YMMV / Paul Bearer

• Crosses the Line Twice: Not him directly, the WWE and CM Punk using his "ashes" as a way to bait The Undertaker. While some fans were up in arms about it and criticized the company for it, Jim Cornette, of all people (a personal friend of Bearer's and NOT afraid to criticize the WWE), defended the angle saying that he would've loved every minute of it.^note Bearer's family also gave their approval for the storyline.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Given his gimmick it was inevitable that with him having died in 2013, certain moments in his career are a bit uncomfortable to watch (coming out of a casket in 2010 for example).
  • The infamous "burial in cement" segment looks really bad now.
  • Or the fact that his last appearance on WWE TV saw him rolled into a freezer by Kane ...and he was never seen again after that.
  • Frankly, both his career as that character and its inspiration, his real life career as an undertaker, could both count as collective moments.
  • During the Kane vs Undertaker match at WrestleMania XIV, he is seen clutching his chest. Jim Ross comments that it can't be a heart attack because he doesn't have a heart. His official cause of death was a heart attack.
• Narm: It's a wonder The Undertaker was able to keep a straight face around him most of the time.
  • Narm Charm: Fans still look back fondly at his over the top antics on-screen. The fact that he had such a ludicrous gimmick yet made it work has practically immortalized the guy when fans talk about managers and valets. The fact that he loved every minute of it probably helped.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: It took the man's death before Paul Bearer was ever portrayed as a uniting force for the Brothers of Destruction, as in his lifetime he only ever appeeared on either The Undertaker or Kane's behalf (and against the other if they were feuding at the time).
  • ONCE, after a match where the Brothers of Destruction wrestled against Mr Kennedy and MVP, he appeared to congratulate them.
• Took the Bad Gimmick Seriously: Sure, it's a silly gimmick, but the fact that Paul was having so much fun with it made it all worthwhile.