What if the Benoit family tragedy never happened?

#4 John Morrison’s character evolves more slowly

John Morrison saw his whole career change when he subbed in for Chris Benoit.

As noted earlier, when Chris Benoit didn’t report for his EXW Championship match with CM Punk, WWE abruptly substituted John Morrison into the spot. Maybe WWE envisioned Morrison ultimately playing the lead heel role on ECW anyway. At the time, though, his shift in name, gimmick, brand, and status within the company all seemed out of left field.

Leading up to that night, Morrison had been known as Johnny Nitro and was working in a dead end tag team with Kenny Dykstra. Had Morrison not moved into Benoit’s place, perhaps we would have seen him split from Dykstra in an angle of its own before more gradually working his way up the ranks. It’s tough to say if that would have been better for him. The ECW run was a mixed bag that garnered him some more credibility, but it’s most important result was probably a tag team with The Miz that helped both young stars get over by showcasing their personalities.