At the height of the Fabulous Freebirds' fame in the 1980s, Michael P.S. Hayes along with Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts were on top of the world, becoming one of the first wrestling acts to use rock 'n roll as an entrance theme. Throughout that time and beyond, Hayes struggled with alcohol abuse, as detailed on  

"[I] probably [started drinking at] 11 or 12, but consistently? 14, 15? Drinking, everything," he said, before stating that he's been sober from alcohol for two years. "When I was 14, I could go get beer. Nobody ever — it was the '70s, nobody gave a crap about anything!"

Hayes joked that he always wanted to grow up fast, and when it came to wrestling, he quickly began living his gimmick. "So if you were going to be a wild rock 'n' roller? Sign me up!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, it wasn't hard." 

The veteran later claimed that he was able to keep a job for as long as he did because he was a "functionable drunk," and being hungover never bothered him. "We didn't get messed up that much before the matches. We did sometimes. I have, but that wasn't the norm. The norm was after."

Hayes also acknowledged how often Stephanie McMahon booked him into rehabilitation centers to help him kick the habit, but admits that the only things that got him through his vice was his faith and his own willingness to try. "Any other time I went to rehab, I always had in the back of my mind how and when I was going to start drinking again," he said.

The WWE exec emphasized that a change of mindset is crucial to getting sober, and while it starts with knowing you have to make the change, it ends with wanting to make the change. The journey wasn't easy, with Hayes recounting some wild parties that took place at rehab centers before finally breaking through.

"I will say this: the last one I went to, at Riverside, was really, really cool, and it was very helpful," Hayes continued. "Shannon Moore was there, who used to wrestle for us. He helped me out immensely. He's really helped a lot of people, and he was in a really bad place."

The veteran clarified that he's "California sober," and doesn't want people to think he's somehow become a saint.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.