Blackjack Patterson: A History

Blackjack Patterson is a former pro wrestler and wrestling executive from Texas. He is also the father-in-law of Jim Watkins and the father of Colt Patterson.

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In late 1969, a worldwide alliance of promoters called the International Wrestling Alliance had crowned their first World Champion, a veteran named Bruno Moretti.  Moretti, a stalwart of the St. Louis territory, defeated a young scientific grappler named Scotty Saunders on New Year’s Day 1980.  After the match however, Moretti was attacked by a masked man who came to be simply known as The Mauler.  The Mauler informed the world that he would win the IWA World Title and retire Moretti. After a brutal assault in March that ended with Mauler using his dangerous clawhold to split Moretti’s head open, few were doubting the Mauler’s threats to be very real.

On Memorial Day, Moretti and the Mauler met in a one-on-one showdown. The big Italian beat the Mauler from pillar to post, attempting to unmask him on several occasions. But in the end, Moretti got caught with a clawhold. Moretti got to the ropes, forcing a break… a break that never came. The referee was forced to disqualify the Mauler – an action that got the referee locked in the clawhold as well. As a result, the Mauler was slapped with a 90 day suspension!  A furious Moretti tore through his next defense in six minutes, a shocking result for long-time St. Louis fans used to seeing matches well over 30 minutes.

Moretti was counting down the days until the Mauler’s return, constantly reminding St. Louis fans on television of when the masked man would come back. On the 90th night, Moretti pledged to stand in the middle of the Kiel Auditorium all night until The Mauler showed up. The night progressed with Moretti sitting at ringside to watch all the action. During the Main Event, Moretti stood several times and shouted in the direction of the locker room but no one arrived. A frustrated Moretti got in the ring after the match and spoke to the fans about the Mauler’s cowardice.

The next night, Moretti was defending the title in the Kentucky Wrestling Federation when the Mauler emerged from the crowd and cracked a steel chair over his head! The fans heard the story firsthand on St. Louis television that weekend and were stunned. No one had ever crossed territorial boundaries to assault a rival before. The rematch was booked for the following month at the Kiel.

Another sell-out crowd was in the house to see Moretti defend the gold against the Mauler. After a bloody war, the Mauler was able to secure the clawhold and get a pinfall victory to the shock of the St. Louis fans. After the match, the Mauler removed his mask and revealed to the world that his name was Blackjack Patterson. Patterson had made a name for himself in the South as a big brawling babyface but had just sent a major statement to the wrestling world by winning the IWA World Title.

Patterson’s victory would be the last time the IWA World Title would be seen in the Kiel for several months as Patterson returned to his roots, touring the South and defending the gold throughout his home region.

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Patterson would hold the title until the fall of 1971 when he was defeated in controversial fashion by “Gorgeous” Johnny Most, losing it before returning to St. Louis.

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During the summer of 1975, Patterson was working with a touring company that was featuring professional wrestling on fairs. Patterson, a big, burly brawler, was one of the chief attractions for that tour, headlining almost every night. During the tour, Patterson took note of a young fan who seemed to be following the tour and took an interest in him. That young fan turned out to be Jim Watkins – an encounter that would change both men’s lives forever. Patterson got Watkins a job setting up and tearing down the ring.

When the tour ended in the fall, Patterson took Watkins home with him, moving him in with his wife and four children. At the time, Patterson was working a day job as a butcher and got Watkins a job at the shop as well. On the weekends, Patterson continued to ply his wrestling trade, working the small wrestling shows at the local towns. During this period, Patterson also began training Watkins to become a wrestler.

During the spring of 1976, while Watkins had debuted as a pro wrestler much to Patterson’s great pride, Watkins had also began dating Patterson’s oldest daughter, Annie, outside of Patterson’s knowledge. The relationship went on unknown to anyone for several months.

That summer, Patterson and Watkins went out on the fair tour together – actually meeting at Patterson’s request in a singles match at the Labor Day tour-ending show. Patterson scored a victory with his legendary clawhold but was very proud of how his student was developing.

However, upon returning home, Patterson was greeted with the news that his daughter Annie was pregnant. Patterson physically assaulted young Watkins and threw him out of his house. He also threw out his own daughter, a decision that was crushing to the rest of the family but Patterson insisted upon it.

Several years passed before they would meet again. During that time, Patterson landed a major role with Southern Championship Wrestling, working there on the top of the card.

In late 1980, SCW decided to run a show in Oklahoma in an effort to expand their territory. Patterson was one of the night’s headliners in a match with the Masked Assassin. After the show, Patterson was surprised to find his daughter Annie along with her husband and Blackjack’s grandson, Jim Jr. They all went out after the show and mended fences. Blackjack attempted to get his family to return home to Texas with him but they refused, staying in Oklahoma. Patterson offered to introduce Watkins to SCW promoter Jim Somers and try to get him a job.

Patterson left SCW shortly after that, taking a job with Lone Star Wrestling, a small start-up promotion that was hoping to take over the wrestling Texas scene.

He spent several years in LSW, trying to help the company reach their goals. After several years in the ring, Patterson also took a role as the lead matchmaker backstage. Patterson held the Texas State Championship on several occasions during this period.

In 1987, Jim Watkins returned home with his family to Texas, taking a job with LSW. With his father-in-law in the front office, Watkins thrived in LSW. In 1988, Patterson and Watkins formed a successful tag team partnership, running wild over the state’s top duos.

In early 1989, Watkins left LSW for the big time – International Championship Wrestling, a national promotion that had splintered off from SCW. Patterson was embittered by the abandonment and relations chilled between the two once again.

In late 1990, Watkins made a gesture to his father-in-law, getting him a job in the ICW front office to try to reconcile. Patterson accepted the role and occasionally would come out of the front office to compete in the ring. In 1991, Patterson came out of “retirement” to battle his son-in-law who was currently estranged from his wife and children. The feud raged all over the South throughout 1991 and even involved other members of the Patterson family including Blackjack’s son, Colt, who had recently broken into the business as well. The feud ended on Memorial Day of 1992 when Patterson forced his son-in-law to submit to the Claw in the middle of the ring in Charlotte, North Carolina – a victory that reunited his family once again.

Patterson had moved into a lead position in the front office – the head matchmaker – a role he excelled at and thrived in for a few years. In 1993, Watkins returned to ICW after a lengthy absence due to injury and immediately set about making amends with his father-in-law. The two reunited with Patterson going so far as to teach Watkins the Clawhold he had used for so many years.

Patterson remained off-camera for the most part in the time to follow. However, in late 1994, wrestling fans were stunned to learn that Blackjack Patterson was leaving ICW and was taking his son, Colt with him. Together, they were leaving to help with a start-up promotion based out of New York, the EMWC. Patterson held that position for a few years before being pushed out of the front office in early 1998 along with his son, Colt.

From that point, Patterson stayed away from the wrestling industry for the most part. He would occasionally train someone with potential or help out backstage at a local show but no more did Blackjack Patterson seek to be a top backstage executive having tired of the politics involved.

In early 2008, Patterson fell ill and entered a Dallas hospital where he was off and on for the rest of his life. After a prolonged hospital stay, Blackjack Patterson died of pneumonia on October 3rd, 2008.

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