WWE producer and Hall of Famer Michael Hayes believes most of today’s wrestling stars would not have lasted during the sport’s earlier era, pointing to the drastically different lifestyle that once defined the industry.
The debate about whether modern professional wrestling is “softer” than previous generations has been ongoing for years, with many legends arguing that the grit and edge of the 1980s and 1990s is missing from today’s product. Hayes recently addressed that conversation while appearing on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast.
According to Hayes, the biggest difference between eras has little to do with talent and far more to do with the environment wrestlers once lived in outside the ring.
“I think the answer would be no, because you don’t have the same characters performing. They don’t have the same mindset. Back when I started, wrestling had shady characters, and that’s putting it nicely.”
Hayes explained that the culture surrounding wrestling decades ago involved heavy partying and far rougher personalities than what exists in today’s locker rooms.
“When drugs started joining alcohol as the form of relieving yourself afterwards and letting your hair down, that made these shady sons of a b**s a lot more dangerous. Today’s athlete, we’re so blessed because they’re so much more intelligent. They don’t make the same mistakes.”
Because of that difference in lifestyle, Hayes suggested that only a small percentage of today’s wrestlers would have managed to survive the environment that existed during wrestling’s earlier generations.
“I would dare to say maybe 15 to 20 percent of them would’ve made it back in that day. It had nothing to do with their talent. It would’ve been lifestyle.”
During the discussion, The Undertaker agreed that the eras are dramatically different. He suggested that the ideal scenario would combine the edginess and attitude of the old-school era with the professionalism and health awareness that today’s performers bring to the business.
Do you think today’s wrestlers would have been able to survive the lifestyle of the old-school wrestling era?