Paul Bearer “tickled to death” to be back with Undertaker
by Brian Solomon
Los Angeles, CA—There are few images that can send chills down the spine of any fan like that of the Undertaker and Paul Bearer marching solemnly down to ringside. Yet, for years that was something those fans had to do without. Now, with the Man from the Dark Side returned to his undead roots, everything old is new again. Part of that has to do with the triumphant return of the one and only Paul Bearer to the Dead Man’s side.
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“I don’t know if I have the words to explain how it feels,” says Bearer. “Because unless you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, you can’t understand. Me and Undertaker go back so far together. We started in 1991, a long time ago. We’ve been through a lot during those years. We buried a lot of folks in those years, and we dug up a lot of folks in those years. To coin a phrase, I’m just tickled to death. It’s good to see all the fans again, and the old cities we used to tour. I plan on being around a long time.”
Bearer was last seen five years ago as part of the Corporate Ministry. In that time, WWE has undergone a lot of changes. But the man with urn has been keeping up with the action from the sidelines, and is more than up to the task of adapting to the WWE of the 21st century.
“The major difference I noticed is the split of the company,” he says. “The SmackDown! brand and the RAW brand. And all the young talent that we have. What fantastic talent! We couldn’t have a better roster than what we have. Another major difference is there’s not a lot of old-timers around like me and ‘Taker, if you want to call us that!”
Not only has WWE changed, but it goes without saying that the Undertaker himself has gone through some dramatic changes in the past five years.
“He’s evolved through the years,” says Bearer. “He became the American Bad Ass for the while that he did. He’s changed. But deep in his heart and deep in my heart, we’re the same Undertaker and Paul Bearer, just wait and see.” Bearer’s confidence is rooted in Undertaker’s recent return to the “old-school” Deadman image that brought him such success during the 1990s. It was this incarnation of the Undertaker that made him one of WWE’s most enduring figures. And Bearer couldn’t be happier to see it resurface.
“In my mind, it’s long overdue,” he says. “The fans have been wanting it for a long, long time. I’ve wanted it for a long time, and we’re here now. We’re just beginning. This means everything to Undertaker.
He’s been training hard, and you could just look and see what kind of shape he’s in. He’s in the best shape of his career, without a doubt.”
Source: WWE