Paul Bearer deserves more respect, WWE veteran says (Exclusive)
Paul Bearer is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestling managers ever. Vince Russo, WWE's head writer in the late 1990s, thinks too many people forget to include the Hall of Famer in discussions about the industry's best talkers.
Bearer, real name William Moody, is best remembered for his high-pitched voice and alliances with Kane, Mankind, and The Undertaker. Outside of WWE, he also performed under the name Percy Pringle.
Russo discussed Bearer's legacy with host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws. The veteran writer praised The Undertaker's former manager and ranked him as the greatest storyteller in wrestling history.
"Bro, I gotta tell you, it drives me out of my mind that that guy is never even in the conversation when we talk about best promo of all time," Russo said. "He's never in the conversation. Bro, I am telling you, I worked for three companies. You know who I worked with. I don't have to go through the freaking list. I worked with Hogan, I worked with Flair, I worked with Austin, I worked with Rock. Bro, that dude was the greatest storyteller I ever worked with." [8:19 – 8:55]
Watch the video above to hear Russo's thoughts on whether Hulk Hogan or John Cena had the greatest heel turn in wrestling.
Vince Russo compares Paul Bearer and Paul Heyman
In modern-day WWE, Paul Heyman is recognized by many as one of the best talkers on the microphone. The former ECW owner has represented several top stars, including Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns.
Vince Russo does not enjoy Heyman's on-screen presentation and believes Bearer was a better storyteller:
"Everybody knows, I don't make a secret out of it, I'm not a Paul Heyman fan, but Paul Heyman gets so many freaking accolades, and if you ask me, Paul Heyman is very one-dimensional. It's the same thing, 'Ladies and gentlemen...' It's been the same thing for 20 freaking years. I saw freaking Paul Bearer, William Moody, Percy Pringle, I saw that dude tell so many stories." [9:25 – 9:55]
In 2013, Paul Bearer passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack. A year later, he was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
