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.
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (1990–2002)
Managing The Undertaker (1990–1996)-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. 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.