Paul Bearer

William Alvin Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was an American professional wrestling manager and licensed funeral director.

He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) where he performed under the ring name and gimmick of Paul Bearer, manager and guiding light of The Undertaker.

As Paul Bearer, he hosted his own talk show segment entitled The Funeral Parlor.

As Paul Bearer, Moody is also known for managing his storyline son/Undertaker's storyline half-brother, Kane, as well as archnemesis of The Undertaker, Mankind.

Vader also served as Bearer's protégé for a short period while feuding with The Undertaker.

Outside WWE, Moody was known by the name Percival "Percy" Pringle III and performed in various regional territories and promotions, as well as World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).

Moody was born in Mobile, Alabama, on April 10, 1954, and attended San Antonio College and the University of South Alabama.

Moody entered professional wrestling in his teenage years as a ringside photographer.

After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving four years on duty; during this time, he often wrestled for independent promotions during off-duty hours.

In 1979, Moody began managing as Percival "Percy" Pringle III in southeastern independent promotions; a few years earlier, in June 1974, he wrestled as Mr. X. There had been previous Percy Pringles in wrestling who were not William Moody.

He was given the name by booker Frankie Cain.

Immediately after his first 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 an embalmer and mortician.

In 1984, he resumed full-time involvement in the wrestling business, using his Pringle character in Championship Wrestling from Florida and World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas.

During this time, he was WCCW's answer to Bobby Heenan by doing "Heenan" like promos, even looking like Heenan as well with the blonde hair and attire.

He served as manager for numerous wrestlers; he notably managed Rick Rude, "Stunning" Steve Austin, and Mark Calaway in their early careers.

As Percy Pringle, he was also associated with the careers of Lex Luger, Eric Embry, and The Ultimate Warrior.

Moody joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on December 22, 1990, after being mentioned by Rick Rude to WWF owner Vince McMahon.

McMahon used Moody's real-life involvement in the funeral industry to create the character of Paul Bearer, a name given to him by Road Warrior Hawk and a play on the term pallbearer.

In his portrayal of a very histrionic, ghostly manager, Bearer regularly communicated in his shaky, high-pitched, wailing voice and was almost always seen bearing an urn, which led to his mantra, "the power of the urn," allowing his main protégé The Undertaker to revive strength.

His keeper-of-the-urn gimmick led to several storylines in which The Undertaker's antagonists stole his urn, causing The Undertaker to lose much of his supernatural strength.

Bearer's catch phrase was "Ooooh, yes!"

Moody made his first appearance in February 1991, as a heel, when Brother Love, who originally managed The Undertaker, delegated Bearer to take on the role of The Undertaker's manager.

Complementing The Undertaker's Deadman gimmick, Bearer took on a spooky, Ghastly character.

Bearer hosted his own WWF talk show segment entitled The Funeral Parlor, which included memorable moments such as The Ultimate Warrior being locked inside a casket, among others.

In late 1991, Bearer managed The Undertaker to the WWF Championship when Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan at that year's Survivor Series, though Undertaker would lose the title back to Hogan six days later at This Tuesday in Texas.

The dark secret suggested that Bearer had a disturbingly traumatic past with The Undertaker which long preceded Brother Love's joining the two in January 1991.

The dark secret dates back to The Undertaker's youth and involves domestic matters: Paul Bearer, while working for The Undertaker's parents as an apprentice mortician in their family funeral home business, witnessed a felony act during The Undertaker's adolescence.

Bearer claimed that Undertaker had committed an arson murder, burning down his parents' family funeral home, in the process, killing them.

This act also killed The Undertaker's younger "brother"—or so The Undertaker long thought.

In early 1992, The Undertaker and Bearer turned face when Undertaker stopped former ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts from ambushing Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth with a chair backstage; The Undertaker and Roberts had a match at WrestleMania VIII, which saw Undertaker win.

Eventually Bearer turned heel again by betraying his long-time protege at SummerSlam 1996 to align himself with The Undertaker's arch-enemies, Mankind and Goldust.

In April 1997 at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, The Undertaker set Bearer's face ablaze using a fireball, which was done in retaliation for Bearer having Mankind set a fireball to The Undertaker's face several weeks prior.

Resulting from The Undertaker's actions, Bearer suffered (kayfabe) burns to his face and was bandaged for a time.

Once healed from the burns, Bearer changed his looks, shedding the makeup of ghostly pallor and jet-black color to his natural strawberry blond hair and less make-up.

No longer using his ghostly appearance and mannerisms, he became loudmouthed and shrill.

Around mid-1997, Paul Bearer coerced Undertaker (WWF Champion at the time) into being his protégé again with the ultimatum of revealing a deep, dark secret from their past.

During this time, Bearer made references to the "fires of hell," likening The Undertaker's dark secret to The Undertaker's act of setting fire to his face.

Under duress, The Undertaker accepted after several weeks of resistance.

While "managing" Undertaker this time around, Bearer engaged in tyrannical behaviors towards him, harassing him constantly.

Eventually, Undertaker lost his patience and refused to allow Bearer to continue being his manager, leading Bearer to reveal the secret.