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A WWE<\/a> legend has reportedly suffered a serious neck injury following an accident at the gym. The wrestler is none other than former Intercontinental Champion Ken Patera.<\/p>\n News of the injury first surfaced through the veteran’s close friend. Steve Stasiak from Book Pro Wrestlers<\/em> shared an update detailing the incident. According to the post, Patera fell while training at the gym, resulting in a broken C1 vertebra. The update has led to an outpouring of support from fans and members of the wrestling community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/template><\/p>\n The injury came at a highly unfortunate time after Patera had spent the last two-and-a-half years recovering from major back surgery. During that, the 83-year-old had worked tirelessly to improve his health, returning to the gym, losing a significant amount of weight, and making what those close to him described as remarkable progress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n Patera is regarded as one of the pioneers of professional wrestling. Before entering the business, he represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in weightlifting and won gold at the 1971 Pan American Games. He also became the first American to clean and jerk more than 500 pounds, cementing his place among the country’s greatest strength athletes.<\/p>\n His transition to professional wrestling proved equally successful. During his time in WWE, Patera made history by defeating Pat Patterson<\/a> at Madison Square Garden in April 1980 to become only the second Intercontinental Champion in company history. He later held the title for more than seven months before dropping it to Pedro Morales.<\/p>\n Throughout his career, Patera competed across several major promotions, including the AWA, NWA<\/a>, and WWE, earning a reputation as one of the toughest competitors of his era.<\/p>\n At the time of writing, no additional details regarding Patera’s condition or recovery timeline have been released. Wrestling fans across the world have since taken to social media to send their well wishes, hoping the legendary performer can once again overcome a significant health challenge.<\/p>\n We at Sportskeeda wish Ken Patera a speedy recovery.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
WWE legend says he has no interest in Vince McMahon’s Hall of Fame<\/h2>\n