5 Names John Morrison can use when he returns to WWE

It was recently reported that John Morrison had signed a new deal to return to WWE, the company that made him a star. He hasn't been in the company for about eight years and with SmackDown's big move to FOX and the impending draft, right now is the perfect time for a return. Morrison came out to publicly deny the rumor, thanking reporters for the heads up and asking to be told when he signs with AEW or Ring of Honor.

The issue with Morrison's comment is that what he did is the hallmark response for wrestlers who are, indeed, set to return. Two of the biggest denials came from Goldberg and The Hardy Boyz, all of whom vehemently denied that they were coming back to WWE, only to 'shockingly' appear very soon after.

Denying a report simply gives it more credence, these days. Why give the reporters attention, anyway? In short - chances are that Morrison is, indeed, on his way back to WWE. Instead of showing up on the already packed debut of SmackDown on FOX, he would likely show up on either the October 11th episode, or the October 14th RAW - the two WWE Draft episodes.

If, and when, he returns, what name should he go by? Will he go with John Morrison, or will WWE do something fun with it?

He began his career in WWE under his real name, John Hennigan. When he arrived on RAW as the apprentice to General Manager Eric Bischoff, Hennigan became "Johnny Blaze". The next week, after that name wasn't a hit, he decided to call himself "Johnny Spade". That still didn't work out for him, so, in an effort to properly suck up to his boss, he changed his name to "Johnny Nitro", an obvious nod to the brainchild of Bischoff, WCW Monday Nitro.

Johnny Nitro is a name that stuck from 2004 until he became ECW Champion. In July 2007, he begame John Morrison, the name that would define his career until his departure at the end of 2011.

Since then, Morrison has wrestled all over the world. After spending some time on the independent scene as John Hennigan, F.K.A. John Morrison, he started using some different names. He became "Johnny Mundo" when he debuted for Lucha Underground.

Upon his debut for Impact Wresting, He started going by Johnny Impact. He wrestled as Johnny Blackcraft any time he wrestled for the Blackcraft Wrestling promotion. Most recently, Morrison wrestled at the biggest event in the history of Beyond Wrestling, the 2019 edition of Americanrana.

The event was held at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. As you may have guessed, he wrestled under the name "Johnny Foxwoods" that night.

With that in mind, why not have some fun with this? Upon his return to WWE, instead of being John Morrison, what other names could the man born as John Hennigan use?

#5 Johnny SmackDown

This is the first, and maybe the most obvious. With the debut of SmackDown on FOX just around the corner, the new home of SmackDown is likely to want as many big stars as possible. If Hennigan becomes a Friday Night SmackDown Superstar, why not have some fun with it and call him Johnny SmackDown? They can even go one step further, and pull the old RVD gimmick. Call him Johnny SmackDown, and give him the nickname Mr. Friday Night.

It's fun, it's stupid, and, most importantly, it is very pro wrestling. On top of that, let's say he gets drafted to Friday Night SmackDown. If he shows up a few days later on RAW, he can be Johnny Mondays. I'd say Johnny RAW, but that's too on the nose, and could be construed as a little bit crass for the PG Era.

It would be even funnier, too, if he was drafted to SmackDown on the 11th and was announced as Mr. Friday Night, Johnny SmackDown, and then showed up on RAW on Monday the 14th and they announced him as Mr. Monday Night.

Just once, though. It's an overkill joke if they do it more than just once.

#4 Johnny Network

Johnny Network is a star on pay-per-view.

This could actually work in a couple of different manners. If he's a heel, he could be a big star working on behalf of FOX, doing their bidding and being a general spoilsport. Something like Don Callis (as Cyrus, or Cyrus The Virus) and The Network in ECW.

They represented the wants and demands of TNN, the television network ECW was on at the time, trying to bring change to the show and ruin the spirit of ECW. Johnny Network could be that guy (possibly the leader of a group), for SmackDown. It could almost of a Right To Censor for the current generation.

Alternatively, he could be called Johnny Network because he's a major performer on the PPV special events. Yeah, he's great on RAW or SmackDown, but when he shows up on a big event, he really becomes a clutch player.

The best wrestler they have. Therefore, Johnny Network! It could also be used to undermine the other wrestlers on whatever show he's on, as well as the show itself (and the General Manager or other authority figures if they decide to have those). Johnny Network will show up on the lowly TV show he's been drafted to, but he only puts out true effort when he's featured on the WWE Network.

#3 Johnny (Revolving Door)

The Miz and John Morrison were one of the best tag teams of the late 2000s.

In this case, he could usually be Johnny SmackDown, Johnny Network, John Morrison, or whatever his name turns out to be. However, when he's in a tag match, or at the very least in a storyline that sees him partnering up with another team or group, he can adopt their name. For example, if The Usos are feuding with The New Day and need a third guy, he can team with Jimmy and Jey and become Johnny Uso!

As a good guy, it can be used as an endearing quality. He doesn't have to be Johnny Uso for 2 months, but when he comes out for the PPV match, the team can be announced as Jimmy, Jey, and Johnny, The Usos! As a bad guy, it can be used to upset his opponents, or, even funnier, his own partner. John Morrison and The Miz were a very successful tag team over a decade ago. They could reprise the team for a night but instead of being Miz & Morrison, Johnny could insist that they announce him as Johnny Mizanin.

The possibilities are endless. It's fun as a babyface, for sure -- he could be an honorary Uso, or an honorary Hardy Boy, and so on. But what about as a bad guy? That's where it could be really fun. Say, for example, he has a match with Luke Gallows.

He can be Johnny Festus! Or Johnny Biscuits 'n Gravy, if you want to go in that direction. Going one-on-one with Zack Ryder? Johnny Major! Taking on Big E? Johnny Langston! Want to take the wind out of the sails of The Fiend? Bray Wyatt might find himself going one-on-one with Johnny Harris! You can also dip into the bag of guys who have lost their first or last names. Johnny Mustafa. Johnny Almas.

It would also be pretty amazing for him to show up at Survivor Series (which is in Chigago this year) and enter to CM Punk's music. The crowd goes wild, but it's not Punk, it's Johnny Brooks!

#2 Johnny Universal

Johnny Universal could be a man of the people.

This one makes the most sense if the man shows up as a RAW Superstar. It's got a double meaning, of course, as the main championship on RAW is the Universal Championship, but on a more low-key note, the USA Network is owned by NBC/Universal. At the same time, it's also a bit of a nod to Johnny's time in Lucha Underground, where he went by Johnny Mundo. Now he's not just the world, he's the whole universe.

The name works well as a babyface or a heel name and certainly would give him some extra instant credibility as a title contender. If he's a heel and ends up winning the Universal Title with the name, he can double down and call himself Johnny Universal Universal.

As a babyface, he could say that his name means that he is a Superstar that is in WWE to represent everybody. He represents the entire WWE Universe and it's right there. That kind of thing writes itself. Plus, when he does turn bad, you have a built-in reversal of meaning. Johnny isn't the defender of the universe, he is the universe. It's a very versatile, multi-layered name.

#1 Johnny (Name of sports arena, team, or player)

This one is a bit of an offshoot from his appearance in Beyond Wrestling, where he wrestled as Johnny Foxwoods. The show was at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino, and it was a one-off show for him, so why not go for it? He can just do it on an even grander scale with WWE.

It's akin to using an old trope for a new generation. In the past, wrestlers would pander to the crowd by wearing the local sports team's colors. John Cena did it before he found success as the insult-spitting rapper, for example. If WWE was in North Carolina, Tarheel Country, he would wear Tarheel Blue, for example.

With Johnny, they can take it one step further. There are some obvious ones -- if WWE does a show at Madison Square Garden, he can be Johnny MSG. In Boston, he can be Johnny Fenway, and he can be Johnny Wrigley in Chicago. When they go to Baltimore, he can be Johnny Camden. Big event coming up in England? Johnny Wembley!

This goes both ways, as well. Much like a pandering good guy might wear the local team's colors or jersey, the bad guy might wear their biggest rival's colors or outfit. Any time a bad guy comes to New York, you're going to see him wearing a Red Sox jersey.

As a heel, you can have Johnny Fenway wrestle at the Barclays Center. Going to Green Bay? Johnny Soldier! Have a show in Chicago? Johnny Laubeau! If he wrestles on NXT, he can be Johnny Full Sail!

The cool thing about going this route is that the possibilities are endless whether he plays a babyface or a heel. You go for a beloved landmark as a good guy, and something despised as a bad guy. It doesn't have to be limited to arenas and stadiums, either.

He can enter the arena as King Johnny James and berate the audience in Cleveland, only to have Cleveland native The Miz come down and beat him up to a huge ovation. The sky is the limit when it comes to giving a guy an endless amount of possible names.