Though some questioned the legitimacy of the sport, it wasn’t wise to do so within the presence of Rick Rude. Young Richard Rood was a bouncer at the infamous Gramma B’s in Minneapolis with other aspiring wrestlers Barry Darsow (Demolition Smash), Mike Hegstrand and John Laurinaitis (The Road Warriors), and he was considered the toughest of the bunch. Rude not only relished a fight, but boldly encouraged it. It didn’t matter if it was in a bar or in an arena, the Alpha Male traits of Rick Rude never seemed to go dormant. Thankfully for Percy Pringle, he was on Rude’s good side, and he would defend his manager at any cost.
Rude and Pringle were together more than a year and a half before Rude left for Jim Crockett Promotions. By mid-1987 Rick Rude was a major star nationally in the World Wrestling Federation as a key member of the Bobby Heenan Family.
Percy Pringle stayed with World Class, which merged into United States Wrestling Association (USWA), in a variety of roles. But, by 1990, wrestling in Texas was a sinking ship and William Moody knew it was time to change gears in his life.
It was four days before Christmas in Dallas, Texas. World Class Championship Wrestling had closed down a couple of years before and the USWA was ready to move back to Tennessee to make room for the new Global Wrestling Federation at the Sportatorium.
I found myself without a job and on the verge of bankruptcy. My car had been repossessed and we didn’t have the money for a Christmas tree, much less presents to put under one. It became painfully hard to look into the eyes of my ten-year-old and three-year-old sons. I knew in my heart that my wrestling career was over and it was time to make a drastic change.
Moody called his old friend to tell him about his struggles. Little did he know it, when all seemed bleak, his life was just about to change for the better, in ways that he never could have anticipated.
Rick Rude was working for the WWF at the time. I told Rick exactly what was going on in my life, that I planned on moving back home to Alabama to go back to work in the funeral industry. He was very sympathetic and asked me not to make any quick decisions. In fact, Rick told me that he would call me back before the end of the day.
When we talked again a couple of hours later, he said, “Vince wants you to call him at home.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Now, let me know what he has to say,” Rick concluded.
At that very moment, Paul Bearer was born.
Without a doubt, Rick left an everlasting impression on my heart.