Gil Hayes
| Birth name | Gilbert Hayes |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 20, 1939 Ontario, Canada |
| Residence | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Gil Hayes Gabby Hayes |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 247 lb (112 kg) |
| Debut | c. 1966 |
| Retired | December 29, 1985 |
Gilbert "Gil" Hayes (born October 20, 1939) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler who competed in North American promotions during the 1960s and 1970s including All Star Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling where he would remain a mainstay for the majority of his 17-year career. One of the first Canadian professional wrestlers to compete in Puerto Rico, he also frequently toured Japan with International Wrestling Enterprise during the mid-to-late 1970s.
He was also the first man to simultaneously hold two Canadian wrestling championships, the Stampede North American Heavyweight and International Tag Team Championship, at one time.
Growing up, Gilbert Hayes was a fan of professional wrestling (as was his mother) and was later involved in amateur wrestling and boxing during his teenage years. In 1966, after meeting Gene Kiniski following a wrestling event in [Winnipeg Manitoba], Hayes began training in the basement of a local church for almost a year before making his professional wrestling debut at the St. Boniface Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Hayes spent two years wrestling in Winnipeg as well as a brief stint in NWA Central States before moving to Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling during the late 1960s. Developing a following among fans as an egotistical anti-hero during the next several years, he teamed with Bill Dromo to defeat Jerry and Bobby Christy for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on February 13, 1970.
Successfully defending the titles against Gordon Ivey, Mighty Ursus and "Cowboy" Dan Kroffat, he and Dromo eventually lost the titles back to Jerry and Bobby Christy on March 6. Hayes continued facing Jerry and Bobby Christy in tag-team and single matches during the next weeks, as well as facing Stu Hart and Bob Lueck in a tag team match with Buck Jones on March 24, before teaming with Bob Sweetan to recapture the titles from the Christy Brothers on July 3. Defeating Jerry and Bobby Christy in later rematches, Hayes and Sweetan held the tag team titles for over two months before losing them to Bud and Ray Osborne on September 4. Fighting to a time limit draw against Danny Babich on October 30, he also faced Paul Peller and Bob Prire later that year.
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