source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
-- One of the reasons Bobby Lashley got a release from WWE on his terms, which lets him go to TNA if he chooses to, is because the feeling is that if he went public on his complaints on Michael Hayes, and there was some corroboration, it would make the company look bad. So WWE agreed to release Lashley on his terms on the condition that he does not say anything negative about the company.
Back in January, Lashley talked about "evil prevailing" in WWE in his statement on his official website regarding his departure from the company. "I can't go into details of this now but like I said before sometimes people will hate you personally and try to destroy you, which has happened here. Evil has prevailed however like I said before if you continue your struggle doors will open around these people."
Additionally, one of the reasons Lashley moved from SmackDown to ECW in late 2006 was because Michael Hayes -- who was the head writer of the blue brand at the time -- wanted nothing to do with him. There were also rumors that Lashley had demanded to be moved to another brand. At the time, Lashley was saddled in a lame duck feud with Tatanka, who had just turned heel (and was fired three months later).
-- Michael Hayes is still being kept in the loop of creative issues in the company via e-mail during his 60-day suspension for using a racial slur towards Mark Henry during WrestleMania weekend, reports prowrestling.NET. Multiple sources believe that the more outside pressure Vince McMahon gets to fire Hayes from his job, the more likely he is to stand by him. The betting line amongst the sources is that Hayes will return to the company at some point. Considering that Hayes is still being updated on things via email while he is serving a suspension, it seems to indicate that they're looking to bring him back at some point.
Defenders of Hayes continue to state that he is not a racist, although several others say that he uses racist language quite often. So much so, that a few people have gotten used to it because its an every day occurrence from him. On source who has worked closely to Hayes said, "You become numb to it. It goes from being 'holy s***' jaw-dropping to being an every day occurrence." Another source who has worked closely with Hayes added, "It's not if there are more stories, it's how many hundreds of times people who have been exposed to him have heard him (use racist language)."
source:
www.f4wonline.com
As noted earlier, a person by the name of Matthew Randazzo plans on writing a book on WWE called "Ring of Hell." It will be released in July by Phoenix Books. The book will chronicle the use of racial slurs on the part of WWE executives in the workplace. One WWE writer told Randazzo: "Brother Love and Michael Hayes would also routinely make racist jokes. I heard them use the 'n' word a few times."
Randazzo also claimed that a WWE production member asked him to release the following statement anonymously:
Michael Hayes 60-day suspension for allegedly making racist comments comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever worked with him. Since Stephanie took over the reigns of Creative, bringing him on-board after Russo and Ferrera left for WCW, Hayes has been a racist boor making n-jokes at every writers' meeting -- until one day that he was shocked and offended that Stephanie hired an African-American Writer's Assistant in 2003.
Stephanie called this talented young man in for an interview while Hayes was on holiday since she knew that Hayes being on the interview panel would have led to Hayes saying something racist and causing a lawsuit even before the African American candidate for the job was hired (every potential writer is interviewed by every sitting member of the writing teams of all shows in a panel format, prior to meeting with Stephanie). He was eventually hired.
When Hayes found out that an African-American was hired for the job, he thought that he was being ribbed. He said to someone who used to work at the WWE at the time who wishes to remain anonymous: 'Hired WHAT as a writer? I didn't know those boys can even write their name. Let's take bets on how long he will last here.' Needless to say, the African-American writer lasted less than 4 months at WWE Creative, with Hayes constantly burying him to Stephanie; and he actually made racist jokes in front of the said writer. The writer never made a formal complaint, which boggles the mind, and it allowed Hayes to continue on in his position.
Since the African-American writer, at least two other visible minorities have been hired by Stephanie, and always when Hayes is on vacation. Only one has survived more than 6 months, and that is current writer Dave Kapoor, who is of East-Indian descent. For the record, Hayes has made fun of him constantly whenever Kapoor isn't around, calling him and The Great Khali 'Our two resident sand-[n-words].'
Several other people within WWE backed up this and other stories regarding Hayes this past week.
