Wrestling Rewind: This Week In History (July 17 - July 23)

When it comes to old school wrestling and nostalgia, certain individuals hold a special place in the hearts of wrestling fans. One of those legendary individuals was Lord Alfred Hayes, who sadly passed away on this day in 2005.

Despite a lengthy in-ring career as “Judo” Al Hayes, Lord Alfred is best remembered for his contributions to the WWF in the mid 80s to early 90s as a roving reporter, interviewer and analyst. During the halcyon days of the WWF, Hayes was a stalwart of Titan Sports television and a regular on Tuesday Night Titans alongside Vince McMahon; meanwhile, he is also the immortal voice behind the legendary “Promotional consideration paid for by the following” line that accompanied show-related ads.

Outside of the short-lived TNT series, Hayes was frequently used in pre-taped skits and backstage segments where he excelled due to his brilliant comedic timing; however, it wasn’t unusual for Hayes to find himself on commentary duty either, often teaming with Gorilla Monsoon to provide colour commentary duties.

With WrestleMania 2 spread across three separate locations in 1986, Hayes would find himself in his most high profile commentary role, placed in the announce booth for the main event of Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy; forever etching himself - and his unmistakable voice - in WrestleMania history.

Hayes would appear sporadically across WWF television during the early 90s, with a particularly memorable backstage role at SummerSlam ‘92; however, he was largely off-screen by late 1994 and eventually quietly released in 1995.

Sadly for Hayes, a car accident in the mid-nineties would result in him having his leg amputated which would see him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life before he died after suffering a multiple strokes at his Texas home.