Patrick John O'Connor (22 August 1924 – 16 August 1990), was a New Zealand

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. Regarded as one of the premier workers of his era, O'Connor held the

AWA World Heavyweight Championship The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight C ...

and

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...

simultaneously, the latter of which he held for approximately two years. He was also the inaugural AWA World Heavyweight Champion. He is an overall two-time

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Early life

Patrick John O'Connor was born on 22 August 1924 in Raetihi, New Zealand, to parents John Frederick and Isabella. While he attended high school at

Feilding Agricultural High School "Have Courage, Desire Greatly" , coordinates = , type = State Co-Ed Secondary School (Year 9–13) with boarding facilities , established = 1921 as Feilding Technical High School , MOE = 197 , principal = Nathan Stewart , ...

, he also helped tend to the sheep and cattle on his parents' farm. He later attended

Massey Agricultural College Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

, and later served for six months in the New Zealand Royal Air Force in 1945.

Amateur wrestling career

Before entering the world of professional wrestling, O'Connor was an

amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

. He trained under Dave Scarrow, and later Don Anderson, while working as a blacksmith to pay the bills. After a tournament in 1947, he joined the Wellington wrestling team and trained under

Anton Koolmann Anton Koolmann (11 September 1899 – 29 June 1953) was a wrestler and coach from Kuusalu Parish, Estonia who took part at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Career 1924 after winning Estonian Greco-Roman wrestling championships ...

. In 1948, he represented New Zealand in the Pan American games. O'Connor won the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship in amateur wrestling in both 1949 and 1950. The 1949 win earned him entry into the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

. At the Empire Games, O'Connor, once again representing New Zealand, won a silver medal winner in the (

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

) heavyweight division. He later trained to be a professional wrestler under Len Levy.

Professional wrestling career

National Wrestling Alliance

On 19 March 1955, O'Connor won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) with

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

partner

Roy McClarity Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...

, and held the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

until February 1956. Later in the year, he worked for Maple Leaf Wrestling. In March, he won the

NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) The Toronto version of the NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship was a major singles title in that city's NWA affiliate, Maple Leaf Wrestling, from 1941 until 1967, when the title was abandoned. Title history See also *List of National ...

, but lost it on 2 May 1957 to Gene Kiniski. That same month, O'Connor and

Whipper Billy Watson William John Potts, (June 25, 1915 to February 4, 1990) was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name "Whipper" Billy Watson. He was a two-time world champion, having held both the National Wrestling Association title and the ...

won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship, but lost it to Gene Kiniski and Fritz Von Erich on 31 October of that year. O'Connor held the

from 1959 to 1961. He first won the title on 9 January 1959 from

Dick Hutton Richard Heron Avis Hutton (October 4, 1923 – November 24, 2003) was an American amateur and professional wrestler. He was a three-time NCAA champion and, as a professional, held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, making him a one-time worl ...

, who had held the title for thirteen months. O'Connor's reign was recognized by both the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

and the National Wrestling Association. The title change was part of the rivalry between bookers

Sam Muchnick Samuel Muchnick (born Jeshua Muchnick, August 22, 1905 – December 30, 1998) was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often regarded as wrestling's equivalent of Pete Rozelle (the forward-thinking commission ...

and Fred Kohler, the latter of whom did not want to waste any money announcing O'Connor as the new champion. Kohler also wanted O'Connor to pay him $10,000 to wrestle at shows in Chicago, while being paid less than champions usually earned. O'Connor was so angry at the suggestion that he walked out of their meeting and later told Muchnick not to book him for any events in Chicago. The men later worked out a deal of sorts, and beginning on 19 February 1960, O'Connor wrestled in Chicago against

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavywei ...

and Johnny Valentine, among others. On 29 July at one of Fred Kohler's events, O'Connor defeated Yukon Eric at an event with an attendance of 30,275. During this time, television also became a factor in the burgeoning market for professional wrestling, and as a result, the demand to trade wrestlers, including O'Connor, throughout the

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

, was eased due to Vincent McMahon's

Capitol Wrestling Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American sports promotion company. It was run by Vincent J. McMahon from 1953 to 1982. Operating as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing p ...

. In December, he worked for McMahon in the Northeast. In March 1961, he was suspended for sixteen days when he missed a match in New York. On 30 June 1961, O'Connor dropped the title to Buddy Rogers in front of 38,622 fans at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Buil ...

, a North American professional wrestling attendance record that lasted until Toronto's

The Big Event The Big Event was a professional wrestling special event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on August 28, 1986, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It drew a crowd of over 74,000 fans, which was an outdoor attendance ...

in 1986. The ticket revenue of $148,000 was a professional wrestling record for almost twenty years. The match, a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, was billed as the "Match of the Century". During the match, both men had gained a pinfall, when O'Connor missed a

dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet connec ...

and suffered a

legit ''Legit'' is a slang abbreviation of '' legitimate''. It may also refer to: * Legit (professional wrestling) * ''Legit'' (2006 TV series), Scottish sitcom * ''Legit'' (2013 TV series), created by comedian Jim Jefferies * Legit Ballin', a record ...

groin injury on the ropes, after which Rogers pinned him to win the match.

American Wrestling Association

In May 1960, while still the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

(AWA) named O'Connor as the first holder of the

when they seceded from the NWA. Therefore, he held both the AWA and NWA World Heavyweight Championships simultaneously. However, he never defended the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, and was stripped of it in August, after ninety days, when

Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling ...

was recognized as the new champion. On 10 November 1967, the team of O'Connor and

Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder (September 15, 1929 – December 25, 1991) was an American American football, football player and professional wrestler. Wrestling career Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during football's 1953 off-season. He was trained by Sandor ...

defeated Larry Hennig and

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federatio ...

to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They lost the title on 2 December to Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto. O'Connor and Snyder also defeated Arakawa and Moto for the World Wrestling Association's WWA World Tag Team Championship on 24 September 1968. They lost the title on 26 October to the same team.

Late career

On 13 October 1970, O'Connor was introduced as

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

's first NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Champion as part of a storyline to introduce the title. The title was later awarded to the Missouri Mauler with the announcement that Mauler won it in New York. On 1 January 1982, O'Connor was part of the

card Card or The Card may refer to: * Various types of plastic cards: **By type ***Magnetic stripe card *** Chip card *** Digital card **By function ***Payment card ****Credit card **** Debit card ****EC-card ****Identity card ****European Health Insur ...

that comprised promoter Sam Muchnick's last professional wrestling show, located in St. Louis. O'Connor was also one of the owners of the St. Louis Wrestling Club. O'Connor, along with Verne Gagne,

, and

Bob Geigel Robert Frederick Geigel (October 1, 1924 – October 30, 2014) was an American professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler. He operated the Kansas City, Missouri-based Heart of America Sports Attractions promotion from 1963 to 1986 ...

purchased the territory from Sam Muchnick the day after Muchnick's retirement. On 18 September 1983, O'Connor was named as a co-conspirator in the monopoly that controlled professional wrestling in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. O'Connor filed a counterclaim. On 16 November 1987, O'Connor participated in a

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

"old-timers" battle royal, which was won by Lou Thesz.

Death

O'Connor died of cancer on 16 August 1990. In December 1990,

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

held the

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup Tag Team Tournament Starrcade '90: Collision Course was the eighth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the third Starrcade event held by WCW, and the final under the National Wrestl ...

, an eight-team international tag team memorial tournament at

Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1 ...

in honor of O'Connor. In 1996, he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted O'Connor. He is also a member of the

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...

. In 2016, O'Connor became a "Legacy" member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

(heavyweight) * New Zealand Heavyweight Championship (1949, 1950)

Professional wrestling

( 1 time) ** AWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder *

Central States Wrestling Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska ...

NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship The NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that served as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Central-States Championship Wrestling. For most of its existence, however, t ...

( 3 times) ** NWA Central States Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Bob Brown ** NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Sonny Myers ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States version) ( 3 times) **

NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) The Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the main professional wrestling championship for tag teams in Heart of America Sports Attractions, later known as Central States Wrestling (CSW) from 1951 to 1959, then again fr ...

( 4 times) – with Sonny Myers (1 time), Tiny Mills (1 time),

(1 time) and Omar Atlas (1 time) * Fred Kohler Enterprises ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) ( 1 time) – with Roy McClarity * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2004 * Maple Leaf Wrestling **

( 1 time) ** NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

* Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling ** NWA Eastern Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * Midwest Wrestling Association ** Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Montreal Athletic Commission ** World Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (2 times) *

NWA Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the NWA. It was established in 2005 to honor select wrestling personalities, mostly alumni of the NWA. Inductees receive commemorat ...

( class of 2011) ** NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Roy McClarity and Yukon Eric * NWA New Zealand **

NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version) The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star ...

(

) * NWA Rocky Mountain ** NWA Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2007 * Stampede Wrestling **

(Class of 1995) * St. Louis Wrestling Club **

( 1 time) * St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2007 * World Wrestling Association ** WWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' ** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ( Class of 1996) *

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

** WWE Hall of Fame ( Class of 2016)

Footnotes

External links

* *
Pat O'Connor at the NZ Olympic Committee website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Pat 1924 births 1990 deaths AWA World Heavyweight Champions Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Deaths from cancer in Missouri Massey University alumni New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand male professional wrestlers New Zealand male sport wrestlers NWA World Heavyweight Champions People educated at Feilding High School People from Raetihi Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling trainers Wrestlers at the 1950 British Empire Games WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century New Zealand people 20th-century professional wrestlers AWA World Tag Team Champions NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Champions NWA British Empire Heavyweight Champions (Toronto version) AWA United States Heavyweight Champions