In an article for FOX Sports, Jim Ross said that Pat Patterson was the greatest star in Royal Rumble history.
He wrote: “Patterson, who for five decades kept the fact that he is gay a secret and came out during the TV season finale of WWE Legends House on the WWE Network in 2014, wrestled for well over a decade based out of the San Francisco wrestling territory. Pat is widely considered to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. Pat’s individual career was stellar the world over and his tag team with another Bay Area legend, Ray Stevens, is arguably, in the eyes of many, the best tag team ever. …
— Nonetheless, Pat Patterson was in virtually every San Francisco Battle Royal over parts of three decades and with his brilliant pro wrestling mind mastered the creative art of producing the event that generally featured a total of 18 wrestlers. To properly produce and structure this event, one had to have a creative mind, be a discerning politician and a masterful communicator. Pat Patterson was all these things and more.”