How A Legend Behind The Intercontinental Title Is Actually An Inside Joke

The WWE Intercontinental Championship has a long history at this point but when it was initially conceived the genesis of this title was plucked from creative and just handed to Pat Patterson.

The legend says Patterson won his IC Title in a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, but in reality there was no tournament. It wasn’t even hard for him to get the title because he was already Pat Patterson at that point.

But Patterson used that IC Title well and since then many more have used it as a launching pad to greatness. Bruce Prichard recently revealed something he thinks hasn’t been put out into the public yet on his Something To Wrestle With podcast.

According to Prichard, the reason why the tournament was held in Rio De Janeiro had a much more amusing thought behind it than most might ever realize.

“Do you know why the tournament took place in Rio de Janeiro?” Prichard asked. “Okay, this is a little tidbit of information that has never been made public before I don’t think. I don’t think it’s in [Pat] Patterson’s book. The tournament site where Pat Patterson won the Intercontinental was Rio de Janeiro was because Vince [McMahon] was tickled at the way Pat could not say Rio de Janeiro with his accent.”

Bruce then did his best impression of Vince McMahon’s announcer voice asking Pat Patterson where he won the IC Title. Prichard replied to himself using his Pat Patterson impression that sounds more like Mario (Pat Patterson is not an Italian plumber): “A depeda… Rio!”

“And Pat would just say ‘Rio,'” Prichard explained. “But it tickled Vince to get Pat to struggle with Rio de Janeiro.”

If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard with a H/T to Still Real To Us for the transcription