Thunderbolt Patterson Named to WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024; Joins Heyman, More

WWE announced Wednesday that territory wrestling legend Thunderbolt Patterson will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.

WWE head of creative, Triple H, showed his appreciation for Patterson in a post on X following the announcement:

Patterson, 82, starred in several prominent pro wrestling promotions during the territory days from the 1960s through the 1980s, including Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Championship Wrestling from Florida.

Arguably the biggest accomplishment of Patterson's career was winning the NWA Florid Heavyweight Championship from the legendary Bruiser Brody in 1976.

Patterson was also a one-time NWA brass knuckles champion, a two-time NWA Georgia television champion and a multi-time tag team champion and Georgia and Mid-Atlantic with partners such as Ole Anderson, Tony Atlas and Jerry Brisco.

The charismatic grappler from Waterloo, Iowa, worked with and against some of the biggest stars of his era, including Lou Thesz, Jose Lothario, The Sheik and The Road Warriors.

Patterson's time as Anderson's tag team partner was notable since it led to Anderson breaking up with Patterson, joining forces with Arn Anderson and eventually creating the Four Horsemen stable.

Per WWE.com, Patterson is perhaps best remembered for his engaging promos, which took inspiration from sermons delivered by Black Southern pastors.

Patterson, who became a minister in his own right, is also believed to have inspired the character portrayed by WWE Hall of Famer "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

According to Andscape's Martenzie Johnson, Patterson often had to fight against racism during his career, and was even blacklisted from many wrestling promotions during the 1970s.

Patterson was also a huge proponent of equal pay for Black wrestlers and better rights for all wrestlers as a whole.

The trailblazing pioneer is part of a 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class that already includes Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham of The U.S. Express and iconic boxer Muhammad Ali.

Patterson and Co. will officially be inducted on April 5 following an episode of SmackDown in Philadelphia, one day before Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.

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