| William Alvin Moody | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Mr. X The Embalmer Dr. Rigor Mortis Percival Pringle III[1] Percy Pringle III Paul Bearer[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in |
| Billed weight | 250 lb |
| Born | April 10 1954  Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resides | Mobile, Alabama |
| Debut | June 1974 |
William Alvin Moody (born April 10 1954) better known by his ring name Paul Bearer, is a professional wrestling manager. He is best known for his career with World Wrestling Entertainment, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation during most of his time there.
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Early career
He entered the professional wrestling business in his teenage years as a ringside photographer. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving four years on active duty; during this time, he occasionally wrestled for Gulf Coast independent promotions during off-duty hours. In 1978, he began managing as Percy Pringle (or, alternately, Percival Pringle III) in southeastern independent promotions. There had been previous Percy Pringle's in wrestling who were not Paul Moody. He married his wife Dianna the same year, and the couple had two sons Michael and Daniel. Immediately after his oldest son's birth, he cut back his involvement in the wrestling business in order to obtain a degree in mortuary science and earn certification as a funeral director and embalmer. Pringle has maintained his licenses ever since. In 1984, he resumed full-time involvement in the wrestling business, using his Pringle character in Florida Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, and the United States Wrestling Association (a successor to WCCW). During this time, he served as manager for numerous wrestlers; he notably managed Rick Rude, "Stunning" Steve Austin, and Mark Calaway in their early careers.[1] As Percy Pringle, he was also associated with the careers of Lex Luger, Eric Embry, and The Ultimate Warrior.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
He joined the World Wrestling Federation in December 1990, after being mentioned by Rick Rude to WWF owner Vince McMahon. McMahon used Pringle's real-life involvement in the funeral industry to create the character of Paul Bearer (a play on pallbearer), the manager of The Undertaker. Paul Bearer made his first appearance in January 1991, and he played the character for over thirteen years. As Undertaker's manager, as a heel and later a face, for over five years, he was a mentor, friend, and keeper of the urn from which Undertaker drew strength. Bearer also hosted the WWF interview show entitled 'The Funeral Parlor', which included memorable segments such as the Ultimate Warrior being locked inside a casket, among others. Eventually Bearer turned heel again by betraying his long-time friend at SummerSlam 1996 to align himself with Undertaker's enemy Mankind. During this time, Bearer would also enlist the services of The Executioner and Vader to do battle against the Undertaker. Later, Paul Bearer also went on to bring Undertaker's "brother" Kane (who was eventually billed as Bearer's illegitimate son through Undertaker's mother and thus Undertaker's half-brother, rather than full brother) to the WWF, which led to a bitter rivalry. During that time he changed his looks, shedding the makeup of ghostly pallor and jet-black hair in favor of brown hair and less make-up. Paul and Undertaker became a team once again as heels towards the end of 1998 and formed the Ministry of Darkness but departed from the WWF in September 1999 as a result of an injury. In early 2000, Bearer, who turned face once more briefly, returned to WWF TV as now-face Kane's manager, but he retired from on-screen performing shortly after WrestleMania 2000. Later that year, he went backstage to serve as a WWF road agent, stage manager, and talent scout. His contract with WWE ended in October 2002; he spent the next year working with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In October 2003, he signed a new three-year contract with WWE. At that time, he was suffering from health problems and depression related to his morbid obesity and underwent gastric bypass surgery in November 2003. As a signing bonus, WWE agreed to help pay for the surgery. After recovering, he reappeared as Paul Bearer in March 2004 at WrestleMania XX, alongside Undertaker in the latter's match against Kane. In a spring 2004 angle, Paul Bearer was kidnapped by The Dudley Boyz under the direction of Paul Heyman. This was set up in order to temporarily write Bearer out of WWE storylines because he had to undergo emergency gallbladder surgery after suddenly developing gallstones (a frequent side effect of gastric bypass surgery). For the June 27 2004 PPV The Great American Bash, a match pitting Undertaker against both of the Dudley Boyz was booked. Paul Bearer would be encased in a glass crypt backstage, covered up to his chest in cement. In the storyline, Heyman demanded that Undertaker throw the match or else see Bearer suffocated in cement. By the time of the PPV, Pringle had recovered from his latest operation and would appear on-screen. Undertaker won the match but proceeded afterwards to pull the lever that sent cement into the crypt, completely burying Paul Bearer and, in kayfabe terms, suffocating him (Bearer was not really at the event. The WWE had recorded footage of Paul Bearer in the crypt before the event. During the event, there was a stunt double in the crypt the whole time. That is why the TV audience could only see Paul Bearer and the crypt he was in -- since he wasn't there, they couldn't actually show anyone on screen with Bearer).[3] This shot ended the PPV and caused numerous complaints toward WWE, as in essence they had shown a (kayfabe) murder. However, the live audience saw an extended ending in which Bearer surfaced for air and was carried from the arena on a stretcher. On the following week's SmackDown!, Bearer was acknowledged to be alive, although gravely injured, for kayfabe purposes. The rehearsal taping earlier in the day of the Bash - with Undertaker ad-libbing and only half of the stunt complete, in an empty arena - was leaked onto the internet dirt sheets and actually broadcast live by accident in many of the TV markets. However, having two years remaining on his contract, Bearer's WWE career wasn't over; he was used as a booker for the company up until WWE decided to terminate his contract, giving him ninety days notice on April 11 2005. On June 10 2005, Bearer announced that he had signed a new deal with WWE which would allow WWE to market his persona and which would involve him attending autograph sessions and making promotional appearances. Such an appearance occurred in late January 2007 at a SmackDown/ECW live event in Mobile, Alabama, where he joined the Brothers of Destruction at ringside, wearing his Paul Bearer attire, and carrying the original urn. He later commented on the event in his blog. Bearer's health has greatly improved since his surgery. His official site has a page featuring pictures of him, one taken the night before his bypass surgery and a second taken on the first anniversary of the operation. One year later, he admitted in an entry on his blog that he had weighed 525 pounds (238 kg) before the operation but is now under 300 pounds (136 kg). Bearer has started his own independent promotion known as Gulf South Wrestling, which he announced closed on his official blog in May 2007. In September and October 2005 he conducted three shoot interviews for Ring of Honor. Two were done exclusively about him, talking about his career in wrestling. The third was with friend and fellow wrestling manager Jim Cornette. He has also returned fulltime to the funeral business, as he manages a funeral home, crematory, and cemetery complex in Moss Point, Mississippi. He has recently appeared in the "Where are they now" page, on the WWE website.
Awards
As Paul Bearer, he finished as the third runner-up in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Manager of the Year Award voting in 1991 and its final year of 1999, the second runner-up in 1997, and won the award in 1998.
Personal life
He is married to Dianna and has two sons: Michael and Daniel, who wrestles as World Class D.J. Pringle on the independent circuit.[4]
Wrestlers managed
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Notes
- ^ a b Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.80)
- ^ Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.81)
- ^ Chris Boyle. Smash Wrestling!.
- ^ [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/p/paul-bearer.html Married to Dianna; Son Michael born July 1979 Son Daniel]
References
- Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Pocket Books. ISBN 0743477200.
