While wrestling for Sam Muchnick in St. Louis during the mid-1970s, Hayes turned heel and adopted the gimmick of the aristocratic "Lord Alfred" Hayes. Hayes adopted the role as a manager after he had decided wrestling was taking a toll on his knees. As this character, Hayes later became a manager in the AWA, Florida and later Montreal, managing fellow Brit Billy Robinson, Baron von Raschke, Jimmy Valiant (whom he rebranded as "King James" Valiant) and the Super Destroyers. He became notorious for delivering TV interviews in a sneering aristocratic English accent, often sipping cups of tea and wearing a bow tie and frilly shirt.