[Paul Bearer GALLERY]
Career Highlights
In The Beginning:
- 1972: William Moody was a product of Mobile’s Catholic School system, and later graduated from the McGill Institute.
- ~~~William Moody enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, completing basic training at Lackland AFB, in San Antonio, TX.
- ~~~William Moody is also a legitimate licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer!
- 1976: William Moody recieved his honorable discharge from the Air Force, and went straight into a Funeral Director/Embalmer job.
Getting Into The Business:
- William Moody became a front-row regular at Gulf Coast Wrestling events in Mobile, Alabama while growing up.
- ~~~William Moody got to know many of the wrestlers, as well as the front office personnel.
- William Moody got his foot in the door by becoming a ringside photographer, taking photos for the programs and national magazines!
- June 1974: William Moody made his wrestling debut, wrestling as “Mr. X” (under a mask) in Greenville, AL
- ~~~William Moody continued to wrestle on the southern independant circuit as Mr X, and even went by “The Embalmer”.
Percival Pringle III – Take 1:
- April 1977: William Moody began his managerial career as Percy Pringle III under promoters George Culkin and Frankie Cain.
- ~~~The promotion was based out of Mississippi and was called “International Championship Wrestling”.
- ~~~Frankie Cain (the booker) was the one who gave William Moody the name “Percy Pringle III”.
- July 1979: William and Dianna Moody welcomed their first son, Michael, into the world and William came to a realization.
- William Moody quit wrestling full time, and returned to the funeral profession and college.
- William Moody graduated on The Dean’s List, he received a Degree in Mortuary Science.
- William Moody also earned his his Funeral Director/Embalmer’s Certification from San Antonio College.
Percival Pringle III – Take 2:
- 1984: Percy Pringle III returned to wrestling full time, turning up the “flamboyance” of his character.
- Percy Pringle III became a regular in Florida Wrestling as well as Fritz von Erich’s World Class Wrestling Association.
- Percy Pringle III managed Rick Rude, The Assassin, Blackjack Mulligan, Matt Borne, Buzz Sawyer, Eric Embry and many others.
- ~~~Also managed The Great Kabuki, Lex Luger, The Dingo Warrior, “Sugar Bear” Harris, and even Steve Austin!
World Wrestling Federation – The Undertaker:
- December 22, 1990: William Moody joined the WWF and would be known as “Paul Bearer” a creepy heel manager.
- Paul Bearer was given the opportunity to manage one of the fastest growing characters in the WWF, The Undertaker!
- March 24, 1991 – WrestleMania 7: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.
- April 27, 1991 – SMME: Paul Bearer wheeled a casket down to ringside during a match between Ultimate Warrior and Sgt Slaughter.
- ~~~A few minutes later, The Undertaker popped out of the casket and attacked The Ultimate Warrior.
- ~~~Hulk Hogan ran down to make the save, but his shots had no effect on The Undertaker.
- Feburary 20, 1992: Jake Roberts confronted The Undertaker on an episode of Paul Bearer’s Funeral Parlor..
- ~~~Jake Roberts jammed The Undertakers hand into the lid of a coffin and repeatedly whacked him with a chair!
- April 5, 1992 – WrestleMania 8: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
- ~~~Jake Roberts hit TWO simoltaneous DDTs on The Undertaker and then went after manager Paul Bearer.
- ~~~The Undertaker sat up and tombstoned Jake Roberts on the floor and rolled him back in the ring for the win!
- August 29, 1992 – Summerslam: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Kamala.
- November 24, 1992 – Survivor Series: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Kamala in a Casket Match.
- April 4, 1993 – WrestleMania 9: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Giant Gonzales w/ Harvey Wippleman by disqualification.
- ~~~Giant Gonzales rendered The Undertaker unconsious with a rag soaked in Chloraform.
- ~~~The Undertaker woke up while being stretchered out, and cleared Giant Gonzales out of the ring!.
- August 30, 1993 – Summerslam: The Undertaker defeated Giant Gonzalez w/ Harvey Wippleman to regain posession of the urn.
- ~~~Harvey Wippleman tried to pick a fight with Paul Bearer but got knocked out cold with one punch!
- ~~~Paul Bearer once again took posession of the urn which helped the The Undertaker recover and win the match!
- August 29, 1994 – Summerslam: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated The Undertaker w/ Ted DiBiase.
- ~~~Ted DiBiase brought down his Evil Undertaker – played by one of Undertaker’s “real life” friends – Brian Lee.
- ~~~The lights began to flicker (simulating thunder and lighting) and The REAL Undertaker finally made his entrance.
- ~~~The REAL Undertaker tombstoned The Evil Undertaker and pinned him, then rolled him into a casket!
- January 22, 1995 – Royal Rumble: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Irwin R. Schyster w/ Ted DiBiase.
- ~~~After the match, King Kong Bundy went eye to eye with the Undertaker while IRS attacked Paul Bearer and stole the urn!
- ~~~King Kong Bundy repeatedly splashed The Undertaker’s lifeless body.
- April 2, 1995 – WrestleMania 11: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated King Kong Bundy w/ Ted DiBiase.
- ~~~The Undertaker regained control of the urn but it was once again stolen, this time by Kama.
- March 31, 1996 – WrestleMania 12: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel in a Grudge match.
- August 18, 1996 – Summerslam: Mankind defeated The Undertaker in the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match.
- ~~~Paul Bearer turned on the Undertaker, bashing him over the head with the urn, and handing it over to MANKIND!
- November 16, 1996 – Survivor Series: The Undertaker defeated Mankind with Paul Bearer suspended in a Cage above the ring.
- ~~~Afterwards, Paul Bearer was lowered from the Cage but the Executioner (Terry Gordy) ran in to make the save!
World Wrestling Federation – Post Undertaker:
- Paul Bearer turned on the Undertaker, to manage Kane (Undertaker’s little brother) who was revealed to be Paul Bearer’s son!
- March 29, 1998 – Wrestlemania 14: The Undertaker defeated Kane w/ Paul Bearer in a “Brother vs Brother” grudge match.
- 1998: Paul Bearer was named 1998 Manager Of The Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.
World Wrestling Federation – The Undertaker:
- February 22, 1999 – RAW: Public Enemy defeated Edge and Gangrel w/ Christian by disqualification (PE got a blood bath after the match).
- ~~~Backstage, The Undertaker disciplined The Brood for failing him by ordering the Ministry to beat them up!
- ~~~In the Main Event: The Undertaker defeated Kane in an Inferno match after Kane’s leg was lit on fire!
- ~~~Paul Bearer delivered a teddy bear to Vince McMahon at ringside which belonged to his daughter Stephanie McMahon.
- ~~~After the match, The Undertaker approached Vince McMahon and set the teddy bear on fire, bringing Vince to his knees!
- March 1, 1999 – RAW: Mankind defeated The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer by Count Out.
- April 26, 1999 – RAW: The Undertaker had an “Unholy Wedding” to Stephanie McMahon, who was strapped to the Symbol.
- ~~~Stephanie McMahon screamed in terror as Paul Bearer hosted the ceremony with the Ministry standing by.
- ~~~Ken Shamrock and The Big Show tried to stop the ceremony but they were both taken out by the Ministry.
- ~~~Finally Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up as the unlikely hero and rescued Stephanie McMahon from the situation.
- ~~~Stephanie McMahon embraced Steve Austin until Vince McMahon showed his appeciation to his mortal enemy for helping
- May 3, 1999 – RAW: The Big Show defeated The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer by disqualification (Undertaker used ether on Big Show and shattered a baseball bat over his head!).
- May 10, 1999 – RAW: The Big Show vs Paul Bearer ended in a No Contest (The Big Show called out The Undertaker).
- ~~~Main Event: Steve Austin and The Rock and Vince McMahon beat Shane McMahon and Undertaker and HHH (HBK as referee).
- June 27, 1999 – King of the Ring: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated The Rock to retain the Heavyweight title.
World Wrestling Entertainment – Part Time:
- William Moody decides to move on from portraying an on air character, he was added to the WWE.COM staff as a journalist.
- 2001: William Moody’s wife, Dianna Moody, is diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and undergoes surgery on August 2, 2001.
- September 2002: William Moody announces that he will be leaving the WWE to care for his wife.
- October 14, 2002: William Moody’s contract runs out and he is officially gone from the WWE.
- William Moody decides to retire from the business instead of renewing his WWE contract.
NWA: Total Nonstop Action:
- December 4, 2002 – NWA:TNA: Paul Bearer (as Percy Pringle III) appeared at the end of the show shocking everybody!
- January 8, 2003 – NWA:TNA: Percy Pringle III gave a one-on-one sitdown interview about his wrestling career.
- January 15, 2003 – NWA:TNA: Percy Pringle III came out and asked to join S-E-X, but got a beat-down instead.
- April 19, 2003 – All Access Wrestling “Full House”: PP3 cut a promo on the show that put over Kevin Northcutt and Joe Kane.
World Wrestling Entertainment – Back in the WWE:
- March 14, 2004 – Wrestlemania XX: The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) returned using the DEADMAN gimmick and defeated Kane!
- May 16, 2004 – Judgment Day: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated Booker T with a tombstone piledriver.
- May 27, 2004 – SD!: Paul Bearer was abducted by the Dudley Boyz and thrown into the trunk of a car and taken away!
- June 10, 2004 – Smackdown: The Undertaker shocks the World as he bows down to Paul Heyman recognizing the power of the urn.
- June 27, 2004 – Great American Bash: The Undertaker defeated The Dudley Boyz in a “Live Free or Die” match.
- ~~~As a result, Paul Heyman pulled a switch which was to bury Paul Bearer in concrete cement but LIGHTNING struck!
- ~~~The Undertaker made his way to the stage and said “I have no other choice” before pulling the switch and “killing” his manager!
- April 11, 2005: Paul Bearer is given his 90-Day notice by WWE Talent Relations to terminate his contact.
- September 9, 2005 – Chaotic Wrestling: Nick Logan beat Andre Lyonz in a Casket match with Percy Pringle III at ringside.
- October 2, 2005 – ROH: Paul Bearer made an unadvertised appearance and appeared in the ring with Commissioner Jim Cornette.
- November 6, 2005 – Iron Ring Wrestling: Legion w/ Percy Pringle III defeated Tracy Smothers.
- December 16, 2005 – Vince Russo’s Ring of Glory: Percy Pringle III played heel manager for the duration of the event.
- March 7, 2006: Paul Bearer made a non-televised in-ring appearance to welcome the fans to a TV Taping in Mobile, AL.
- April 7, 2006 – National Wrestling Superstars: Kamala w/ Percy Pringle III defeated Sal Sincere w/ King DoIStink.
- August 5, 2006 – WWE Live Event (SD! crew) in Mobile, Alabama: Mike “The Miz” Mizanin introduced WWE Legend Paul Bearer.
- May 16, 2007: Percy Pringle announced that his Gulf South Wrestling promotion is being shut down.
- August 22, 2008 – American Championship Wrestling: Percy Pringle III managed Aeon Flexx in the ACW Title Tournament.
- September 12, 2008 – American Championship Wrestling: Marcel Pringle defeated Percy Pringle III in an Arm-Wrestling match.
- October 24, 2008 – ACW: Aeon Flexx w/ Percy Pringle III defeated Tony Love to win the ACW Heavyweight title in Alabama.
- ~~~Ryan Fury w/ Marcel Pringle defeated Dominion w/ Percy Pringle III by DQ. Percy Pringle was handcuffed to Marcel Pringle.
- February 2, 2009: Dianne Moody, the wife of William “Paul Bearer” Moody, passed away.
- April 24, 2010 – Millenium Wrestling Federation: The Iron Sheik and Jay Lethal defeated “Stalker” Dylan Kage w/ Paul Bearer.
- ~~~No DQ/Countout Match ending when Sheik made Kage submit to the camel clutch on the floor in the Sheik’s retirement match.
- ~~There was a huge celebration with the locker room hitting the ring after the bout to honor the Sheik! [www.bostonwrestling.com]
World Wrestling Entertainment – The Undertaker vs. Kane (Hell in a Cell):
- Summer 2010: Kane began feuding with the Undertaker again, with Kane stealing all of Undertaker’s powers and dominating him.
- September 19, 2010 – Night of Champions: Kane defeated The Undertaker by reversing a Tombstone into a Tombstone of his own!
- September 24, 2010 – SmackDown: Kane said he destroyed Undertaker’s body on Sunday and now he will destroy his legend and soul.
- ~~~Kane challenged Undertaker to a Hell in a Cell match (a casket was rolled down to the ring and Paul Bearer popped out with an urn!)
- ~~~The lights went out and Taker appeared behind Kane.. Kane retreated and freaked out at the return of his father in Taker’s corner.
- October 1, 2010 – SmackDown: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer defeated C.M. Punk in a squash match with the Tombstone Piledriver.
- ~~~Later that night, the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) showed up and over-powered Kane – causing the big red machine to run away!
- October 3, 2010 – Hell in a Cell: Kane defeated The Undertaker in a brutal Hell in a Cell match to retain the World Heavyweight title.
- ~~~Manager Paul Bearer turned on the Undertaker, shining a light in his eyes, and helping his son Kane successfully defend his title!
World Wrestling Entertainment – The Undertaker vs. Kane (Buried Alive):
- October 8, 2010 – SmackDown: Paul Bearer and Kane added insult by bragging about what they pulled on the Undertaker at Hell in a Cell.
- October 15, 2010 – SmackDown: Paul Bearer and Kane did some more bragging until Undertaker showed up and set up a Buried Alive match!
- October 24, 2010 – Bragging Rights: Kane w/ Paul Bearer defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive match to retain the World Heavyweight title.
World Wrestling Entertainment – Edge vs. Kane (Survivor Series):
- November 12, 2010 – SmackDown: The Big Show defeated World champion Kane in a Non-title match after distraction from Edge.
- ~~~Edge abducted Paul Bearer and wheeled him out to the stage during the match and taunted/distracted Kane into a Non-title loss!
- November 19, 2010 – SmackDown: Edge continued to hold Paul Bearer hostage and tortured him all night to get inside Kane’s head.
- November 21, 2010 – Survivor Series: World Heavyweight champion Kane vs. Edge ended in a double-pin draw (Paul Bearer was absent).
World Wrestling Entertainment – World Heavyweight champion Kane vs. Edge vs. Rey vs. Alberto (TLC PPV):
- November 26, 2010 – SmackDown: Edge continued to hold Paul Bearer hostage and tormented Kane into giving him another title shot.
- ~~~Edge lured Kane out to the parking lot where he watched his father Paul Bearer in a wheel-chair get run over by a car driven by Edge!
- ~~~It turned out to be a dummy and the real Paul Bearer was still tied up in the back seat of Edge’s car as it sped off into the darkness.
- December 3, 2010 – SmackDown: Edge defeated Kane in a “Winner Chooses The Stipulation at TLC” match – (he chose a TLC match).
- December 10, 2010 – SmackDown: Rey Mysterio and World champion Edge defeated Kane and Alberto Del Rio in a preview main event match.
- ~~~Edge lured Kane backstage for more torment resulting in Kane “accidentally” pushing Paul Bearer off a ledge to his storyline “death”.
Independent Circuit:
- February 4, 2012 – NWA from Hollywood: Willie Mack defeated Shaun Ricker (w/Percy Pringle III).
- February 11, 2012 – NWA from Hollywood: Shaun Ricker (w/Percy Pringle III) defeated Eric Cross.
- January 27, 2013- CWFH: Shaun Ricker (w/Percy Pringle III) defeated Biggie Biggz.
- February 3, 2013 – CWFH: Mikey O’Shea defeated Shaun Ricker (w/Percy Pringle III) in a lumberjack match.
William Alvin Moody:
- William Moody passed away on March 5, 2013.
- William Moody was set to receive the Lou Thesz Lifetime Achievement award from the Cauliflower Alley Club in April 2013.
- April 2014 – William Moody will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014 the night before WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, LA.