The ability to find the right gimmick and send chills down our spines is something few achieve in the professional wrestling world. We’ve all heard the names of Bobby Heenan, Mr. Fuji, and Freddie Blassie, but they covered the realm of normal. Sure, Paul Heyman may be considered quirky and irritating as any good heel manager, but he’s still in the normal range. Craving a taste of the different, few things were as attention grabbing as Paul Bearer debuts in the WWE on January, 28 1991.
A manager like no other
Paul Bearer came about through various channels. As a manager in the old territory system, he’d managed several young wrestlers that would go on to huge careers and changed the wrestling landscape. One of those wrestlers was Lex Luger, who later spoke to Vince McMahon about William Moody (Paul Bearer’s real name) and how he was also a mortician. That began to get the wheels turning, and before long Road Warrior Hawk dubbed him Paul Bearer, a play on pallbearer, and a new niche was carved and ready to tease and terrorize the fans.
Paul Bearer debuts in WWE
On January 28, 1991, the WWE taped the final episode of The Main Event, their Friday night version of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Never one to waste time or opportunity, three episodes of WWF Superstars of Wrestling was also taped. On one of those, Paul Bearer made his debut on the Brother Love show, taking over as the Undertaker’s manager.
This moment signaled one of professional wrestling’s greatest partnerships as it’s difficult for anyone to remember anyone but Paul Bearer managing the Undertaker. The two went so well together, with Paul often looking more ghoulish and corpse-like than the Undertaker, leading many to joke about who had rise who.
I have to admit there were few if any managers that could hold my attention as much as Paul Bearer at ringside with the urn. His expressions and voice were a perfect mix of creepy and mesmerizing, drawing us into the story they were telling in and out of the ring.
Yes, this is the real date
Okay, yes, the “official” date listed for Paul Bearer’s debut in WWE is in February. You’ll find that everywhere you look and have to dig to find the January date.
The reason?
Simple. The show was recorded on January 28, but was shown in February. By the time it aired, the Undertaker and Paul Bearer had been together and scaring kids at house shows.
Both answers are correct. It just depends on what point of view you look at it from.
In recent years, the WWE has adopted the policy that only televised shows are canon, with the exception of Madison Square Garden. There’s simply too much WWE history there for it to be anything else.
That does it for This Day in History. Thank you for joining me on the anniversary of Paul Bearer debuts in the WWE, and see you all tomorrow for another professional wrestling historical nugget.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
