Ken Patera Reportedly Recovering from Broken Neck

WWE legend Ken Patera is reportedly recovering from a broken neck that he suffered in a recent fall. A friend of Patera’s posted to Facebook and revealed that the former Intercontinental Champion suffered a C1 vertebra break during a fall at the gym. The post was shared by Steve Stasiak of talent management organization Book Pro Wrestlers.

The original post noted:

“I wanted to pass along the news that my friend Ken Patera recently had a fall at the gym that resulted in his C1 being broken.

Ken had a back surgery 2.5 years ago and had been making great progress on his health, having returned to the gym and dropping a significant amount of weight (pic from 2023 with his close friend Jim Brunzell).

Send some thoughts and prayers to my buddy, please.”

No word on exactly when the fall happened or how it came about. Patera is a Portland, Oregon native who wrestled from 1972 until 2011. His career included multiple stints in WWE, including his defeating Pat Patterson in April of 1980 to become the second-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion. He was also a two-time AWA World Tag Team Champion alongside Brad Rheingans and Jerry Blackwell. He competed in weightlifting at the 1972 Olympics for the US team.

On behalf of 411, our best wishes to Patera for a quick and full recovery.