17 Wrestlers Who Took Forever To Get To WrestleMania (and Why)

Hayes had an extremely brief run in the WWF as part of the Fabulous Freebirds in 1984; despite pioneering the use of rock music in wrestling entrances, the team lasted only a few months during the company’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling era before departing under disputed circumstances. The Freebirds plied their trade in World Class and JCP before spending five years in Ted Turner’s WCW.

Following a back injury, Hayes returned to the WWF eleven years later, not as a wrestler, but as announcer Dok Hendrix. The retired Hayes did not wrestle until 1999, when he mentored the Hardy Boys. Now in his 40s, a Wrestlemania match seemed out of the question… that is, until 2001’s Gimmick Battle Royal.

After missing the first 16 Manias, Hayes finally got his moment in the spotlight. Perhaps not wanting to exploit his pull as a road agent for the WWF, he was eliminated by One Man Gang in a match ultimately won by the Iron Sheik.