Pat Patterson Says Vince McMahon Hated The Ideas Of Royal Rumble And Iron Man Matches

Vince McMahon has had plenty of good ideas in his day, but according to WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, he almost passed on two big ones.

The first ever Intercontinental Champion Patterson spoke to Wild Talk Radio recently about his new book, and opened up about working with Vince McMahon for decades. Patterson, who is credited for creating the idea of the now revered Royal Rumble match, said that Vince McMahon didn’t like the idea. 

“When I came up with the Royal Rumble, Vince (McMahon) thought it was a stupid idea. I said it’s not, it’s going to work, oh my god give me a break, he didn’t want to do it. It is now one of our the best pay per views we have every year. It is fun and the talent likes it,” said Patterson.

Since then, the Rumble has become a tradition, with the 30th edition happening next year. Another iconic match, the Shawn Michaels- Bret Hart Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12, was also originally despised by Vince. 

“The Iron Man match was a No-No. Vince (McMahon) didn’t want to do that at all. Forget it, two little guys for one hour, forget it, on a pay per view. I really convinced him. It took me a while but they did it. My god, it was so good. I was sitting in the audience, I wanted to feel the moment. I was actually crying because of how much I enjoyed that match. You don’t think those two kids were happy after, oh my god, it is something I will never forget,” said Patterson.

A new idea Patterson has is an ode to himself, called the Patterson Cup. The winner of the Royal Rumble would get the prestigious award.

“I would like to have a cup like the Stanley Cup and put the name of each wrestler that won it in that year and the next year,” Patterson said. “It would be like a Stanley Cup and people would be fighting for that. I am going to try again (to get it created). Who ever wins the Royal Rumble you give them a trophy right there in the middle of the ring.”

By Sean Ross Sapp