What was the relationship between The Undertaker and Paul Bearer like?
The Undertaker and Paul Bearer are among the most iconic wrestler-manager pairs in WWE's history. They worked with each other across three separate decades and have created many memorable moments for their fans.
On-screen, Paul Bearer was portrayed as the step-father of The Undertaker. But in real life, both were great friends. In fact, Paul Bearer helped The Phenom in booking tickets, making hotel arrangements, etc.
In WWE's documentary The Mortician: The Story of Paul Bearer, The Undertaker offered his thoughts about his on-screen manager.
Following the release of the preview clip of the documentary, The Undertaker took to Twitter to thank the WWE Hall of Famer.
Paul Bearer was an iconic manager in front of and behind the curtain and was a great friend and great person in my life. I hope this shows just a portion of the man he was and the role he played in helping make The Undertaker so successful. #TheMortician @WWENetwork https://t.co/UdeWpixOVj
Talking about their on-screen characters, The Undertaker stated that he and his manager were somewhat contrasting characters on TV. Bearer used to talk a lot in a loud, creepy voice while The Deadman always spoke quietly during promos and segments. However, both complemented each other and became arguably the best wrestler-manager duo in WWE's history.
When was the last time Paul Bearer and The Undertaker were involved in a storyline?
Paul Bearer, i.e., Bill Moody left the world in 2013 due to a heart attack.
He originally made his name on the southern pro wrestling circuit under the name 'Percival Pringle', most notably managing heel characters in Texas, as well as the Florida territories before making his way to WWE and his greatest success as The Undertaker's manager.
At the time, CM Punk was set to face The Phenom at WrestleMania 29. Fans may question this decision, but WWE used Paul Bearer's death in a storyline.
During the build-up to their WrestleMania match, CM Punk attacked his rival with Paul Bearer's urn and scattered the ashes over the fallen Deadman.
Punk and Heyman used the urn several other times during the feud. The Urn was a staple of Paul Bearer's career in WWE. He used to carry it along with him during The Undertaker and Kane's matches, which added to their characters. The Urn was used to 'awaken' the powers of the stepbrothers and was also used against them sometimes.
In 2014, Paul Bearer was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His induction was accepted by his real-life sons, and Kane was the one who inducted him with a heartfelt speech.