Thunderbolt Patterson facts for kids

Claude Patterson, known by his wrestling name Thunderbolt Patterson, is a retired American professional wrestler. He was born on July 8, 1941. He started wrestling in 1964. He mostly wrestled in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In the early 1970s, he faced challenges. This was because he spoke up about unfair treatment and tried to help wrestlers form a group to protect their rights.

Thunderbolt Patterson's Wrestling Journey

Starting His Wrestling Career

Claude Patterson grew up in Iowa. He worked at a company called John Deere before becoming a wrestler. He started his wrestling career in 1964 in the Kansas City area. A wrestling promoter named Gus Karras helped him get started. In 1965, Patterson moved to Texas. He worked with another promoter, Dory Funk Sr.

The next year, he went to California. There, he won the WWA Tag Team Championship with his partner Alberto Torres. He also kept wrestling in Texas. He played a villain character, also known as a heel, in Dallas. Later, his partner Boris Malenko turned against him.

Wrestling Across the Country

In 1969, Thunderbolt Patterson wrestled in Michigan and Ohio. In 1970, he had a big rivalry with Jose Lothario. He also won the Florida version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship.

In 1974, he joined a wrestling company that was not part of the main group, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This company was run by Ann Gunkel. In 1975, he moved to Detroit to wrestle for Big Time Wrestling. Later that year, he returned to the NWA in Florida. He stayed there until 1976. In 1976, he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship. He took the title from Bruiser Brody.

In 1977, he surprised many by beating The Sheik in Toronto. He won the U.S. title, but lost it three weeks later. He then moved to Georgia Championship Wrestling. He wrestled there until 1980.

Fighting for Fairness

Thunderbolt Patterson spoke out about poor working conditions for wrestlers in the 1970s. He also took part in a lawsuit about unfair treatment based on race. He believed that because he spoke up, he was stopped from wrestling for a while. He had been complaining about unfair treatment from wrestling promoters for many years. He wanted to start a group for wrestlers to have more rights. This was a dream he shared with Jim Wilson, another wrestler.

Patterson said it took years for him to be allowed to wrestle regularly again. He even worked at the Los Angeles Times during this time. He said his wrestling ban was lifted in 1975.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1984, Patterson teamed up with Ole Anderson. They briefly held the NWA National Tag Team Championship. Later, Ole Anderson teamed up with his storyline cousin, Arn Anderson. Ole said he was "tired of carrying guys like Patterson." This led to the start of the famous wrestling group called the Four Horsemen. This group included Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard.

Patterson stopped wrestling full-time in 1985. He made a special appearance in 1993 at a "Legends Reunion Match." This was at an event called Slamboree '93. He teamed with Brad Armstrong to defeat Ivan Koloff and Baron von Raschke. He also helped train another wrestler named Ice Train. Thunderbolt Patterson fully retired from wrestling in 1994.

Hall of Fame Recognition

On July 27, 2019, Patterson was honored in his hometown of Waterloo. He was inducted into the 2019 Class of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. On March 13, 2024, it was announced that Patterson would also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

In 1988, Thunderbolt Patterson worked as a labor organizer in Atlanta. He helped people form groups to improve their working conditions. He is also an ordained minister.

Thunderbolt Patterson is featured in a film called "This World Is Not My Own: The Limitless Life of Nellie Mae Rowe." This movie came out in 2023. Nellie Mae Rowe was an artist who watched Thunderbolt wrestle on TV in the 1970s. She drew pictures of him often. They never met in person. Patterson learned about Rowe and her drawings of him. He said that Rowe "kept me alive."

Championships and Achievements

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Men's Wrestling Award (2021)
• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Championship Wrestling from Georgia
  • NWA National Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ole Anderson
• Continental Wrestling Association
  • CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Lou Thesz Award (2019)
• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Mr. Wrestling (1), Tommy Rich (1), and Tony Atlas (1)
  • NWA Georgia Television Championship (2 times)
• International Championship Wrestling
  • ICW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jerry Brisco
• NWA Big Time Wrestling
  • NWA American Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Wahoo McDaniel (2) Toru Tanaka (1), and Johnny Valentine (1)
• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time)
• Western States Sports
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version) (4 times)
• World Wrestling Association
  • WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Alberto Torres
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Worst on Interviews (1985)
• WWE
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2024)