did. I did it every time I could.”
So, yes, there may not have been a Ric Flair without Ken Patera.
And Verne Gagne’s reaction to Flair?
“Ken, I mean he seems like a good kid, but I don’t know,” Verne said. “With Greg (Gagne), Jim Brunzell, Khosrow (Iron Sheik), (Bob) Bruggers, and yourself, we already have five guys training! The timing is off.”
Yet Patera, the loyal friend, insisted, and the rest is history.
And Ken himself went on to greatness in the wrestling world. I saw him live headline Madison Square Garden repeatedly against Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund; later, he was a top challenger to Hulk Hogan.
Patera spoke highly of them and was particularly glowing in his praise of Backlund, who was still “green” when they first met. Ken helped the champ “slow down” and become a better professional wrestler.
One of their MSG bouts was deemed the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year. And although Hogan wasn’t the technician Bob was, Patera said they had so many matches in the AWA that they just learned to work well together, and he enjoyed their big box office battles.
Weight of the World – Stands Among the Greatest Wrestling Books
Patera also spoke glowingly of another WWWF champion, Superstar Billy Graham. They battled many times over the years.
“Working with Billy was pretty great, not simply because of the wrestling, but because it was a night off.
Working with a guy like that, you know you aren’t going to have to do much to get the crowd hot.
You also knew you were going to get a promo that would knock your socks off as well. Billy belted out his rhymes like a jacked-up Dr. Seuss, and the people ate it up. He was a character who drew money like nobody else.”
Ken also greatly loved and respected his buddy Andre the Giant.
“Andre was super generous. Because he knew he couldn’t take it with him,” he didn’t think much about saving the money he had for the future.
He squandered most of it on food and booze, his two other passions (besides playing cards) that he loved. Ever hear of him polishing off bottles of wine?
All that was true. Excessive drinking was one of his trademarks. Spending thousands in a bar after a show happened regularly. Sure, he was buying rounds, but a huge portion of that tab was for his beer alone.
I remember sitting with him in a locker room one night when someone decided to count the empties.
He consumed an astounding number of 116 beers in one sitting. Then, after he left, he went to the nearest restaurant and ordered almost everything on the menu.”
Patera held a boatload of titles over the years, including the Inter-Continental belt, and although there was talk of him getting the WWWF championship, it never came to fruition. I consider Patera a Top 10 all-time heel.
His book is unapologetic. A “man’s man,” as they used to say, Patera has little interest here in being “politically correct.” To his credit, he’s incredibly open and straightforward about all his adventures and misadventures.
He speaks honestly about the many legends in all the fields he competed in. Ranging from great guys to “a**holes,” you’ll know exactly where you stand with Mr. Ken Patera.
A driven athlete who flourished in multiple fields, including televised strongman contests, he enjoyed his beer, food, the ladies, and seeing the world on the promoter’s dime.
And I greatly enjoyed seeing the man live on top of the wrestling world and reading the tremendous Ken Patera Weight of the World, available from WOHW Press.
Don’t miss it, wrestling and sports fans.
Amazon ordering link: Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Ken Patera: Weight of the World
Evan Ginzburg is a contributor for Pro Wrestling Post. He was an Associate Producer on the movie The Wrestler and 350 Days starring Bret Hart and Superstar Billy Graham.
He is a 30-year film, radio and TV veteran. His new book is Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets. Check out his Evan Ginzburg page on Facebook and his latest radio show Wrestling and Everything Coast to Coast with Buddy Sotello. He can be reached on Twitter @evan_ginzburg or by e-mail at evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com.
