The original incarnation of Percy Pringle was very much a classic “southern gentleman” type, in the mold of Colonel Saunders. He was a mama’s boy, as well, using elements of this to draw enormous heat. Many of his traits were lifted from Bobby Heenan, who was Bill Moody’s idol in the wrestling magazines. Percy Pringle had bleached blond hair because Bobby Heenan did.
Moody got the Percy Pringle character over so well that his stable was expanded to include “Japanese” star Oki Shikina (who was actually Mexican wrestler Pedro Zapata) and the world famous Spoiler (Don Jardine). Then Pringle was able to use his personality and skill to turn the likeable but green Jim “Sugar Bear” Harris into Ugly Bear Harris, who served as a comedy foil for the colorful manager. For a time, Pringle called himself the “General.”
A feud with fellow manager Izzy Slapowitz led to several matches between the two, some of which ended up quite bloody. As managers, their matches were mostly seen as comedic affairs, but that doesn’t discount the amount of heat they both had.
I spent a year and a half in my first territory, and I must say that if it weren’t for those early lessons, I would have never made it as far as I did in this industry. Not only was I a manager, I also participated in many “gimmick” matches, wrestling and boxing, as well.
Percy Pringle ended his run with ICW on June 20, 1979 in a loser leaves the state match, with Izzy Slapowitz and his charges coming out on top in their feud.
Many new opportunities arose from this run in ICW, including a 5-week tour of Japan. But with the birth of his first child, Bill Moody knew he had to make many changes in his life. After returning from Japan, Moody decided to move back to Alabama and continue his career in mortuary service, which seemed like a much more stable path than professional wrestling.
Little did I know, that when the nurse carefully placed my newborn son in my arms that July 1979 morning, it would mark the beginning of some major decisions in my life.
NOTE: For further reading on this time period, please read...
The Mississippi Wrestling Territory: The Untold Story by Gil Culkin
Raising Cain – From Jimmy Ault to Kid McCoy by Frankie Cain & Scott Teal.
LOU THESZ
I had the honor of managing two veterans, who literally sat me under the learning tree every night: Tapu and Tio, who worked as The Mongolians. They were the Mississippi version of the Southern Tag Team champions and always worked with the top talent in the territory.
On occasion, they would work singles matches against major stars. One night Tio had a singles match with the legendary Lou Thesz.
I was so intimidated at the fact that I was ringside near Lou Thesz, himself. There was a spot in the match where Lou was going to hit the ropes right in front of me. I was supposed to pull his leg, distracting him so Tio could get the “one up” on him. Well, Lou hit the ropes right where he should have. In my nervousness, I reached for his leg… and missed it! He stopped dead in his tracks, turned around and looked at me. “You stupid son of a bitch,” he said. My god, he may as well have shot me in the head with a .357 Magnum. I just knew my career was dead before it ever got off the ground.
BOBBY HEENAN
Moody got to meet Bobby Heenan working the ICW territory, as they had a working agreement with the AWA. It was yet another opportunity for him to sit back and absorb from the amazing talent around him.
Tio wrestled AWA World Heavyweight Champ Nick Bockwinkel one evening at the Jackson Mississippi Coliseum. Bobby Heenan was with him, and that was the first time I got to meet my hero in person. They came in several times during my stay there.
Moody used everything he had developed to get this match over in front of his managerial idol. This was a big moment for him, as well as the Percy Pringle character. In fact, it was such a big moment that Mother Pringle made her one and only appearance in professional wrestling.
The rules were that if my man didn’t win the title, that my head would be shaved in the middle of the ring. How did it end? With a bald-headed Percy, of course.
JAMES HARRIS
I’ll never forget the first time I saw James Harris. James, as many of you know, eventually evolved into Kamala, the Ugandan Giant. It was just like yesterday, the city was Cleveland, Mississippi. I just happened to look out the dressing room window, and saw a giant of a man crossing the rock covered parking lot, carrying one of those old cardboard blue suitcases. I told the boys, “Check this guy out. I wonder who will be the lucky one to work with him tonight?”
By the way, the reason I distinctly remember it being a rock covered parking lot, was the fact that the fans would fill their pockets up, and half of the lot usually ended up flying through the air into the ring at us.
It took a bit of work on Mephisto’s part, but James learned the ropes pretty quick and was given the name of Sugar Bear Harris. “Sugar Bear” got over fairly well, and learned quickly, but then he was drafted into my stable of grapplers. I immediately changed his name to “Ugly Bear” Harris. However, I began to discover that he was getting more heat at home than in the arenas.
You see, I treated poor “Ugly Bear” pretty badly. If he lost a television match, I sometimes made him bend over and I would plant foot on his backside. One time I even got carried away and slapped his face. The next night, James showed up in the dressing room and asked me if we could talk in private. “Percy…” he began, “I just don’t know how much more I can take.” I asked him to explain, “You see, I knows what we do ain’t for real, but my wife don’t. Every time you do something bad to me on TV, when I gets home, she be waiting on me on the front porch with a shot gun.”
Now keep in mind, this was the mid-70’s in rural Mississippi. James continued, “Last night, after she saw you slap my face. She chased me across the street into the lumberyard, and Percy I had to stay out there all damn night! Please let’s try something different this week, so we can keep her and her friends happy.”
So, I eased up on ‘ol “Ugly Bear” for a while, but then came the night of the big TV Battle Royal. The winner would receive $5000! Mephisto made the decision to put James over. But James knew what would be waiting on him when he got home.
As he pulled into his muddy driveway, there she was, with all her friends. It was party time, hell after all her husband had just won $5000, by beating up 12 men. “”Let me see it James.” Ugly Bear’s wife commanded, “The $5000 you won on TV, I want to see it!” Stuttering like Mel Tillis, James tried to tell her he didn’t get any money. Well boys… it was back across the street to the lumberyard, to spend another cold wet night! Needless to say, the next morning, I believe Mr. James Harris finally decided it was time for Mrs. James Harris to get smartened up, if you will.
