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WWE's resident Jim Morrison impersonator is back in the company!
John Morrison (real name John Randall Hennigan) announced via twitter that he has signed with WWE and looked quite happy about it. He wrote that he couldn't "wait to stand again in a WWE ring.. (sic)" and was looking forward to facing "the most talented people in the business".
It has been eight years since John Morrison, also known as Johnny Nitro to fans, wrestled in a WWE ring. His return has been hyped by the company itself as it was announced on an edition of WWE Backstage as well. The news has certainly got the fans buzzing and looking forward to seeing the wrestler make his in-ring return to the company. It is not clear, at the moment, if his deal is full-time or part-time. No details regarding the length of his contract have been revealed and it is yet to be seen if he joins the RAW roster or the SmackDown one, although, he could end up in NXT as well. Nevertheless, the expectations of fans and the pressure on the superstar, both seem to be high at the moment. The WWE Universe has already started to wonder about the possibilities and potential dream matches that the former Tough Enough contestant and OVW alumni could have in the coming future. Despite being 40 years old, Morrison looks to be in tremendous shape and is coming off a successful run in Impact Wrestling, where he was a one-time World champion. Although only time can tell how Morrison will fare in his second coming in WWE, let's try to analyze what the positives and negatives of having the multi-time Intercontinental champion back in the biggest pro-wrestling promotion are.
1. Great: He is a much more polished wrestler now than he was in 2011
Morrison left WWE in 2011 with some injury issues and his term certainly did not end on a high note. During his time on the main roster of WWE, he had a great beginning as one-half of the tag team MNM, winning the Tag titles on debut. However, despite surviving for six years and multiple reigns as a Tag team champion and Intercontinental champion, he did not live up to his true potential and a World title eluded him (let's not consider the much devalued ECW title as a legitimate World title).
However, upon leaving WWE, going by various names, Morrison honed his skill and proved himself as a World title material in every promotion he joined. Holding major titles in Impact, Lucha Underground, AAA, and various other independent promotions, he has established himself as a legit star and a pro-wrestling vet.
2. Great: Fans should expect interesting feuds
Morrison has a flashy move-set and despite being in the business for so many years, he is still in great shape to carry them out in the ring. His in-ring style is a delight and the fans can't wait for potentially exciting feuds. WWE creative can reignite his rivalry with Ricochet, which developed in Lucha Underground, or have him go straight up against the King of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura. Even WWE history books can be shaken up to revive a story between his old frenemy, The Miz. Morrison also has history, and shares great chemistry, with other WWE wrestlers like Rey Mysterio (both in and out of WWE), Dolph Ziggler, and Sheamus. A championship feud with Mysterio or a clash of returning superstars pitting Morrison against Sheamus would be a great beginning.
Apart from this, possible feuds with AJ Styles, Andrade, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, or even an upcoming star like Mustafa Ali, could be on the cards now that The Shaman of Sexy has returned.
3. Great: His legitimacy could bring some new eyes and some old fans back to the WWE fold
Morrison had been gone from WWE for about eight years. During his time away, he has proved himself as a star in various promotions all over the world. He has a good following which WWE will certainly be looking forward to getting aboard their wrestling juggernaut. This might be in terms of increased network subscription or a much-needed boost to the TV ratings, both of which count as a victory for the company. Vince, being the smart manager he is, must have given a good thought to this before signing the 40-year-old. Nevertheless, in his capacity as a WWE superstar, Morrison managed to have a devoted fan following of his own. The company must also be counting on the nostalgia factor and expecting to gain some lost fans who switched their loyalties when Morrison left in 2011.
4. Not great: WWE can't get over betting on old horses
Well, this is from the perspective of general WWE fans. The promotion has a very bad habit of banking on old stars and gives less importance to building new ones. A lot of wrestling journalists have blamed the TV rating crisis on WWE's inability to come up with the new Stone Colds and The Rocks. Sporadic, but disturbing, the appearance of part-timers (read Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker) around important PPVs has been detrimental on many levels. However, hiring superstars that do not have much gas left in the tank and using them in feuds with already established stars, instead of putting over the younger talent, has also hampered the development of newer superstars.
Bringing back Rey Mysterio was an excellent opportunity to elevate an upcoming star (like Ricochet, or Humberto Carillo) but WWE is rather satisfied in using him against proven stars like Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles. The company can go this way with Morrison as well, which might get a temporary boost, but will not go down well in the long run.
5. Not great: His achievements outside the WWE might come to bite him
WWE is also notorious for burying stars that have tried to establish themselves outside the WWE cosmos. You may call it Vince's Everest-sized ego, but the boss certainly doesn't like acknowledging a talent's extra-WWE achievements (unless it is Brock Lesnar), let alone using them to his promotion's advantage. Just one look at the unceremonious burials of Sami Zayn, Austin Aries, The Club, EC3, Mike Kanellis, and many other talents that established themselves outside the WWE realm before making their move to the so-called big league, itself writes a story of missed opportunities. Morrison could as well be a victim of McMahon's ego and could face the shovel for his star status that he has achieved outside the WWE. However, if he is lucky enough, an AJ Styles treatment could also be conferred upon him!
6. Not great: He might get lost in the shuffle
Unfortunately, this is a very likely scenario. Some potentially great returns have failed by WWE not being able to manage them properly. Stars like EC3 and Shelton Benjamin returned to the company in a much-hyped way like Morrison, but their stock went south before the WWE universe could catch their breath back. Relatively younger stars like Mike Kanellis, who made his debut in a very elegant manner, have publically asked for their releases.
Superstars like Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose), Cody (Rhodes), and Chris Jericho, have often complained about the creative frustration they faced in WWE, which ultimately led to their exits. Moreover, a bloated WWE roster means further reduced TV time for each wrestler. Apart from all these factors, Vince's whim and fancies are as unpredictable as ever. The recent push-and-forget treatment meted out to Cedric Alexander and Humberto Carillo might be waiting for John Morrison as well.
