William Alvin Moody
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1974–1990)
thumb|left|upright|Percy Pringle III managing [[Rick Rude in 1985]]
Moody entered professional wrestling in his teenage years as a ringside photographer. 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. As Percy Pringle, he was also associated with the careers of Lex Luger, Eric Embry, and Dingo Warrior.
Managing Mankind and Kane (1996–1998)
thumb|Bearer holding his urn in 1996.
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, According to Moody, the WWF wanted Bearer to turn on The Undertaker for him to get ready for the storyline with Kane the following year. Because of the fire, The Undertaker thought Kane had been dead for all those years, claiming he was a "pyromaniac", obsessed with starting fires and, due to the incident, couldn't possibly be alive. However, Bearer introduced the vengeful, fire-personified Kane in October 1997 at Badd Blood: In Your House. In this first appearance for the character, Kane cost The Undertaker a Hell in a Cell match to determine the #1 contendership for the WWF title against Shawn Michaels. This led to a bitter rivalry between The Undertaker and Kane and Bearer. Kane was not revealed as Bearer's son until April 27, 1998, on Raw is War, a day after the first Inferno Match, at Unforgiven, where Kane was set on fire. The Undertaker was shown to have also been unaware of this at that time, and helped to build the feud up further, as The Undertaker initially refused to believe the story until an in-story DNA test proved it to be true. The feud lasted into summer of 1998, when Kane seemingly abandoned Bearer to side with The Undertaker, beginning a face turn.
The Ministry of Darkness (1998–1999)
Bearer and The Undertaker became a heel team again toward the end of 1998 when Bearer betrayed his own son, Kane, in favor of managing The Undertaker once again. Once becoming a heel with Bearer, The Undertaker shamelessly admitted to setting the funeral home ablaze for which he had initially claimed was an accident or blamed Kane. Shortly thereafter, Bearer (returning in early 1999 to his signature black hair and mustache, but wearing a buttoned sweater and black overcoat, without the pasty white makeup and speaking in the same voice as his 1997 predecessor) and The Undertaker formed the Ministry of Darkness. Both he and The Undertaker took a hiatus from the WWF unceremoniously in September 1999 as a result of The Undertaker suffering an injury.
Final appearances (2000)
In February 2000, Bearer, who turned face once more briefly, returned to WWF television as Kane's manager (now wearing a red overcoat), aiding and assisting his son in his war against D-Generation X (DX), but 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 on October 14, 2002.
After recovering, he reappeared as Paul Bearer on March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, alongside Undertaker in a match against Kane.
In spring of 2004, 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 story lines because he had to undergo emergency gallbladder surgery on May 24, 2004, after suddenly developing gallstones, a common side effect of gastric bypass surgery. Paul Bearer was encased in a glass "crypt" at ringside, covered up to his chest in cement. As he had two years remaining on his contract, however, Bearer was used as a booker for the company up until WWE decided to terminate his contract on April 11, 2005.
On the September 24, 2010, episode of SmackDown, Bearer made his first on-screen appearance in six years after being brought out in a casket. He helped The Undertaker, who was feuding with Kane over the World Heavyweight Championship, by restoring The Undertaker's powers with the urn. Bearer officially became The Undertaker's manager again by accompanying him to the ring for his match against Kane for the title at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. During the match, Bearer once again turned on The Undertaker, after shining a light in his eyes when he was about to Tombstone Kane. He then let Kane hit The Undertaker with the urn to help him win. On the October 15 episode of SmackDown, Bearer challenged The Undertaker to face Kane in a Buried Alive Match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bragging Rights, to which The Undertaker accepted by attacking Kane. At Bragging Rights, Kane once again defeated The Undertaker after interference by Bearer, who was almost thrown in the grave by The Undertaker, and The Nexus, who helped Bearer and Kane bury The Undertaker.
Kane then entered a feud with Edge, after he was named the new challenger to Kane's World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. On the November 12 episode of SmackDown, Kane cost Edge his match against Nexus member David Otunga. After the match, Edge kidnapped Bearer by strapping him in a wheelchair. Later that night, Edge used Bearer to cost Kane his match against Big Show. The following week, Edge tormented Bearer throughout the night by throwing a dodgeball at him and force feeding and throwing pizza all over him. Edge then used Bearer to call for Kane in the parking lot, but Kane wasn't able to get Bearer in time as Edge attacked him and drove off with Bearer. At Survivor Series, Edge brought an empty wheelchair causing Kane to go mad frantically trying to interrogate him on where Bearer was held. Even though the match ended in a draw, Kane was unable to find Bearer as Edge wheeled his enemy into a barricade. On the November 26 episode of SmackDown, Kane demanded that Edge to let Bearer go, but Edge refused. Kane attempted to track down Bearer, but was unable to find him. Kane offered a second title shot to Edge, which he accepted, but continued to keep Bearer with him. At the end of the night, Edge lured Kane to the parking lot, where Edge drove over a dummy version of Paul Bearer, with the actual Paul Bearer in the backseat of the car. On the December 3 episode of SmackDown, Edge continued his mind games with Kane by pushing a dummy version of Paul Bearer down some stairs. Then, after Edge defeated Kane in a non-title match, he brought out a Paul Bearer lookalike. Kane then went to search for Bearer again, but Edge drove away in a truck with Bearer tied up on the back. The following week, Kane begged Edge to return Bearer, but Edge once again refused. Kane then refused to participate in the main event that night and once again searched for Bearer. After seeing what he thought was a dummy version of Paul Bearer on top of two ladders, Kane pushed them over. Afterward, Kane saw that he pushed the actual Paul Bearer off the ladders onto the concrete floor, thus, injuring him and writing him out of the storyline.
In April 2012, Bearer returned for a brief stint as a part of Kane's ongoing feud with Randy Orton. He was kidnapped by Orton and then stuck in a storage freezer while strapped to a wheelchair. Kane later came for Bearer, only to roll him back into the freezer and saying, "I'm saving you... from me". This would mark Bearer's final appearance in WWE. Bearer was advertised to reunite with The Undertaker and Kane on WWE Raw 1000 in July 2012, but could not make the event due to scheduling and travel conflicts.
Independent circuit (2010–2013)
thumb|upright|Bearer in 2011
Bearer returned to the Boston-based Millennium Wrestling Federation as top heel manager along with John "Bradshaw" Layfield after four years, leading "Stalker" Dylan Kage at Soul Survivor VI against The Iron Sheik and "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal in the Sheik's retirement match on April 24, 2010.
The final wrestler managed by Bearer on the independent circuit was Shaun Ricker, who would later become widely known in WWE under the ring name LA Knight.
Other media
Paul Bearer has been a playable character in at least five WWE-licensed video games: WWF Attitude, WWF WrestleMania 2000, WWF SmackDown!, WWF No Mercy, and WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role. Bearer was also featured as a manager in the THQ video game WWE Legends of WrestleMania in 2009 (depending on whether or not he's paired with The Undertaker, he enters with or without his signature urn). In 2010, Moody did voice over work as Paul Bearer for the game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, where he was featured in one of the Road To WrestleMania storylines for the game, as well as a selectable manager. He was also in WWE All Stars (during The Undertaker's "Path of Champions", voiced again by Moody), WWE '13, and WWE 2K14 as a selectable manager and part of the Attitude Era single-player mode, and 30 Years of WrestleMania mode respectively representing The Brothers of Destruction. Bearer further appeared as a manager in WWE 2K15 (from the "Path of the Warrior" Showcase DLC), WWE 2K16 (as part of the "Austin 3:16" Showcase), WWE 2K24, and WWE 2K25 (unlocked via VC).
Personal life
Moody married Dianna McDole in December 1978 and had two sons, Michael and Daniel. His first son Michael died on September 21, 2014 at the age of 35. His second son Daniel wrestled on the independent circuit as DJ Pringle and died on March 24, 2026 at the age of 39.
In November 2003, WWE assisted Moody with $35,000 for gastric bypass surgery as a signing bonus. Moody's health improved with him eventually dropping around 240 pounds. He admitted that prior to the operation, he had weighed 525 pounds (238 kg) and had difficulty walking.
In 2005, Moody, with three business partners started his own independent promotion known as Gulf South Wrestling. He dissolved the company in May 2007 after learning that his partners wanted to force him out of the promotion and operate it without him.
Death
On March 2, 2013, Moody attended the annual Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion in Mobile, Alabama, riding a wheelchair. According to club board member "Cowboy" Bob Kelly, Moody was having breathing difficulties at the event. On March 5, 2013, Moody died in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 58 due to a heart attack. He is interred beside his wife at Serenity Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Theodore, Alabama.
Hall of Fame and legacy
thumb|Bearer was posthumously inducted into the [[WWE Hall of Fame (2014)|WWE Hall of Fame, which was accepted by his two real-life sons (bottom right).]]
Following his death, Moody became a driving point in WWE storylines; the March 11 episode of Raw was held as a tribute to Bearer. The Undertaker paid tribute but was interrupted by CM Punk, his WrestleMania 29 opponent. On the April 1 episode of Raw, Paul Heyman dressed up as Paul Bearer and Punk poured the ashes of the urn onto The Undertaker after attacking him. At WrestleMania 29, The Undertaker defeated Punk and took back the urn, dedicating his victory to Paul Bearer.
On the March 3, 2014, episode of Raw it was announced that Paul Bearer would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. At the ceremony itself, Kane inducted Bearer, and his sons Michael and Daniel Moody accepted the induction; afterwards, The Undertaker came out in character and paid tribute. Bearer's family was also presented a Hall of Fame ring, which was later featured in a 2016 episode of Pawn Stars; the seller stated his ring was given to him by his family, but he declined show host Rick Harrison's $4,000 offer. Bearer's son Daniel later stated that the ring was a fake.
On November 22, 2020, a transparent image of Paul Bearer appeared for The Undertaker's final farewell at Survivor Series while The Undertaker performed his trademark kneeling pose.
Awards and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Lou Thesz Award (2013)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Manager of the Year (1998)