![Ken Patera](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/vgeYO4zBkyfqGusNy6mMyFNVF1C.jpg)
Ken Patera
Kenneth Wayne Patera is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and strongman competitor from the United States. Ken Patera, from a Czech-American family, was strong and extraordinarily athletic, with many people in his family also successful in athletics. His brother, Jack Patera, played football for the Baltimore Colts and was the head coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 1976 until 1982. His brother, Dennis Patera, played for the San Francisco 49ers. Ken played football at Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon, and wrestled at 193 pounds. Track and field was his first love, however, and he competed in the high hurdles and high jump, but a serious ankle injury forced him to switch to the shot put and discus in high school. Ken grew to become one of the nation's premier track and field weight throwers, competing at Brigham Young University. After his disappointing 6th-place finish in the shot-put at the 1968 Olympic trials, he turned his full and complete attention towards Olympic weightlifting. Before becoming a professional wrestler, Patera was a highly decorated Olympic weightlifter. He won several medals at the 1971 Pan-American Games (including gold in the weightlifting total), and finished second in the 1971 World Weightlifting Championships just behind Vasily Alekseyev. On his native soil, Patera won four consecutive U.S. Weightlifting Championships in the super heavyweight class from 1969 to 1972. He was the first American to clean and jerk over 500 lbs (227 kg), which he accomplished at the 1972 Senior Nationals in Detroit. He is also the only American to clean and press 500 lbs (227 kg), and was the last American super heavyweight for years to excel at weightlifting at an international level.[6] At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, Patera was expected to be a serious competitor to Vasily Alekseyev, but he failed to total and was not among the medal recipients. Vasily Alekseyev even stated to the media that Patera was even stronger than him, illustrated by a 550-pound overhead push press (off the racks) that Patera had allegedly done in practice. Nevertheless, when it came to competing, Alekseyev was always the winner. After the clean and press (a lift in which Patera was disproportionately talented) was eliminated from competition, Patera retired from weightlifting.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 5.95 |
Birthday | 1942-11-06 |
Place of Birth | Portland, Oregon, USA |
Also Known As |
![WWE Survivor Series 1988](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/jswZFeUbtX1alPda43M3OH2uwbD.jpg)
1988
![WWE Survivor Series 1988](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/jswZFeUbtX1alPda43M3OH2uwbD.jpg)
WWE Survivor Series 1988
8.5/7
Survivor Series (1988) was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF...
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WWE Survivor Series 1988
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2013
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WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden
9.2/5
The greatest moments from WWE's long and storied history with Madison Square Garden.
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![Andre the Giant](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n4t2g7NbHGu0c51jlQ2qlOZEhvr.jpg)
2018
![Andre the Giant](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n4t2g7NbHGu0c51jlQ2qlOZEhvr.jpg)
Andre the Giant
7.348/132
An ambitious and wide-ranging documentary exploring Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated career in WWE, and his forays in the entertainment wo...
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2008
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WWE: The History Of The Intercontinental Championship
7.3/7
It's a WWE Championship with a rich and storied history and the biggest names in sports entertainment have worn its gold on the road to immortality. T...
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![AWA Super Sunday](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n5PlgpPB0R0r9St8hgNO7P5r6NV.jpg)
1983
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AWA Super Sunday
7.5/1
American Wrestling Association supercard on April 24th, 1983.
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AWA Super Sunday
![Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1986
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Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
0/0
Truly in a class by himeself! Once Bruno on the mat - watch out! Relive some of Bruno Sammartino's greatest moments, including encounters with Roddy...
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![AWA War in The Windy City](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1989
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AWA War in The Windy City
0/0
The American Wrestling Association invades Chicago with some of the most incredible pro wrestlers on the planet.
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AWA War in The Windy City
![The Super Bowl of Wrestling](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/36fBM0Qoq00TydAO70MLfs4SkeM.jpg)
1978
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The Super Bowl of Wrestling
0/0
The biggest match in the history pits WWWF World Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham against NWA World's hampion Harley Race in a epic confrontation in...
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![NWA Sam Muchnick Retirement Show](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1982
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NWA Sam Muchnick Retirement Show
0/1
Beloved promoter Sam Muchnick says farewell to the sport of kings in St. Louis with an All-Star card!
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![WWE Survivor Series 1987](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/2kTOb1y7aKjcEPFdI142wFbRDD4.jpg)
1987
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WWE Survivor Series 1987
8.9/12
A team led by "The Macho Man" Randy Savage and Jake "The Snake" Roberts battles a team featuring The Honky Tonk Man & "The King of Wrestling" Harley R...
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![WWE WrestleMania IV](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/9u2jklhNfAoSueLCL1fdpyGNwXj.jpg)
1988
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WWE WrestleMania IV
7.3/23
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took...
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![WWE WrestleFest](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/AjNLbXkHKMjlUCD4tsiJMLuTlDL.jpg)
1988
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WWE WrestleFest
5/1
Much like 'The Big Event' held in August of 1986, Wrestlefest '88 was a supercard meant for the live audience only, but ticket sales were large enough...
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![WWE SummerSlam 1988](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oMq5sXI7GJd7CMlaAQ0kTxu7JCY.jpg)
1988
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WWE SummerSlam 1988
7.4/7
WWE SummerSlam was the first annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was produced by the World Wrestling Federation and took p...
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![AWA Battle Royale '89](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1989
![AWA Battle Royale '89](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
AWA Battle Royale '89
5/4
The American Wrestling Association holds an 18-man over-the-top-rope Battle Royale to determine a new AWA World Heavyweight Champion in St. Paul Minne...
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![AWA Rage in Rochester](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1989
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AWA Rage in Rochester
0/0
The Major League of Professional Wrestling, The AWA presents another all-star card from Rochester, Minnesota!
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![The Wrestler](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eTRzi5Wr3vRSD1WcGmqL5B6685l.jpg)
1974
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The Wrestler
4.2/5
Frank Bass (Ed Asner) is an honest guy trying to make a living in the cut throat world of professional wrestling, and he's gonna make it work - even i...
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![AWA Christmas Night 1983](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lCbXpTEFVltQI7gqz9oWg1dDRJO.jpg)
1983
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AWA Christmas Night 1983
0/0
The American Wrestling Association is live from the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, featuring a main event between AWA World Champion Ni...
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AWA Christmas Night 1983
![AWA Christmas Show 1983](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1983
![AWA Christmas Show 1983](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
AWA Christmas Show 1983
0/0
All your favorite AWA stars compete on Christmas Night
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![WWE Showdown at Shea '80](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1980
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WWE Showdown at Shea '80
0/0
WWF stadium show in the summer of 1980 from Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York.
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![Andre the Giant](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vA6gIx5GNRw2vYrBn478uwIfPS3.jpg)
1985
![Andre the Giant](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vA6gIx5GNRw2vYrBn478uwIfPS3.jpg)
Andre the Giant
6.2/4
Some of this wrestler's best fights.
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![WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vxkK3PpmfKj7yshfuvp837IlUeN.jpg)
1985
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WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest
0/0
Some of the most astonishing stars the WWF has to offer.
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![Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n2t4tXxmGGL9dn8e5vwhE4QpkG3.jpg)
1985
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Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
0/0
Here is the legendary Bob Uecker hamming it up, commentating on sports bloopers and other sports-related skits for 30 straight minutes!
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![The Best of the WWF: volume 7](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vohatuNUkJBF0UZnD2sYGnXrVqF.jpg)
1986
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The Best of the WWF: volume 7
0/0
The Best of WWE brought to you on home video!
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![The Best of the WWF: volume 9](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7AOnYbTOEJHjpekf36oqBCwHP0h.jpg)
1986
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The Best of the WWF: volume 9
0/0
The best of the WWE superstars in and out of the ring brought to you by Coliseum Home Video!
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![The Best of the WWF: volume 17](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g9jvVu8vnxiVD9hrl2wm56CmIPO.jpg)
1988
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The Best of the WWF: volume 17
0/0
All the best and brightest rising stars of WWE - plus the biggest and baddest superstars!
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![WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: November '88](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1988
![WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: November '88](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: November '88
0/0
The Superstars come out in the city of angels as The Big Boss Man tries to make Hulk Hogan serve hard time!
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![WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1984
![WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
0/0
Catch all the excitement and action as WWE's most powerful superstars take to the ring. Featuring a WWE Championship between Hulk Hogan and Big John S...
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![WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '84](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1984
![WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '84](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '84
0/0
The biggest superstars in WWE head to the great white north for some incredible action. Featuring Sgt. Slaughter battling The Iron Sheik.
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![WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: June '87](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1987
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WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: June '87
0/0
The biggest superstars in WWE head to the great white north for some incredible action. Featuring a 20-Man $50,000 Battle Royale.
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