Bearer was involved in various controversial storylines during the WWF’s Attitude Era including a segment where the Ministry of Darkness would kidnap Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie. The April 1999 event would be dubbed a “Black Wedding.” During his second stint with the company in 2004, Bearer would be kidnapped by The Dudley Boyz and Paul Heyman as part of a storyline with The Undertaker. Bearer would also appear at the Great American Bash pay-per-view in a glass crypt covered up to his chest in cement. After the match, the Undertaker would bury Heyman in cement providing an illusion that Bearer was murdered. This was an attempt to give Bearer time to undergo surgery for his deteriorating health.
Though I was not around for the peak of his Ministry of Darkness days with Kane and the Undertaker, I still go back to watch archived footage and watch an act that has aged well over the years. I remember Bearer being involved in some preposterous storylines prior to his 2013 death. His death would be subjected to a storyline between The Undertaker and CM Punk at WrestleMania 29 only one month after his passing. In life and in death, Alabama’s Bearer might be viewed as the crypt keeper of the monsters of the Attitude Era and will go down as one of, if not the greatest managers of all time.
Additional Information:
- “William Moody” Encyclopedia of Alabama: http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3797
- Paul Bearer on how he became The Undertaker’s Manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCt_V63OWe8&t=117s
Author
Michael Wilson is a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham majoring in public health of the pre-med track. Wilson was born in Tacoma, Washington, and was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. Wilson is currently a resident assistant at UAB, and is the founder of The College Football Network, a social media page covering college football specifically scouting small school prospects. |