Nick Patrick

Joseph Nicholas Patrick Hamilton Jr. (born November 9, 1959), better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a retired American professional wrestling referee.

He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

He has also served as head referee for former WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling (DSW) until that company's closing, and is former head referee for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).

Hamilton is the son of wrestling legend Jody Hamilton, who wrestled as The Assassin.

He was a referee in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Georgia Championship Wrestling starting in 1980 under the name Nick Patrick, as he wanted to make a name for himself without his father's help.

In June 1984, Patrick transitioned into a wrestler, teaming with his father and wearing his mask, going by the name Assassin #3 in Jim Crockett Promotions as part of Paul Jones' Army.

By August 1984, he was wrestling as Assassin #3 in the Mid-Atlantic, while wrestling as Nick Patrick in Championship Wrestling from Georgia.

In CWG, Patrick was in a feud with Bob Roop, which resulted in a series of Lights Out matches, where they traded victories.

In 1985, he moved to the Gulf Coast for Continental Championship Wrestling, frequently teaming with Steve Armstrong, feuding with The Nightmares.

By October 1985, he moved on to Mid-South Wrestling, where he was used as an enhancement talent.

By the end of 1985, Patrick suffered a knee injury that ended his wrestling career.

After his wrestling career was cut short due to a knee injury, Patrick would help his father out in his promotion, Deep South Wrestling, as an announcer/color commentator.

In 1988, when Turner Broadcasting bought JCP and renamed it World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Patrick was brought in as a referee.

After Tommy Young retired in November 1989, Patrick became WCW's senior referee.

When the New World Order (nWo) formed in 1996, he joined and became their official referee.

He would allow the nWo wrestlers to cheat and he would show a clear bias towards the nWo.

Because of this, he was forced into a match against Chris Jericho at the World War 3 pay-per-view on November 24, 1996, in Norfolk, Virginia.

Jericho had one arm tied behind his back and still defeated Patrick.

Patrick's biggest night with the nWo was refereeing every single match on the nWo Souled Out pay-per-view on January 25, 1997, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

His nWo tenure came to an end at Spring Stampede 1997.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were scheduled to defend the WCW World Tag Team Championship against The Steiner Brothers.

Due to out-of-ring attacks and such, combined with Hall failing to show for the event, the title match eventually became a singles match between Nash and Rick Steiner.

Nash was allowed to appoint a referee and he chose Patrick.

During the match, Nash removed the padding over the turnbuckle and dropped Steiner's face on it.

However, in a turn of events, Patrick was starting to become visibly uncomfortable with how Nash was treating Steiner and would soon have a change of heart.

Fellow nWo associate Ted DiBiase also had a change of heart and attempted, with Patrick, to get Nash to stop.

When Nash refused, DiBiase left to get help for Steiner.

Nash covered an unconscious Steiner and Patrick didn't want to make the 3-count until Nash forced him to, awarding the contest to Nash.

Patrick then told Nash to stop as he would also leave to get help for Steiner.

After the match, Nash kept performing the maneuver on Steiner.

Later that evening, Patrick served as referee for the main event match between nWo member Randy Savage and Diamond Dallas Page, counting a proper pin for Page.

After the match, Nash came out and attacked Patrick, for all intents and purposes, kicking him out of the nWo.

On the April 21, 1997 edition of Nitro, he unexpectedly appeared in the announce booth with Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko.

Wearing a green WCW polo shirt, he cut a promo explaining that he was sick of Eric Bischoff and the way the nWo did business.

He explained that he never wanted to fight fellow referee Randy Anderson and asked for his job back.

Both Schiavone and Zbyszko were skeptical, especially Zbyszko, who was intensely critical.

They went to a commercial break with Patrick and Zbyszko arguing.

The next week on Nitro, WCW executive J. J. Dillon announced that Patrick was being re-hired on a probationary basis.

Patrick was a neutral referee from that point on and never sided with the nWo again.

Patrick created massive controversy over the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1997 when he made a "fast count" in the Sting-Hollywood Hogan match; although that was the planned finish to the match, Patrick botched it by counting three at normal speed.