Michael Hayes has celebrated two years without alcohol, opening up about the personal determination and support that helped him reach the milestone.

Speaking with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story?, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed he had “passed two years last Thursday.” He explained that the biggest difference from his previous attempts was wanting to make the change himself.

Hayes said he first tried drinking at “probably 11 or 12, but consistently 14, 15.” Reflecting on how long that lifestyle had been part of his life, he joked with McMahon, “Well, you should know you sent me to rehab enough.”

This time, Hayes approached recovery with a different mindset.

“The only reason I can say is God and my willingness to give it a shot, because any other time I went to rehab, I always had in the back of my mind how and when I was going to start drinking again,” Hayes said.

“It can’t be ‘have to.’ ‘Have to’ can start you. Like, ‘I have to do right,’ sometimes, ‘keep my job,’” he continued. “‘I have to keep my family.’ That can start you, but if you can’t get to ‘I want to,’ then it’s not going to work.”

Hayes also credited the help he received during his most recent rehabilitation stay, including support from former WWE star Shannon Moore.

“The last one I went to at Riverside was really really cool and it was very helpful. Shannon Moore was there, who used to wrestle for us,” Hayes said. “He helped me out immensely.”

While celebrating his time without alcohol, Hayes was clear about how he describes his sobriety.

“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m California sober. Okay, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like I’m a holy roller, because I ain’t,” he said.

Hayes stressed that he was speaking about his own relationship with alcohol and acknowledged that his recovery remains an ongoing process.

“I’m not saying everybody has to be sober, because some people can drink and they’re good with it. I’m just not one of those people,” Hayes said. “It’s a constant work in progress, right? It is definitely a work in progress. And you know, this is a saying they have in AA is that when you get sober, the good thing is you get your feelings back, and when you get sober, the bad thing is you get your feelings back.”

The update follows his appearance on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker in February, when he said he was almost 17 months without a drink.

Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Fabulous Freebirds, Hayes has also spent decades helping shape WWE programming behind the scenes as a producer.

What message of support would you share with Michael Hayes as he celebrates this milestone? Leave your thoughts in the comments.