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Michael Hayes Reveals He Has Been Sober For 17 Months

Posted: Feb 27th 2026 By: David Robles - Wrestling News.co

In a recent appearance on Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, WWE executive and creative producer Michael Hayes discussed his long-standing career in the professional wrestling industry, his personal struggles with priority, and his current path of sobriety. Hayes, who noted that he will reach 50 years in the business by 2027, provided insight into how his perspective on the industry has shifted over the decades.

When asked by The Undertaker how he maintains his motivation and creativity after nearly half a century, Hayes stated that his passion for the business is currently at an all-time high.

“I think first and foremost is because I’m more in love with the business than I ever have been,” Hayes said. “I realized a couple years ago like I started to talk about that this—everything that I’ve done in my life has led me to where I’m at. And it wasn’t me that was making those choices, it was God. And when I finally got on board with that, well, if He wants this, then it’s got to be good.”

Hayes further elaborated on his creative process, suggesting that many of his ideas come from a spiritual source rather than internal inspiration. “I don’t get a lot of the ideas I get by myself. I don’t. I’ve said this before: I feel God loves wrestling because I get some ideas out of nowhere sometimes. Or more importantly, I get a ‘No,’ which almost sounds like Vince [McMahon], so it’s scary.”

The discussion turned toward the personal sacrifices Hayes made during his career, specifically regarding his marriages. Hayes admitted that his professional life often took precedence over his personal relationships.


“The challenge of doing it and trying to keep everything interesting is a major driving force for me,” Hayes explained. “I think that’s probably why I’ve been divorced twice—is because wrestling was number one. And I’ve finally come to realize that and admit that, you know? And I don’t know, I can’t sometimes now, I look back and I go, ‘God, how hard could it have been on both of them to realize they weren’t number one, they were number two?’ Didn’t mean anything to me because it’s worked fine for me, because that’s how I like life.”

A significant portion of the conversation focused on Hayes’ recent lifestyle changes. He revealed that he has achieved a significant milestone in his health. “I’m almost 17 months now without a drink,” Hayes revealed. “That’s made a world of difference for me. I was worried at first that I would lose some of my creativity because a lot of it came when I was drinking or high or both.”

Hayes and Taker also reflected on the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic era, particularly the “Thunderdome” and Performance Center shows held without live audiences. Hayes expressed high regard for the performers who maintained their intensity during that period.


“Everyone of them during the pandemic, especially in 2020, that went out and performed with no people there, they got my attention and they got my approval,” Hayes said. “I saw Jimmy Uso tear his ACL five minutes into a ladder match in 2020 at the Performance Center and go another 25 minutes with no people. And I mean any wrestler from any organization back in that time that wrestled with no people, my hats off to them. Huge.”

Hayes concluded the segment by sharing a brief interaction with former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon following the final show before audiences returned.

“I’ll never forget when we did our last show in South Florida… and now we were going back to arenas and audiences,” Hayes recalled. “And Vince was walking up the ramp and I said, ‘Boss, wait a second.’ I got up the ramp and I said, ‘I just want to thank you for doing this.’ And he just looked at me and goes, ‘Michael, I had no choice!’ and he storms off. He knew what I meant, but he just couldn’t take the compliment. He never wanted to get emotional… he runs.”