Paul Bearer

[9.0] "Paul Bearer was one of the most iconic managers in wrestling history. His presence alone could shift the tone of an entire segment -- eerie, theatrical, and unforgettable. He wasn't just a mouthpiece; he was a character deeply woven into the fabric of The Undertaker and Kane's lore. The urn, the voice, the facial expressions -- all masterful. While he wasn't an in-ring talent, his contributions behind the scenes and in front of the camera left a lasting legacy that shaped the golden era of WWE storytelling. An essential piece of wrestling history."

[8.0] "Paul Bearer was more than just a manager. He was the soul of a supernatural era and the emotional weight behind some of WWE's greatest storylines. A perfect mix of theater, fear, and loyalty that left a lasting mark on wrestling history."

[9.0] "Noone could have been the Undertakers manager but Paul Bearer. His interviews and facial expressions were the best. He Played a great role as a heel and a face and made every match feel important. His work in WCCW is just as great as Percy Pringle and really created some great angles with the Von Erichs. Bobby Heenan is my fav of all time, but Paul is a close second."

[10.0] "There is no doubt in my mind that Paul Bearer is a top 5 manager in not just WWE history, but Professional Wrestling history. He managed one of the greatest gimmicks in the business and had good moments while he was managing The Undertaker and also managing several talents across the wrestling world and cared for the wrestling business. He was also a real life Mortician so he fit in his gimmick role very well. Paul's manager work and contributions will never be forgotten. It's really unfortunate that he passed away too soon, he was truly awesome at what he did."

[9.0] "On the all time pantheon of great managers, some of the great Undertaker/Kane moments wouldn't have been quite as iconic without Paul Bearer, fantastic heel manage, gone far too soon."

[10.0] "Great manager and an iconic presence at ringside. He was most well known as The Undertaker's manager and gave the character a unique mystique where Undertaker draws power from the Urn he brings to ringside. It's one of those things that should be too silly to work, but the fans just ate it up. After his shocking betrayal he also brought out some of Mick Foley's best character work when he was Mankind's manager in his debut year in the WWF and of course he was there for one of the most iconic WWF debuts of all time where Kane rips the door off Hell in a Cell and the promos he was cutting leading up to that was awesome and it was probably one of the most enjoyable storylines ever! Bearer couldn't wrestle or take a serious bump, but he seriously left his mark on the wrestling world."

[4.0] "Mostly annoying, for me he was more change the channel heat than real heat. Stroking an urn and moan-talking just don't do it for me, and the way it was sold by announcers was just too serious for something so goofy. I will admit helping to get Undertaker and then Mankind over were worthy projects so credit is due there. But then I'm imagining an alternate timeline where we'd have all been better off with Glenn Jacobs still stuck on dentist duty. Kane and Paul Bearer together was some of the worst of the Attitude Era."

[9.0] "Great Manager. He added so much to multiple characters run, Undertaker, Kane and even Mankind. His voice fit perfectly with his character and the fact that he had worked as an Undertaker before getting into wrestling is perfect."

[6.0] "As Paul Bearer, the manager of The Undertaker from 1991-1996, he was one of the best managers of his day. His heel run as the manager of Mankind and later Kane was fine too."

[5.0] "He's pretty annoying. He's iconic but the voice just grates. The Bearer gimmick was also just kind of silly."

[10.0] "Made one of the biggest transformations that any manager to my knowledge ever made. Going from the southern gentleman/mama's boy character that he played in the territory years to being this mortician who managed the most iconic character of all time. Only to find out that the mortician thing was what he did in real life, the only difference on t.v. was that the volume and presentation was turned up by 1000%. One of the best storytellers ever in wrestling. He was a great promo. He had great facials. He sold for the opposition/ whoever he was managing like a million dollars. The iconic voice that he had. Also, I will say this, he was the biggest reason that the Brothers of Destruction feud worked, and had the longevity that it had."

[10.0] "I really loved Percival "Percy" Pringle the Third. Pardon me while I digress; What I grew up on was mostly Dallas/WCCW, and then later I caught the WWF & Mid Atlantic, slowly the others trickled in as well - but Dallas is something I had seen pretty much all of. Outside of the Von Erich's, Percy WAS Dallas. He brought in Rick Rude, and that was monumental. He led Matt Borne & Buzz Sawyer to the tag team championship, which was another striking moment. When Dallas had practically nothing, it still had Percy! Next thing ya know, I was at a WWF house show in Ohio when they introduced The Undertaker's new manager: "Paul Bearer". I was in the nose bleeds but still blurted to my friends "THAT'S PERCY PRINGLE! " of course - they all looked at me vacantly, utterly confused and said "They said his name is PAUL BEARER", "are you stupid? " (yah, only one of us ever watched World Class haha). While The Undertaker was never my favorite, something about "Paul Bearer" always worked for me. Usually I thought the WWF was just stupid silly crap (which alot of it was), and while Paul Bearer was certainly eyebrow deep in cheese: I do have an appreciation for such things when they are "all in". And that's why William Moody was such a benefit for our wrestling; 2000% commitment to his character and those involved with it. All personalities, all eras, all promotions. He put in more effort than almost anyone. Wrestling was/is better because of this man and men like him. (circling back to my appreciation for such things: he was kinda like the cartoon version of Gomez Addams brought to life, given even more weight and made 3 times more morbid. That WORKS lol! )"

[8.0] "Oh man, there's playing a character and then there's turning the dial on the "Hamming it Up" meter to a 13/10. Paul Bearer just committed to his character and I'll always respect that."

[10.0] "I couldn't possibly justify not giving Paul Bearer a 10/10. One of the all-time greatest managers, and there's really no question about it. Simultaneously scary and funny while managing Kane and the Undertaker."

[9.0] "He was one of my favorite characters as a kid & still holds pretty high up there in my older age. He was such a welcome addition to the Undertaker act."

[9.0] "Greta manager. He was one of the best heel managers of all time. Well known as Percy Pringle in CWA. In 1990 that all changed when he managed the Undertaker. Babyface or heel he was excellent. His gimmick was great with the urn, white makeup and the squeaky voice."

[9.0] "Though he also did some good managing work as Percy Pringle in his pre-WWF days, Paul Bearer was definitely at his best when he made his way to the WWF and linked up with the Undertaker. Initially, his ghoulish character was cartoonish and over-the-top, but that fit right in with the early-'90s WWF and made him a good counterpart to the menacing and then-largely-silent 'Taker, but he was able to gradually change with the times, taking on a more sinister edge especially as he turned against 'Taker and led Mankind, Vader and Kane against him. One of the most memorable managers, and arguably the best "gimmick-based, " manager ever."

[8.0] "Perfect manager for the likes of Kane, Undertaker and Mankind. From the voice, to the style, it just worked. Great on the mic, involved in some great storylines. Sure he was over the top but so were all those characters."

[10.0] "Absolutely love the guy as Paul Bearer. He can be weird and strange, he can cut a good promo, he can advance a story, he can enhance a match. Good in his other roles as well, one of my all time favorite managers."

[5.0] "I don't get the high rating here. Paul Bearer was always annoying and cheesy to me with his high-pitched voice and exaggerated mannerisms. I get that he's important because he managed Undertaker and Kane in their early days, but to me, both wrestlers were better off once they left Paul Bearer behind."

[10.0] "Whether as the creepy Paul Bearer or the guy you loved to hate Percy Pringle, William Moody is one helluva great manager! There is no other man that can replicate on what he did and if it wasn't for him major superstars like The Undertaker and Kane won't find success as much as they have now in the wrestling industry. Truly a one of a kind manager. As a wrestler, he's not bad either. RIP."

[10.0] "He did something that not even Bobby Heenan ever did as a manager. He almost never took a bump. Honestly, it was a big deal when he would because that would mean that Undertaker was in serious trouble. Really, he was so good with Taker, but don't forget his stint in Dallas as Percy Pringle as well. A very talented guy who really is missed."