WWE HOFer Says Vince McMahon Chose Inaugural IC Title Tourney Location As Rib

In 1979, WWE established the Intercontinental Championship by claiming that Pat Patterson had defeated Johnny Rodz in the finals of a fictional tournament in Rio De Janeiro. Patterson was simply handed the IC title after, while he went on to lose the North American Heavyweight Championship three months later, which he had previously held.

In an episode of "Something To Wrestle," John 'Bradshaw' Layfield explained Rio De Janeiro was chosen as the location of the fictional tournament for a very specific reason. 

"In case you didn't know, the reason that [Vince McMahon] chose Rio De Janeiro is because Pat couldn't say it," JBL proclaimed. "That's a true story. He chose Rio De Janeiro because Pat couldn't say it, because of his French accent. Yeah, yeah, it was all a rib on Pat."

Patterson would go on to become a crucial part of WWE until his passing in December 2020, remaining an integral part of "NXT," the Performance Center, and also the mind behind the Royal Rumble match. Paul 'Triple H' Levesque even claimed that he was second to McMahon during his tenure as WWE Chairman. Levesque further stated that Patterson is also someone he considers influential to the pro wrestling industry, praising the late veteran for his work on the San Francisco territory.

Today, Patterson's legacy continues with the Intercontinental Championship, which Chad Gable is currently reigning with at the time of writing, after winning the belt at Night 2 of SummerSlam in August against then-champion Penta. Gable is set to defend the belt against Penta's brother, Rey Fenix, this coming "RAW."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Something To Wrestle," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.