WWE's Cautionary Tale: The Rise and Fall of John Morrison

John Morrison's roller coaster ride with the WWE will be ending very shortly. F4WOnline's Bryan Alvarez reported earlier this week that the sentiment around WWE is that Morrison's contract will not be renewed. To clarify, he's not being fired or released but rather the WWE will simply let him go. 

As noted Morrison's WWE career has truly been a roller coaster. Morrison was famously lambasted by WWE producer Kevin Dunn during a tryout for WWE's reality show Tough Enough. Dunn claimed that Morrison didn't really want to be a WWF (at the time) star:

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"I think he wants to flip, act, run and do all the things to make up our genre. I pass." 

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Dunn's comment was a bit of a head-scratcher because the in-ring product is predicated largely on running, flipping and acting. The general point, in hindsight, became true. Morrison always had the physical tools, a great body, a great look but always failed to become a well-rounded WWE performer.

There is no denying Morrison's athleticism, his high-flying offense connected with the fan base and there was a time when he was seen as a future main eventer. What Morrison always lacked was the charisma needed to take the step to elite status in the WWE. 

Morrison's career started auspiciously enough as Eric Bischoff's assistant Johnny Blaze, which evolved into the awfully-named Johnny Spade, before finally settling on the name he'd carry for years, Johnny Nitro. 

After a yearlong stint in WWE's development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, Morrison returned alongside current girlfriend Melina and Joey Mercury. This was arguably one of Morrison's most successful periods as Mercury and him won the WWE Tag Team Championships three times. 

Morrison, still Nitro, found his way to the Raw brand winning his first Intercontinental Championship and being apart of the mainstream Kevin Federline/John Cena feud as Federline's "trainer." Morrison and Mercury aligned briefly before Morrison's biggest career change occurred, his drafting to the ECW brand.

Immediately, the WWE attempted to re-brand Morrison into a completely new identity. Morrison changed his name from Nitro to Morrison, stating that was his actual birth name, and he developed a new, cockier identity:

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"At 4 months old, I could walk. At 8 months old, I could run. How many people here could say they did that?" Morrison boldly asked. "As my mind grew up, so did my body. As a matter of fact I was so gifted intellectually, I skipped the first grade. I advanced straight to third grade. In high school, I was elected student body president… and I didn't even run. That's how much of a natural leader I am." 

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Morrison won the ECW Title over CM Punk and seemed to have the proverbial rocket pack attached to his back. After all, one look at Morrison and you see all the tools and all the makings of a future WWE Champion. 

Morrison hung around the ECW brand and began a team with another former reality star, The Miz (Real World: New York). Feuding at the time of their forced tag team, the duo eventually got on the same page and became one of the most entertaining tag teams in the WWE. They brought their careers to another level with a number of WWE.com skits titled The Dirt Sheet. 

Miz and Morrison eventually broke up as team as their feud was largely mirrored with that of The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty). At the time it seemed like a cheap way to compare two feuds but in hindsight it was a great comparison.

At the time, Morrison appeared to be the star of the team because of his physical attributes. Morrison, however, failed to connect with the audience on the same level that Miz did. Not unlike his blond counterpart Michaels, Miz had the extra out of the ring tools. Morrison, for all his physical abilities continued to be laughably bad at promos and ring psychology.

The Miz has found himself catapulted into WrestleMania main events and while not technically on top, he’s currently a major part of the WWE’s largest current storyline. Morrison has stayed at a relatively similar pace to where he was in 2009.

Whether it was a lack of confidence or general inability, Morrison routinely failed to convey confidence outside the ring. In the ring, Morrison absolutely wowed the crowd, but was in the proverbial term a “spot monkey.” Morrison was able to do a twisting plancha from the guardrails, but was unable to carry a match inside the ring. The crowd popped for his moves but never seemed to rally behind Morrison.

Backstage, Morrison did himself no favors with his association and relationship with noted troublemaker Melina. Whether who you’re dating should matter in the grand scheme is a debate for a different time, but plain and simple you have to play by the WWE’s rules. The WWE has punished wrestlers for their relationships in the past (Drew McIntyre’s de-push in 2010) and again while maybe not fair, it is how the WWE works.

What does this all mean for Morrison? Likely, he will go to TNA, which is all told a great career move at this point. Morrison will never be given a fair chance at the WWE again. For Melina or the chances he’s been given, the relationship between the WWE and Morrison is over for the time being.

At TNA, Morrison can get a fresh start, albeit with the clear No. 2 promotion, but if their history with ex-WWE’s says anything, Morrison should shoot right to the top. Better yet, Morrison has a crop of exciting high-flyers in their X Division that will really gel with Morrison’s style.

Whether he goes into the X Division or is instantly thrust into the main event picture in TNA, Morrison needs a fresh start, but Morrison’s rise and fall in the WWE is overall a cautionary tale. A message to all inspiring wrestlers to not only watch who you associate with but make sure you really understand what it takes to create a great all-time wrestler.

No physical attributes will make you The Rock. Being able to convey a character, connect with the audience and sell the audience on your character will always be the name of the game, no matter how good your abs look.