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News broke earlier on Thursday that John Hennigan, aka John Morrison, aka Johnny Impact, aka Johnny Mundo, had signed a new deal with WWE and is expected to be returning to the company.
Morrison last worked with Impact Wrestling, during which he had a very successful run, winning the Impact Wrestling world title by defeating former WWE star Austin Aries.
Morrison's Impact run concluded at this year's Slammiversary PPV, and the pro wrestling world has been anxiously awaiting his next move - which appears to be a return to the company which made him a star, WWE.
Given the above, let's take a look at five reasons why John Morrison is returning to WWE.
#5 WWE wants to keep John Morrison away from other promotions
The professional wrestling landscape is about to change drastically in the next week, with SmackDown moving to FOX Sports next Friday night, and All Elite Wrestling making his highly anticipated TNT debut two days before SmackDown on October 2nd.
With All Elite Wrestling now in the fold, a bidding war for talents is likely on the horizon, and actually began shortly after the company announced its launch.
So far, two major names in Dean Ambrose, aka Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho have chosen AEW in favor of WWE, and former Superstar Tye Dillinger, now known as Shawn Spears, chose to leave his former company in order to sign with AEW.
With both WWE and AEW likely bidding for top wrestling talents in the industry, both companies are likely racing to sign top free agents, and prior his signing with WWE, John Morrison topped that list. WWE likely did not want to see Morrison sign with AEW, or re-sign with Impact Wrestling, so the company made an offer to Morrison to bring him back to WWE TV.
#4 WWE offers a bigger platform for John Morrison
All Elite Wrestling officially entered the pro wrestling space this past New Year's Day, and while the company has yet to debut on TV, there is already a tremendous groundswell regarding the potential the promotion has to rival top dog WWE.
AEW is set to debut its new show Dynamite on TNT on October 2nd, and while anticipation for the show is high, there is still no guarantee that the show will be successful.
It could be for the above reason that John Morrison might have been hesitant to sign with AEW, as the future of the company remains uncertain although promising.
Additionally, Morrison spent a majority of his career with WWE, and he is familiar with the company, making a return an easier adjustment for the in-ring veteran.
WWE also provides John Morrison with the biggest platform to shine, as he has been away from the big spotlight of the company for eight years. With SmackDown set to premiere on FOX Sports next week, John Morrison could be seizing an opportunity to shine on the grand WWE stage, and on a brand which will have tremendous momentum out of the gate.
#3 WWE is looking to beef up the SmackDown brand
The WWE SmackDown brand finds itself at an interesting time in brand history, as the show gears up for a major move to FOX Sports admits a year in which show ratings have been steadily declining.
WWE has been working hard to overcome the ratings decline for both Raw and SmackDown, and the first major move to was to hire Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of Raw and SmackDown, respectively.
With new show executives in position, WWE's next move was to announce a Wildcard Rule which would allow talents from Raw and SmackDown to appear on both shows, as a way to help boost sluggish ratings for each brand.
Finally, WWE has announced that on October 11th, a roster draft will take place, effectively ending the Wildcard Rule and establishing new rosters for both Raw and SmackDown as the blue brand transitions to FOX Sports.
With WWE making numerous moves to combat poor TV ratings, and FOX executives likely wanting to see an improvement following the record money deal made by WWE and the network, John Morrison could be a way to help beef up the SmackDown brand.
#2 John Morrison has decided to put his acting career on pause
Following John Morrison's departure from Impact Wrestling, speculation was that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion might not be looking to sign with a new wrestling company at all, in order to continue pursuing his acting career.
Morrison has had a moderate amount of success in the acting world, appearing in titles such as Boone the Bounty Hunter (which he also co-wrote and produced), Sharknado 5, NetFlix's GLOW, The Last Ship, and Gods of Medicine. Additionally, Morrison has several projects in pre-production, including the movie Bullet Ride, and appearances in TV shows Stellar People and Space Command.
If Morrison had decided to re-sign with Impact Wrestling, or take his talents to All Elite Wrestling, he likely would have been able to continue working in film and television, but a return to WWE is likely a different story.
WWE likes to control the outside work of its talents, and while it might not have been impossible for Morrison to continue his acting career alongside a career in WWE, the rigorous road schedule in WWE and for company officials to approve any outside projects might have made an acting career difficult for John Morrison. Given the aforementioned, it is possible Morrison has decided to place his acting career on hold. For now.
#1 John Morrison's stock will be much higher this time around
It's often said that when a wrestler appears to be stalling on television, a break from TV or wrestling in general might be a smart move in order to freshen up the talent's future prospects.
While John Morrison achieved much success during his first run in WWE -which culminated in 2011 - many fans and pundits believe Morrison never reached the heights he was capable of, having never won a World title in the company.
Following his departure from WWE, Morrison kept his name relevant by competing in companies such as Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling, and achieved much success in those promotions.
Now might be a good time for John Morrison to return to WWE, as his stock will inevitably be higher this time around as he has been absent from WWE for nearly a decade. Should Morrison return to WWE with much fanfare, officials might be more likely to place the former IC Champion in a WWE or Universal title program, which could benefit the in-ring veteran.
Why do you think John Morrison decided to return to WWE? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!
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