Rest In Peace

[DerangedHermit 0]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/07/21/1141424.html

 

Remembering Lord Alfred Hayes -- who died Wednesday at age 77 -- as just the buffoon second-banana on the WWF Tuesday Night Titans is to do a huge injustice to one of the greatest wrestlers ever to come out of the United Kingdom. Beginning to wrestle in the early 1950s in Britain, the 5-foot-9, 238-pound "Judo" Al Hayes was a top-notch heel wherever he wrestled in the 1960s and 1970s, including Florida, the Central States territory and Texas. He was usually billed as being from Windermere, England.

 

Then, in the 1980s, he joined the expanding WWF under Vince McMahon Jr., and upped the Britishness of his act. He was in countless skits on Tuesday Night Titans and the various WWF programs, as well as serving as commentator on matches on those shows.

 

Besides his work as a wrestler and announcer, Hayes served as a heel manager in the American Wrestling Association as well.

 

He recalled his stint in a 2000 interview with the Wrestling Perspective newsletter. "I did some managing that I didn't really want to do, but I did it up in Minneapolis. Verne Gagne persuaded me to. I said to him, 'No, I don't want to be a manager because when you?re a manager, you go in and you do the main event and the wrestler gets the money and you who do all the work and all the talking get nothing.' So he said, 'I'll pay you what the main event gets.' So that's how much he wanted me to manage."

 

After his time in the WWF came to an end in 1995, he faced a number of health challenges. At the 2001 Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, he was in a wheelchair. For the last number of years, Hayes lived on his own in Dallas, Texas. When a stubbed toe led to an infection, which led to gangrene, he had to have part of a leg amputated.

[haVoc 0]

RIP

 

I never heard about the gangrene and amputated leg.

[haVoc 0]

Also, wasn't he kind of like a Bradshaw in his day? I remember reading he use to harass and chase the young guys around the lockerroom naked.

[Downhome 0]

I figured this would happen soon, since I heard about his previous troubles. So yeah, this was expected for me.

 

Truth be told, I was never a huge fan of his when I was younger. I do however recognize the fact that his voice and image became something of a staple of WWF in the 80's. His voice is one in wrestling that I'll never forget.

 

I do not know a single thing about his wrestling days.

 

RIP.

 

Here are some pictures of him. Check out the ones of him as a wrestler, and then those most recent pictures of him.

 

http://obsessedwithwrestling.com/gallery/a/alfredhayes.html

[Guest bigm350]

RIP. This is sad news. I also was never really a Lord Alfred Hayes fan.

 

Also, is it just me, or did the Hayes character in the mid to late 80's WWF come off as a bit queer? He always seemed a bit fruity to me. No disrespect to Hayes, though.

[KingPK 0]

RIP

 

He had a unique voice when it comes to commentary and was good with Gorilla in the booth. I have a crappy Hogan/Savage "comedy" match from France on tape that I would never watch except for Gorilla and Hayes' commentary.

[Dangerous A 0]

RIP

 

I used to watch him with Gorilla Monsoon and Vince McMahon during the early days of Prime Time Wrestling on USA. He was fun to watch and just seemed to relish his character. There was a very funny segment back in the day where Lord Alfred had a tea party with Mr Fuji and Afa and Sika where it was supposed to be civilized, but ended up turning into a food fight.

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

I always thought he was a completely underrated color commentator. Some of his stuff from the house shows that used to air on Tuesday Night Titans was very good. His work suffered when he became more of a "character" than just a commentator. Some of the comedy stuff was amusing too.

 

RIP Lord Alfred

[yankovic fan 0]

"Promotional consideration, paid for by the following...."

 

That was always my favorite line from him. I thought he was a cool old guy and I have missed him being on air, but he was too proper for the current product anyway.

 

RIP

[snuffbox 0]

He made me laugh.

[dubq 0]

Damn, Hayes was the man as a heel colour commentator... I always hated that Vince made him into a fucking Benny Hill spoof in his final days with the company.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

"Promotional consideration, paid for by the following...."

 

That was always my favorite line from him. I thought he was a cool old guy and I have missed him being on air, but he was too proper for the current product anyway.

 

RIP

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Same here. I still can here him promoting some Wild Musk cologne. RIP

[Paul Stanley 0]

Oh no

[Guest TheGreatWesuke]

RIP your Lordship.

 

I mentioned to some friends before this years Hall of Fame that I heard he was in poor health and it would be nice for them to induct him before he died. Everyone thought I had lost my mind.

 

Nobody, including myself, cared that much for him during his WWF run, but recently when I watch old tapes his work really cracks me up. "The Call of the Action" segment he did on a few of the SuperTapes is definitely worth checking out, calling Shane Douglas' top rope crossbody block a "flying crucifix" had me in stiches. In another he called a dropkick a "flying leg drop."

 

Priceless.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Damn. RIP Lord Alfred. You made even the dullest of matches watchable with your commentary.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I didn't like him as a kid really. But when I got a little older and looked back on that stuff I liked his stuff a lot better. Funny stuff

[Downhome 0]

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/591...rdalfredtribute

 

WWE has a small tribute video up on their website.

[CBright7831 0]

His "Lordship" is gone.

 

[AboveAverage484 0]

For some reason I was thinking Michael Hayes, and I was surprised at how old he was. Then I was like, oh, Lord Alfred Hayes.

 

That sucks, at least he lived a pretty full life as compared to other wrestling related personalities' deaths.

[Downhome 0]

I just put in my Andre the Giant DVD to watch for the first time, and it made me sad when Lord Alfred Hayes started talking. I forgot that this DVD was just one of the home videos on DVD for the most part, with Hayes doing the voiceovers.

[Scroby 0]

R.I.P Lord Hayes and thank you.

[Si82 0]

Damn that's a shame. I was just watching the Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's DVD before I came to the board and, of course, Lord Alfred was featured on it.

 

I was a big fan of the guy. He used to crack me up and it's a shame to read this news. At least he managed to have a full life before he went.

 

R.I.P. Lord Alfred Hayes

[Enigma 0]

I remember one of Lord Alfred's last appearances on WWF television. It was on that shitty Saturday morning show WWF Mania hosted by Todd Pettengil. His Lordship just showed up in the studio out of nowhere totally playing heel and being an absolute jackass to Todd.

 

It was a thing of beauty.

[redbaron29 0]

God Speed his "lordship".

[Addy 0]

I was just watching Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday and was wondering what Alfred was up to these days. Wow.

 

I loved the fact the fact that if Heenan said something funny, he wouldn't hold back from laughing.

 

And also the way Heenan was saying Hogan was 'away making movies' because he was a coward and was scared of the REAL world champ, Ric Flair. Alfred agreed.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

The segment from TNT (Also on Bloopers, Bleeps, and Bodyslams) where The Samoans fed Alfred some raw fish still makes me laugh. The Samoans are dissecting this huge fish when . . .

 

Vince: Alfred, would you like to taste this?

Alfred: Would I like to what? Surely, you must be jesting.

Vince: Well, I don't think it's right to hurt The Samoans' feelings.

Alfred: I don't want to do that. But that doesn't mean I have to eat it.

 

(They go back and forth for a bit and finally Alfred takes the tiniest nibble I've ever seen as Vince approves and they go to commercial. After the break, Vince/Alfred each have a plate as The Samoans are chowing down.)

 

Vince: We are back w/ The Samoans . . . Wait a second! Alfred Hayes . . . I don't think this is fair . . . it looks like you have the head of the fish. I think I'd prefer the head.

Alfred: Well, I tell you . . . look at that eye. And What On Earth Is That?!? (Picks up jawbone) JUST WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT?!?

 

And what CV fan could forget "For a free Coliseum Video catalog, write to Coliseum Video PO Box 1311 Fairfield, NJ 07 Double 07."

[Art Sandusky 0]

Listening to Hayes on commentary was a blast. I loved every second of that accent adding ludicrous melodrama to anything going on, and how the dude played the prim and proper to the limit. This is some sad shit.

[Guest J0bber]

Also, is it just me, or did the Hayes character in the mid to late 80's WWF come off as a bit queer? He always seemed a bit fruity to me. No disrespect to Hayes, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree. Discussing wrestler's handsomeness is a bit gay, but he still was a funny announcer that kept WWF Coliseum Video Tapes lively.

 

Somewhere right now Sean Mooney is weeping because of the death of his former buddy. RIP Your Lordship.