IMPACT Wrestling star Heath, formerly known as Heath Slater has recalled the bizarre story of Michael Hayes flirting with his mother when he was a child.
Appearing on a recent episode of Talk n Shop, Heath recalled the first time that he ever met Michael P.S Hayes. However, this wasn’t when he signed with WWE in 2006, or even when he debuted on the main roster. The meeting actually came when the IMPACT Wrestling star was only eight-years-old and Hayes began flirting with his mother after a show.
Heath explained how Hayes, whose ring name initials of P.S stand for “purely sexy,” asked his mom to join him for a drink at the Marriott after a show. The man formerly known as Heath Slater added that as an excited kid who had just seen a wrestler chatting to his mom, he couldn’t understand why they weren’t taking up the Freebird’s offer.
“He hit on my mom when I was like eight,” Heath said. “After the show, we’re walking out. Next thing you know, he and Jimmy ‘Jam’ Garvin pull up in this damn car. Michael Hayes pulls up, my mom’s walking, and the next thing you know, you hear ‘hey babe!’ My mom turns around and looks, I’m looking and I’m like ‘oh sh*t, that’s Michael Hayes!’ He literally said ‘hey! I’m staying at the Marriott down the street. Come by the bar!’ I say ‘mom! Let’s go!’
“So he’s hitting on my mother and me being eight, I’m like ‘hey, let’s go! I want to have fun mom!’ So my mom is there like ‘nah, that’s okay. Good show’ this and that. And Michael’s like ‘nah babe, seriously. Meet me at the bar.’ And then they drive off you know, and I’m looking at my mom like ‘mom, let’s go!’ Then we went home. It was just one of those things. That shoot happened.”
Despite working with Hayes during his time in WWE, Heath said that he didn’t mention the incident to the Hall of Famer. However, someone else did. The former WWE Tag Team Champion said that he told Dr Tom Prichard the story, which then made it’s way back to Hayes. The end result was years worth of jokes suggesting that Hayes might in fact be Heath’s dad.
“No,” Heath answered when asked if told Hayes about the encounter. “The funny thing about it is I, in all consciousness, in all faith, told Dr. Tom about it. So Dr. Tom Prichard, when Michael Hayes came down to elevate talent in FCW, he thought it was funny to bring it up. And then Hayes was like ‘oh yeah! I remember her!’ So everyone would go around and joke that Hayes is my real father, that type of s–t. How do you think I had a job for fifteen years?!”
Heath Slater was released by WWE in April 2020 after a 14-year run with the company. The former Tag Team Champion joined IMPACT three months later.
Speaking to Inside The Ropes’ own Liam Alexander-Stewart earlier in 2021, Heath revealed that he was supposed to win the Intercontinental Championship during his time with WWE but a change in plans meant the pitch never came to fruition.
H/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.