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He entered the professional wrestling business in his teenage years as a ringside photographer. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving four years on active duty; during this time, he occasionally wrestled for Gulf Coast independent promotions during off-duty hours. In 1978, he began managing as Percival Pringle III, or Percy Pringle, in southeastern independent promotions. He married the same year, and the couple had two sons, born in 1979 and 1987. Immediately after his oldest 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 a funeral director and embalmer. Moody has maintained his licenses ever since.
In 1984, he resumed full-time involvement in the wrestling business, using the Pringle character in Florida Championship Wrestling , World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, and the United States Wrestling AssociationThe United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Memphis, Tennessee. It was a federation founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett. The USWA was founded after the Pro Wrestling USA debacle with the AWA. (a successor to WCCW). During this time, he served as manager for numerous wrestlers, and notably was manager for Lex LugerLawrence Pfohl (Lex Luger (born June 2, 1958 in Buffalo, New York) is an American professional wrestler. Pfohl was a student at Pennsylvania State University. A metal plate was inserted into Pfohl's forearm after a serious motorcycle accident he suffered, Stone Cold Steve AustinSteve Williams (born December 18, 1964) aka Stone Cold Steve Austin is a professional wrestler from Victoria, Texas. His birth name was Steven James Anderson he received the name Williams when he was adopted by his stepfather. His biological father had le and The Undertaker in their first professional matches.
He joined WWE, then the World Wrestling Federation, in 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo. WWF head Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 24, 1945) is a professional wrestling promoter. He was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina and attended Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia, where he became the first cadet in the school's history to be cou used Moody's real-life involvement in the funeral industry to create the character of Paul Bearer, the controller of The Undertaker. Paul Bearer made his first appearance in 19911991 like 2002, is a palindromic year. It also has the same calendar as 2002, including Easter on March 31. It is a common year starting on Tuesday. Events January January 2 Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC becoming the first blac, and Moody played the character for nearly 10 years; in 2000This page is about the year 2000. See 2000 AD for the UK comic book, Number 2000 for other uses. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar), and also the International Year for a Culture of Peace''. Events Y2K passes without the seri, he went backstage to serve as a road agent. His contract with WWE ended in October 2002; he spent the next year working with . In October 2003, he signed a new 3-year contract with WWE. At that time, Moody was suffering from health problems related to morbid obesity, and underwent gastric bypass surgery in November 2003. As a signing bonus, WWE agreed to help pay for the surgery. After recovering, he reappeared as Paul Bearer in March 2004, alongside The Undertaker once again.
In a spring 2004 storyline, 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 storylines because Moody had to undergo emergency gallbladder surgery after suddenly developing gallstones (a frequent side effect of gastric bypass surgery).
For the June 27, 2004 pay-per-view The Great American Bash, a match pitting Undertaker against both of The Dudley Boyz was booked. Paul Bearer would be encased in a glass crypt backstage, covered up to his chest in cement. In the storyline, Heyman demanded that Undertaker throw the match, or else see Bearer suffocated in cement. By the time of the PPV, Moody had recovered from his latest operation, and would appear on-screen.
Undertaker won the match, but proceeded afterwards to pull the lever that sent cement into the crypt, completely burying Paul Bearer and, in kayfabe terms, suffocating him. (Moody was in the crypt throughout the event, but was replaced with a stunt double for the burial.) This shot ended the PPV. However, the live audience saw an extended ending in which Bearer surfaced for air and was carried from the arena in a stretcher. On the following week's Smackdown!, Bearer was acknowledged to be alive, although gravely injured, for kayfabe purposes. The Paul Bearer character is not expected to reappear. However, with 2+ years remaining on his current contract, Moody's WWE career is far from being over. His health has also greatly improved; as of August 2004 (35 weeks after the surgery), he had lost 200 pounds.