Referee Nick Patrick On Facing A One-Armed Chris Jericho In WCW Match
Former WWE and WCW referee Nick Patrick took part in a wide range of memorable wrestling moments over the years, from joining the NWO as their referee of choice to wrestling a match against Chris Jericho while the star had one arm tied behind his back. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on "Insight," Patrick recalled his experience in the ring with Jericho.
"Oh man, that was a blast," Patrick said. "They came to me and asked me if I wanted to do that match, and I said yeah. I got to know Chris, and went to a concert with him, and we talked. He constructed the whole thing, man, and I knew from very early on that he was going to be a big star. It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and giving him a chance. But he [came] up with all of that. The only thing I [came] up with was him slamming me off the top at the end to set up the kick. The rest was him." Patrick was right that Jericho was destined for stardom, but the referee recalled a humble experience with the future world champion.
Patrick's in-ring performance
The match took place at WCW World War 3 in 1996. Due to Patrick's affiliation with the NWO, he found himself on Jericho's bad side, which is why the bout between the wrestler and the referee was scheduled.
"It was so fun. I wasn't in shape, either," Patrick continued. "I tried to start working out a little bit. They hit me with it, [and] I was [like], 'Okay.' Back then I smoked cigarettes and stuff. I'm an idiot, man. ... Going 13 minutes live with a kid like Jericho, even with one hand tied behind his back, you had to go a little bit. And I was taking hip tosses and stuff, you know? But I would always bail out of the ring and regroup — catch my wind, you know? And he was gracious, man. He let me get some heat on him, and let me do a couple of things to him to set up him beating me up in the end. And it got a great reaction, man."