Veteran WWE Wrestler Reveals He Is Gay After Hiding It For 50 Years

The Hall of Fame wrestler made the public admission for the first time as the brand's reality series Legends' House came to a close in the United States. The emotional scenes unfolded as Patterson lifted the weight off his shoulders alongside Roddy Piper, Jimmy Hart, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Hillbilly Jim during a dinner scene in the show.

I have no idea who this guy is but can you imagine that he has been hiding this for 50 year. Almost his entire life, gone, because of our society's prejudice and his need to keep up with the macho image of wrestling. 

In the  show he said: 

"Sitting here tonight, I'm going to say something that I would never want to say publicly. 

"But being here with you guys, for once in my life, I'm going to be me now. 

"I survived all this being gay."

Adding that he had kept it secret for "50-some years", he heartbreakingly continued: 

"I had a friend with me for 40 years, and I lost him because he had a heart attack. And I end up alone.

"It's tough, guys. It's tough."

As his friends wiped away tears, he continued: 

"I gave my life to the business. I don't regret nothing. [But] for the rest of my life, I want to be happy."

While I understand why Mr Patterson may have felt the need to live with this secret for so long, I can not help but feel extremely sorry for him. I am also impressed that he realizes the importance of coming out especially for athletes so that the myth of what gay looks like can be debunked. 

Gay men are not just hairdressers, flight attendants and wedding planners. Patterson could have just gone to the grave with his secret but he chose to contribute something to the world by adding on to the debunking the perception of what being gay is and/or looks like. 

In 2013, WWE superstar Darren Young became the first wrestler to come out. Read HERE