I have countless memories of my six years working for the Von Erich family at the world famous Sportatorium in Dallas. One Firday night in late 1986, stands out best in my mind.
The late Frank "Bruiser" Brody was in charge of the wrestling talent at the time. It wasn't out of the norm to have young men, just standing around willing to talk to anybody that would listen to them, hoping to get their foot in the door. My business in Bruiser's office was delayed because the door was blocked. Who could have ever known then that the obstacle in front of me would change the course of my professional and personal life forever?
All I heard him say was that his name was Mark. His name could have been "Sue" as far as I cared. Because when I saw him, his physical attributes filled the picture that I still have etched in my mind to this day. The young man was in his early 20s stood about 6'10, and weighed on the downside of 300 pounds. His bright red hair was cut short, almost in the old fashioned "flat-top" style.
As I went on with my business, I wondered to myself who in the hell trained this giant "Opie Taylor" to be a wrestler. Just like the other hundreds of "wannabes" that i had seen through the years, I figured I would never see him again. How wrong I would be.
A couple of months later, on another sportatorium Friday night, somebody told me that Brody needed to see me in his office. "I'll be damned...." I thought, as the red-headed kid stood in front of me again.
Bruiser said, "Percy, this is Mark. We're going to give him a tryout tonight. In fact, I'm going to wrestle him myself. I want you to go to the ring as his manager. We'll put a mask on him and call him 'Texas Red'."
Frank Brody beat that poor kid all over the building. But, he kept coming back for more, and obviously passed the test. If you asked Taker today about his first match, he would tell you that the only reason Bruiser sent me to the ring with him was to show him the way back to the dressing room.
I saw Mark again a few months later. This time, he was wearing a black mask and calling himself "The Punisher." Wrestling legend Skandar Akbar was at his side as his manager, and he was part of Devastation Inc.
"The Punisher" stayed around for a while, eventually moving to Tennessee, and then to WCW. But, it didn't take too long for him to catch the eye of Vince McMahon, and then next thing I knew, he was in WWE as "Undertaker." I was proud of him, the red headed kid had made it. Meanwhile, I was still playing Percy Pringle in Texas, managing, writing programs, selling novelties, and doing anything to make a buck to feed my family.
As 1990 started winding down, I knew it was time to move on or get out of the business. As I told my friend, the late Rick Rude, about my plans during a phone call, he asked me to wait a few days before I made any final decisions. Only a few hours passed before Rick called me back and said, "This is Vince's home number, he wants you to call him."
I nervously made the call, and was invited to Stamford. I had a WWE contract in my hand when I returned home. In a few weeks, a company official called to tell me that my name was going to "Paul Bearer." He told me to dye my hair black, buy some black suits, and get ready to manage Undertaker!
It's been almost 12 years now, and they asked me to put my thoughts on paper. "Make it about 600 to 700 words, they asked." Please! That's like asking me to wear a size 34 belt!
I have so many memories of my 10 years with Undertaker. We had such a special relationship, sharing our thoughts, our sweat, our blood, and our tears. All the miles on the road and in the air, all the lonely hotel rooms, all the arenas around the world...they are all imcomprehensible to the average person. So, many of my memories deserve their own public archive, yet so many are locked away in my mind and will go with me to my grave.
But what about my favorite memory? Our entire 10 year relationship is our legacy. But, if you push me into a corner for an answer, I would have to borrow one or two lines from country music legend Merle Haggard: "The first time we met is a favorite memory of mine," and "One day, we'll look back and say it was fun."
In closing, I just want to thank Mark for being my friend and business partner. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. Mark deserves everything that he had received from out industry, because he worked his butt off for it. No book or magazine could ever capture the Mark Callaway that I know. Yes indeed, he is a phenom, a phenomenal human being. Yes, a phenomenal "brother even.
My brother.