AceShowbiz -

Surviving the tough world of World Wrestling Entertainment, Pat Patterson decided that it's time to come out of the closet. The 73-year-old appeared on the season finale of WWE network reality series "Legends' House" to announce that he's gay.

In a teary confession, Patterson told his friends about the secret that he had kept for more than 50 years. "Sitting here tonight, I'm gonna say something that I would never want to say, publicly," Patterson said. "For once in my life, I'm gonna be me now. I survived all this, being gay."

Some of his friends, who are fellow WWE veterans, even shed a tear for him. Patterson wiped his tears with a napkin and continued, "I lived with that for 50-something years. I had a friend with me for 40 years and I lost him because he had a heart attack ... It's tough guys, it was tough."

"We love you, Pat," one of his friends told him to show his support. "We've always loved you." In individual confession, Patterson revealed his intention to come out now. He said. "I gave my life to the business, I don't regret nothing. For the rest of my life, I want to be happy."

Patterson was deemed the first "intercontinental Champion." He was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 and is now serving as a creative consultant to the organization. The announcement was actually filmed back in 2012 but the series did not air it until April this year.