Highlights
- LA Knight, also known as Shaun Ricker, had the privilege of being managed by wrestling legend Paul Bearer, who believed in his potential and supported his career until his passing in 2013.
- Knight had a deep appreciation for Paul Bearer and considered him a friend. Bearer even left a message for Knight on his deathbed, expressing his belief that Knight would achieve great things in the wrestling world.
- LA Knight learned about Paul Bearer's death from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson while filming a reality show. Despite being surprised and saddened by the news, Knight reassured The Rock that he understood the unintentional delivery and appreciated his concern.
LA Knight is everywhere. He gets the biggest reaction every Friday night on SmackDown. He leads WWE in merchandise sales. A few weeks ago, social media was dominated by old commercials he had done. Kevin Nash couldn't stop talking about him. LA Knight has been everywhere too. Knight is no rookie. At the age of 40, he's been wrestling for half his life. If you're a big enough wrestling fan, you might remember him as Eli Drake in IMPACT Wrestling. His career goes back before that though, even to a moment a decade ago when he was a struggling wrestler on the indies striving to be noticed. Knight had a manager at his side, but not just any manager. Paul Bearer himself walked Knight to the ring, and Knight would be the last wrestler he ever managed.
Paul Bearer Had A Long History Of Being A Wrestling Manager
Paul Bearer is arguably the most famous wrestling manager ever due to his long association with The Undertaker. Bearer started appearing alongside Undertaker in 1991, shortly after the Deadman's WWE debut. He was an attention getter with that pale skin and high voice. Bearer would also manage the likes of Kane and Mankind, but there was a wrestling legend behind the Paul Bearer character.
Bearer's real name was William Moody. In 1979, he began his wrestling manager career not as Paul Bearer but Percy Pringle. The two characters were starkly different, with Pringle having bright, bleach blonde hair. He worked for smaller companies like WCCW, managing the likes of Steve Austin before he was "Stone Cold," Rick Rude, Lex Luger, and The Ultimate Warrior. In the last years of his life, the man forever known as Paul Bearer was back managing in smaller promotions. It was there that he met a man named Shaun Ricker, better known now as LA Knight.
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LA Knight Talks About What Paul Bearer Meant to Him
In 2010, LA Knight, then going by his real name of Shaun Ricker, joined NWA Championship Wrestling From Hollywood. Over the years he battled many men who would go on to make names for themselves, including Brian Cage, Scorpio Sky, and current WWE authority figure Adam Pearce. Bearer, as Percy Pringle, was his manager for many of those bouts. By his side Bearer stayed until the very end, managing Ricker until just shortly before his death.
When William Moody passed away in 2013, Shaun Ricker walked to the ring at the next show to speak about the loss of his friend. "As a seven-year-old, watching him walk out in the WWE, Paul Bearer. Never at any point could I imagine that that man would take me under his wing, bring me into something called the Percy Pringle dynasty... The fact that a man like that thought of me, he left a message, he knew it was his final hours, he honestly left me a message just to say he knew I was gonna do big things, and he loved me."
Earlier this year, after LA Knight shared the ring with the Undertaker at Raw Is XXX, he spoke to Chris Van Vliet about his shared connection with Taker. Knight said that Paul Bearer was so good to him and was grateful to be able to give him advice. Knight revealed that Bearer, on his deathbed, called his assistant and asked for some of his stuff to be left to Knight. "That was an amazing thing as well, the fact that he was even thinking of me all the way out like that."
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The Rock Was The One Who Told LA Knight That Paul Bearer Had Passed Away
In 2013, before Bearer had passed away, LA Knight took some time away from wrestling. It was for a good reason. He had just been cast in a new reality show called The Hero, which aired on TNT. Who was the host of that show? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Knight's inclusion is just more proof of how hard he was working, doing anything and everything to get his name out there. Knight got to meet The Rock, and it was actually the Great One who accidentally broke the news to Knight that his friend had died.
Knight shared the story years ago on X Pac's "1 2 360" podcast. He was filming The Hero and wasn't allowed to have his phone, so he couldn't keep up with news in the outside world. "It was The Rock who actually told me. I guess he forgot that we didn't have our phones and computers. He was like, 'Hey, I'm sorry what happened to your manager." Knight told The Rock that he didn't know what he was talking about. "He was like, 'William Moody died last night." Even thought he knew the moment was coming, Knight was still stunned. "Then I could see the look on his face, 'cause now he knew he was the one breaking the news to me, and he felt like a complete piece of garbage at that point, but I told him, 'It's fine. Don't worry about it.'"
In LA Knight's interview with Chris Van Vliet, he mentioned how working with Paul Bearer made him want to rise to his level and be worthy of being in the Percy Pringle dynasty with Undertaker, Kane, Mankind, Steven Austin, and Rick Rude. 2023 is proving without a doubt that LA Knight has reached that point.
