When John Morrison originally made his debut for WWE back in 2004, he immediately burst onto the scene with a gimmick that allowed him to showcase his personality. Morrison evolved into a singles star as time moved on, though his most memorable moment was his tag team with The Miz. Both guys were electric and funny on the mic and also entertaining in the ring. However, it was also notable that he wasn’t exactly the best talker in the company. Morrison could always dazzle and put on excellent matches when it came to the in-ring portion, but his solo act in WWE faulted because it never felt that he could hang with the big boys in the main event. Morrison was wise to leave the company in 2011, as it was clear that there was a ceiling for his career in WWE, and the former Intercontinental Champion was too talented to be stuck in the same position that wouldn’t allow him to grow.
Morrison’s stints in Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling allowed him to develop his own character and get better on the microphone. Morrison was still the goofy guy in WWE, but the loose setting and promo structure actually worked for him, and when it came time to be serious, he got better in that department as well. Morrison’s style was perfect for the independent scene and in truth, he would’ve fit better in AEW than WWE. However, wrestlers usually want to prove that they can be main eventers in the biggest professional wrestling company in the world, so it’s understandable that he came back to the company. However, the first sign of trouble was the way he was introduced back into WWE storylines. He was once again diving back into the tag team realm with The Miz. The former WWE star had worked hard to develop his skills on the independent scene, but he came back with more of a whimper than a bang. Even worse, Morrison entered the Royal Rumble and was treated like a nobody, being easily eliminated by Brock Lesnar.
Him and Miz would win the WWE Smackdown Tag Team titles, but they had a forgettable reign. It didn’t help that this was the time when the pandemic began. Now, it’s not particularly bad that Morrison went into the tag team division per se. He made his return doing WrestleMania season so any chance of him getting some type of big push was slim. However, it was the fact that he came back randomly instead of his return being highlighted showcased that the company didn’t seem to view him as a big deal. From there on, Morrison was treated as the goofy sidekick of The Miz, consistently losing matches left and right and developing a comedy gimmick that had no shelf life beyond mid-card. In fact, Morrison was on a nearly seven-month losing streak until a random episode of Raw. Instead of making Morrison and Miz a strong tag team act that could’ve really helped electrify the division, he was a glorified jobber who was becoming infamous for weak and unfunny segments. However, WWE had a chance to turn the tide with his character when they briefly decided to give him singles run in 2021 following his big Bad Bunny match at WrestleMania.
Morrison beat both Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Sadly, the drip stick gimmick remained and the hope of something serious was eliminated following his loss at the respective pay-per-view. Morrison didn’t particularly need to be in the main event. In fact, the guy is at age where it makes sense that he could be the veteran that puts over the younger talent. However, his name should’ve meant so much more. Morrison could’ve danced around the mid-card/upper card scene, especially since the division was strongly lacking. Morrison is a tremendous wrestler with charisma and could’ve got over as the United States or Intercontinental Champion. However, Vince McMahon and creative didn’t see him in that way. Instead of being the reliable veteran who could’ve helped up-and-coming talents they just felt he was a jobber after The Miz turned on him. John Morrison’s second run in the company failed because the wasn’t taken seriously as a talent and it was clear that he was disposable in the eyes of Vince McMahon. The former WWE star will be fine wherever he goes following his post-WWE career. He can easily slide back into the Impact Wrestling main event scene, or even enter All Elite Wrestling. It’s just a shame that he really didn’t have much of a chance to prove that he was a worthy star in WWE.
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