WWE: Morrison-Sheamus Reminiscent Of Another Classic Ladder Match

I may be allowing my imagination get away from me here, but does the culmination of this John Morrison - Sheamus conflict seem at all familiar? A little less than 17 years ago, there were two men of similar styles that participated in the first ladder match on PPV, performed to critical acclaim, so much so that somebody in my position is sitting, writing about it nearly two decades later.

Of course, I’m talking about the legendary Wrestlemania X ladder match to crown the official Intercontinental Champion between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. Michaels, who busted out the top rope elbow drop and the occasional moonsault in his later years, was more of a high-flyer in the early and mid-90s. Ramon, better known as Scott Hall, was a promising brawler with big charisma that, if a little alcoholism didn’t derail, was headed to a career headlining cards and winning top championships.

The future is obviously yet to be told in the case of John Morrison and Sheamus, but we can all see the parallels.

Morrison has long been compared to a young Heart Break Kid. From the way he carries himself, to his look and character, he is clearly one in a long line of Michaels disciples. He looks to separate himself from the crowd with high-impact, flashy moves and, perhaps most importantly, there has never been a bump that Morrison wouldn’t take to make his opponent look good.

Sheamus is another promising young brawler, pegged by the front office as a future draw. He uses an array of power moves that pairs well when working with a smaller opponent the likes of Morrison who can make a simple body slam or backbreaker look truly debilitating. To that end, Sheamus even uses the same finisher. Ramon called it the Razor’s Edge. Sheamus calls it the High Cross. Either way, it’s a unique finisher that isn’t commonly used and distinct.

Of course, to compare anybody to either of these legends, or to refer to the match set for TLC to the encounter that triggered America’s fascination with the ladder match, is unfair. Morrison doesn’t have the chops on the mic to draw in the crowd the same as Michaels. Sheamus will likely have a more successful singles career than “The Bad Guy,” as long as he stays clean, but it’s hard to deny that Scott Hall was destined for greatness if he couldn’t have kept himself off the bottle.

I fully anticipate a John Morrison victory at TLC. In a short period of time leading to Royal Rumble that traditionally features surprising title contenders (Bob Holly anyone?), a Morrison-Miz title match writes itself.  Sheamus meanwhile will likely participate in the Rumble match, be surprised by the big return of HHH, and we’ll all move on toward Wrestlemania.

The fact that Morrison – Sheamus is booked for TLC does give me hope that WWE is ready to not only build a strong undercard, but also to create stars. Both Morrison and Sheamus have big draw potential, but they need to put on some memorable matches before anybody will take them seriously. These two have the ability, and work very well together, making Sunday’s match a potential show stopper—one that could go a long way in establishing them as the clear cut next generation of main event draws.

These undercard matches are the proving grounds. Ladder matches are a popular gimmick for such battles because the crowd is immediately interested no matter who is competing. This is Morrison and Sheamus’ chance to keep the fans’ interest and kick-start two prominent careers.