Michael Hayes

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Shining Wiz]

Going back through the old WCCW shows make it clear Hayes was much better than I thought he was. Imagine how good he could have been had he ever bothered to lift a weight.

[goodhelmet]

Why did he need to lift a weight? He was great in Texas. He had some hot tags and six man matches in UWF. He had some decent matches in Crockett. He was one of the best talkers ever, had tons of charisma, sold his ass off, could brawl with the best of them and drew big money. He has all the ingredients.

[Shining Wiz]

I figure if he kept himself fit he may not have blown his back out and had a career past the age of 33. That, and if he was that good that out shape, I can't help but think he could have been better in better shape.

[Dylan Waco]

Could make the bottom level of my list easily. I think all things considered he was the best guy on the Texas set. What I love about Hayes is that he made his awkwardness a positive in his matches, which is not something that everyone can do. He was really the master of the short sprint (country whipping match, LLT cage match with Kerry, awesome sprint from 88 v. Buddy Roberts, et.), no bullshit one of the best I've ever seen at it. He was also much better as a face than you would think and I feel he was at least a good worker from at least 82-89. Falling off a cliff with Jimmy Jam won't help him when I'm making cuts, but I have a soft spot for guys who have been unfairly shit on for years because of people parroting nonsense

[Loss]

That's an interesting point. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with it. I'm trying to picture how the "P.S." gimmick would have worked as he got older. The 'Birds were shells of their former shelves in the late 80s/early 90s, but no one was more aware of that than Hayes and Garvin were, to the point they made it their whole act. If the "Nature Boy" gimmick works for a guy into his 50s, I guess Michael Hayes could have found a way to make his persona work in his 40s. I'm just trying to picture how it would have worked.

[Matt D]

I've got something I need to write about him soon but it'll only be tangentially related to this project. I think it will highlight a couple of pros and cons though.

[JerryvonKramer]

For what it's worth, as much as I've ragged on Jimmy Jam era Freebirds, Hayes mostly holds up his end of things in 90 and 91. Still throws a mean punch. Still has good timing. Great DDT. Good at selling. It's mostly Garvin who is putrid. "Yeah yeah yeah yeah"

 

Singles push 89 Hayes is pretty great.

[goodhelmet]

Right on Parv. Hayes was a solid hand who looked horribly dated as a cool guy. He had a character problem in the early 90s, not a wrestling problem.

[KrisZ]

Michael Hayes the babyface is one of my favorite characters in wrestling....his work in GCW in 81-82 was so fucking good.

 

Hayes changed his physique in 1988 and he was reborn in the ring after a nondescript 1987. I really dug the 1989 version of the Freebirds but when they started breaking out the mascara and they lived that gimmick outside the ring too because I saw Michael & Jimmy at Spencer's Gifts in Southlake Mall in 1990 and they were wearing the full makeup and I couldn't help but laugh my ass off.

 

I'm like Dylan in that he definitely has a shot to make the bottom of my list.

[Strummer]

it shows how much wrestling has changed that Hayes was considered behind the times and passe before he even reached 30 years old. He always looked much older than he was but even when he briefly came back in 94 he was still only 35. Younger than Cena is today. Part of it is that society has changed as now people in their early 20s today are still considered "kids" while 30 years ago they were not

[WingedEagle]

Yes, but Hayes also didn't always get a good night's sleep. And it showed. God bless him but he looked closer to 55 than 35 in 1994.

[The Chief]

That's an interesting point. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with it. I'm trying to picture how the "P.S." gimmick would have worked as he got older. The 'Birds were shells of their former shelves in the late 80s/early 90s, but no one was more aware of that than Hayes and Garvin were, to the point they made it their whole act. If the "Nature Boy" gimmick works for a guy into his 50s, I guess Michael Hayes could have found a way to make his persona work in his 40s. I'm just trying to picture how it would have worked.

Probably exactly like how he is now but on camera. Like your alcoholic uncle who still thinks he's 25.

[Timbo Slice]

Hayes in 1989 was terrific. In a loaded year worldwide, I probably have him in my Top 10 workers from that year, if not that, Top 20.

 

Great tag wrestler, great brawler, knew how to work a crowd...I really want to find room for him on my list.

[W2BTD]

I was going to come in here and say that Hayes was criminally underrated, but everybody seems to agree that he was pretty good. He wouldn't sniff my top 100, but he was way, way better than he ever got credit for, and to me was the best worker of the Freebirds. And that says nothing of his promos, where he absolutely is top 100 material.

 

And while were bashing Jimmy Garvin, i'd like to pile on. One of my least favorite wrestlers of all time. Somebody called him 'putrid'. I agree.

[Karl]

Early to mid 80's Michael Hayes is one of my favourite things in wrestling. That said, whenever I think of him, its never what happens in the ring that comes to mind first. Still, as it stands, I would be surprised if I listed 100 wrestlers better than him.

[El-P]

For the longest time I though Hayes was underrated. Watching a lots of peak WCCW, I realized that this impression came from watching a lot of Hayes teaming with Jimmy Garvin, who's one of the worst worker I've seen. Next to him, even past his peak Hayes looked good.

 

But in the context of peak Freebirds vs peak Von Erich, Hayes just comes off as a pretty poor worker inside the ring. Good timing, strong personnality, but shitty looking offense and very mediocre bumper. Especially when you're surrounded by such a rock solid veteran trooper like Buddy Robert and a big bumping prodigy like Gordy. Plus, all those Freebirds vs Von Erich matches really were a lot about heat, but didn't do that much for me otherwise. Really didn't stand the test of time I guess. Or they just aren't that good.

 

Anyway, I thought Hayes was actually better as a babyface later in the decade, but still a mediocre in-ring worker overall (execution matters, sorry).

 

And I never bought him as either a tough guy nor a cool guy. Badstreet USA kinda ruined the Freebirds intros too (coming out to Freebirds or Georgia on my mind was sooooo much cooler). Maybe the fact he's probably an old semi-racist bigot alcoholic taints my perspective as far as coolness factor goes, but then again, what's his excuse ?

 

So nope. Not much love for Hayes from me.

[elliott]

I ranked MIchael Hayes 73rd in 2016 and I feel good about that. Maybe even semi-blew it. Hayes excelled in my favorite kind of wrestling: wild out of control super stiff brawls in front of insanely hot crowds. I think Freebirds vs Von Erichs lives up to its reputation to the fullest and produced some of the best matches of all time. Hayes wasn't just part of this. He was the star of the show. All time puncher. One of the best brawlers and most charismatic wrestlers ever. If you're including things like promo ability, angles, presence, charisma, all that shit that goes into making a great wrestler that isn't just the bell to bell stuff, then Hayes deserves a major look. The bell to bell stuff is great too. I would probably try and make room for him on a top 50 list. 

[KB8]

I had Hayes at 96 in 2016, and I'm fine with that but could easily have him higher. Elliot is right about Hayes' major strength: the sub-10 minute bar fight. He was tremendous at that particular aspect of pro-wrestling, and the fact that particular aspect of pro-wrestling is also one of my FAVOURITE aspects of pro-wrestling, there was no chance I could leave Hayes off. Obviously the Von Erichs feud ruled, but Hayes and the Freebirds had fun to awesome stuff in Memphis, Georgia, Mid-South, Houston and Crockett. Some may even argue his most famous post-Freebirds run as a tag wrestler is the best post-Freebirds tag run of the three, though Michael P.S. Hayes and Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin and their magnificent hair being a better tag team than the vaunted Miracle Violence Connection may be a take too CONTROVERSIAL at this stage of GWE 2026. I actually think Hayes was the best Freebird even at their peak as a trio and he was my MVP of the DVDVR Texas set. His late-decade babyface run there ruled as well btw, especially the match with Buddy Roberts (it was a short and wild brawl, because of course it was). There's the DiBiase match that came with the Houston footage that I still need to see (and some other stuff there into the bargain), so his case might be bolstered for next time. 

 

MICHAEL HAYES YOU SHOULD WATCH:

w/Terry Gordy v Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee (Memphis, 7/14/79)

w/Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts v The Von Erichs (WCCW, 7/4/83)

v Kerry Von Erich (WCCW, 11/24/83)

w/Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts v Bill Watts, Chavo Guerrero & Terry Taylor (Houston, 8/8/86)

v Buddy Roberts (WCCW, 5/13/88)

 

[NotJayTabb]

Michael Hayes was the first guy I regretted not putting on after submitting my 2016 ballot, he's such an in-ring whirlwind of personality, the perfect contrast to the von Erich's in World Class. He feels like the key reason why the feud was so successful, at least on the heels side.

What made me think of Hayes was watching a random episode of World Championship Wrestling last night, where Hayes was heavily featured. The opener was a 6 man jobber squash with the Midnight Express and Dr Death, and featured Hayes arguing at ringside with Cornette throughout. This lead to a tag title match with MX vs the Freebirds, and man Hayes was great. Such a preening dick when in control and such a coward on defence. There's a lovely spot where he goes to his knees, hands behind his back, begging Bobby Eaton not to attack him, and Eaton drops to his own knees and belts him in the face. It's just someone who understands their role, and adding extra flavour to a good TV tag match.