Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for Paul Bearer

On March 5, the wrestling industry lost one of its finest managers and personalities in William Moody, known to fans of World Wrestling Entertainment as the great Paul Bearer.

One of the most celebrated managers in sports-entertainment history, he began his career as Percy Pringle III. An obnoxious heel, he appeared for a number of old territories, the most notable being Florida Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling.

As a manager in the territorial days, he had the opportunity to manage a number of up-and-coming stars who would go on to achieve great success in the pro wrestling industry. Among those men were "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Lex Luger and future World Wrestling Federation champion The Ultimate Warrior.

Not to mention a little-known Steve Austin.

As successful as he proved to be during his tenure with the above mentioned promotions, Moody would find his greatest success by returning to his roots as a mortician and creating a lasting character that will live forever in the annals of professional wrestling.

In February of 1991, Paul Bearer made his debut on World Wrestling Federation television and forever changed the course of his career. Assuming the role of manager for The Undertaker, a fresh new character that had been turning heads with his undying commitment to character and his impressive athleticism, Bearer was the missing piece for the gimmick.

With his wailing voice and pale complexion, Bearer was as unique a character as there was in the company. He was like the jelly to Undertaker's peanut butter. They were a perfect match at a perfect time for Vince McMahon's wrestling company.

From 1990 until 1996, Bearer was the controller of the urn. He was the one man that could keep the Phenom in check and he was outstanding at his job.

In August of '96, however, it felt as if the pairing had run its course and Bearer was paired with Undertaker's nemesis, Mankind.

With Mankind, and soon after Vader, Bearer continued to be one of the premiere managers in the industry. He led his team of monstrous Superstars into battle at WrestleMania 13 as they unsuccessfully challenged tag team champions Owen Hart and the British Bulldog.

In the summer of 1997, Bearer shocked the world by announcing that Undertaker's brother, Kane, was still alive and soon, he would arrive to the Federation to pay back the Phenom for the years of suffering he endured.

At Badd Blood in October of that year, Bearer led Kane to the ring in the middle of Undertaker's Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels. Bearer would watch as Kane delivered a Tombstone Piledriver to his brother.

It was revealed on Monday Night Raw in April of 1998 that not only had Bearer discovered that Kane was alive and brought him to the World Wrestling Federation, he also was the Big Red Monster's father. It was a soap opera twist that the WWF and creative head Vince Russo became infamous for.

Bearer would remain a central figure of the Undertaker-Kane rivalry through 1999.

He would return in 2000 as Kane's manager but would leave shortly thereafter. He would not be seen on programming for four years.

The legendary manager would make one final, full-time run with WWE when he returned at WrestleMania 20, managing Undertaker for his match against Kane. With a single "Oh yes," the fans inside Madison Square Garden erupted for the return of an old favorite. 

Bearer would accompany the Dead Man to the squared circle for the next four months. Then, at Great American Bash in July of 2004, The Undertaker would bury his long time friend and manager in a concrete crypt.

The manager would return one last time for a short period in 2010, managing Undertaker at first, before turning on him and siding with Kane.

Late in that year, he would be abducted by Edge and stored in a walk-in freezer, never to be seen again.

The passing of William Moody brought an end to the Paul Bearer character. For six years during his initial pairing with Undertaker, Bearer proved to be as important to the success of the character as Mark Calaway was.

He brought a uniqueness to both his and the character of The Undertaker that helped them stand out, thrive and survive during a period in which gimmicks were running wild and rapidly failing.

More importantly, every Superstar ever paired with Bearer in his WWE days was instantly recognized as a top star in the industry. Undertaker, Mankind, Vader and Kane all made main event runs and were involved in championship matches under Bearer.

Without the introduction of Bearer to the Undertaker character, who knows if he would be the iconic figure he is today.

That is an incredible testament to Moody and the commitment he put into Paul Bearer.

Without further ado, here is a look back at some of the greatest moments of the legendary, future Hall of Fame inductee, Paul Bearer.

Classic Percy Pringle III

There is a decided lack of Percy Pringle footage on YouTube, but the above video should give you a feel for the character and the performer's immense talent.

Paul Bearer Debuts

In February of 1991, on a memorable episode of the Brother Love Show, Brother Love announced that his busy schedule would not allow him to give Undertaker the love and attention he deserves.

With that, he introduced Paul Bearer as Undertaker's new manager and promised that he would help guide the Dead Man to greatness.

He was right. Within nine months, Undertaker was the World Wrestling Federation champion.

The Funeral Parlor

One of the most unique talk show segments in WWE history was Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlor. Decorated in black, the set looked very much like a dreary funeral parlor and played up the gimmicks of Bearer and The Undertaker.

Bearer hosted some of the top stars in WWE during the course of his show, including Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. 

The most famous edition of the Funeral Parlor came on the road to WrestleMania VIII when Jake "the Snake" Roberts made an appearance.

Enraged that Undertaker had a change of heart and chose not to allow Roberts to blast Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair, thus foiling his plans to further torment Randy Savage, the man known affectionately as "the Snake" directed his aggression towards the Phenom and his manager.

Roberts slammed Undertaker's hand in a casket, then proceeded to drop Bearer with a vicious DDT.

It was the perfect setup for Roberts and Undertaker's WrestleMania match and a reminder that Bearer could be more than just the holder of the urn.

Paul Knows the REAL Undertaker

After losing a casket match to Yokozuna at the 1994 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker disappeared from the then-World Wrestling Federation and would not be seen or heard from until the summer.

At the time, there were several reports of Undertaker sightings from children, adults, firefighters and police.

Then, in a shocking turn of events, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase claimed to not only know where Undertaker was, but that he had bought him and would prove it to the world.

On an episode of WWF Superstars in the summer of 1994, DiBiase produced "The Undertaker" on Shawn Michaels' Heartbreak Hotel segment. While the man DiBiase had introduced to the world looked like The Phenom, fans could tell it was not the same person.

Paul Bearer knew for a fact it was not and said as much. Eventually, a match between the Undertakers would be booked for SummerSlam.

At that show, Paul Bearer made his way to the ring, took the lid off of his fabled urn and let the spirit of Undertaker fill the United Center. From there, the Dead Man made the long walk down the aisle before standing face-to-face with his impostor.

The real Undertaker would defeat DiBiase's fake in the main event of the evening.

Betrayal

At the 1996 SummerSlam event, Undertaker was facing the biggest threat to his dominance in the World Wrestling Federation.

Mankind had exploded onto the scene earlier in the year and had immediately targeted the biggest dog in the WWF yard. He attacked Undertaker and applied the Mandible Claw, making it clear that he was not only unafraid of the Dead Man, he was also out to unseat him as the most dangerous star in the company.

The masked man would defeat Undertaker at the King of the Ring event and had challenged him to a Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam.

In one of the most physically-punishing matches in the history of Vince McMahon's promotion, the enemies would beat, batter and bruise one another throughout the Gund Arena in Cleveland before fighting out into the squared circle.

Late in the bout, Undertaker would kneel before Paul Bearer, as he had so many times before, and call for his manager to hand him the urn. After all, securing the urn from Bearer was the only way to win the match.

In a shocking twist, Bearer refused to hand over the urn and Mankind attacked Undertaker. He applied the Mandible Claw, a move the Dead Man had become far too familiar with since April. He fought and fought, but he could not withstand the effects of the move.

Soon, he was unconscious and Mankind was grasping the urn in victory.

The turn was a monumental moment for both Undertaker and Bearer, who had been so instrumental in each other's success, but now, would be enemies for the foreseeable future. 

He's Alive!

By the summer of 1997, Paul Bearer had spent nearly a year trying to put an end to The Undertaker. He managed both Mankind and Vader in matches, but neither was able to dethrone the Phenom.

Frustrated, Bearer vowed to expose a secret about Undertaker that would destroy him and his world.

On a memorable episode of Raw, Bearer revealed to the world that Undertaker had started the fire at the funeral home that killed his parents and horribly disfigured his brother, Kane. He revealed that Kane was still alive and that he would be arriving to WWF sooner, rather than later.

The Undertaker would spend weeks trying to discredit Bearer's claims but the manner and urgency with which he spoke indicated that maybe, just maybe, the legendary manager was telling the truth.

That would be the case as Bearer led Kane to the ring at the October 1997 pay-per-view event Badd Blood.

The Big Red Monster would rip the door off of the Hell in a Cell, enter the squared circle and stare his shocked brother in the face. Seconds later, he would deliver a Tombstone Piledriver before returning to the back.

It was one of those magical moments that introduced a new character, and angle, to a World Wrestling Federation that was surging and making headway in the ratings war with World Championship Wrestling.

"OH...YES!"

After a four-year absence from sports-entertainment, he would return to the now-World Wrestling Entertainment at WrestleMania 20.

The fans inside Madison Square Garden welcomed him back with open arms, delivering a huge ovation as he spouted one of his famous lines and made his way to the ring. He raised the urn high and ushered in the return of The Undertaker, who had once again adopted the Dead Man gimmick.

The pairing proved as successful as ever as Undertaker defeated his brother, Kane, in one of the night's marquee matches.

Bearer would continue to manage Undertaker for the next few months. However, in the summer of 2004, he would be abducted and held hostage by Paul Heyman and the Dudley Boyz.

Heyman used his leverage to force Undertaker into doing his dirty work.

It would be announced that, at Great American Bash in July, Undertaker would take on the Dudleys in a handicap match. If he refused to do the right thing (ie. lay down for his opponents), Bearer would be buried under tons of concrete.

Undertaker, his pride too strong, refused to do as he was told and ended up defeating his opponents. He then made his way up the aisle, seemingly to rescue his friend. Instead, he shocked the world by pulling the lever and emptying the concrete mixer into the glass crypt that Bearer sat in, burying him alive.

It was a morbid ending for a morbid character.

He's Back

In the fall of October 2010, WWE dusted off the reliable Undertaker-Kane feud and, once again, introduced Paul Bearer to the mix.

On the Sept. 24 edition of SmackDown, he made his return to the company as manager for Undertaker. The Dead Man had come out on the losing end of a World Heavyweight Championship match against his brother at Night of Champions and was turning to a friend to help him rediscover his edge.

As Kane addressed the WWE Universe and touted his win over his brother at the last pay-per-view, the red lighting in the arena switched to purple and the familiar gong sounded throughout the arena.

Druids brought a casket to ringside and, out of it, popped Paul Bearer.

The manager would play a pivotal role in the angle as he would turn on Undertaker at October's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, helping his son retain the world championship.

He would remain an on-screen character until November.

R.I.P. Paul

The passing of William Moody and the death of the Paul Bearer character was a sad time for family, friends and fans of the performer.

Shortly after his passing, World Wrestling Entertainment produced a video package that paid tribute to one of its most memorable and beloved performers. It included comments from Vince McMahon, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Jerry Lawler, Hornswoggle, Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan and brought finality to, as McMahon put it, WWE's "most unique manager."