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Is Morrison done in WWE?

 

Not so awesome ending

 

WWE superstar John Morrison signs autographs for WWE Universe members at the WWE WrestleMania 27 Fan Axxess in Atlanta.
WWE superstar John Morrison signs autographs for WWE Universe members at the WWE WrestleMania 27 Fan Axxess in Atlanta.
Ashley Andersen / Photo By Ashley Andersen

Miami Herald Writer

It remains to be seen if John Morrison has left WWE for the Palace of Wisdom.

Whatever the future holds, now feels like a good time to reflect upon the stellar career of JoMo thus far.

It’s hard to believe Morrison was introduced to fans on the third installment of WWE Tough Enough. His athleticism and conditioning helped him end the reality show with a WWE contract. The Prince of Parkour also met former diva Melina around this time.

Following a stint in WWE’s developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Morrison debuted as the apprentice to Raw general manager Eric Bischoff. After a few weeks of last name changes, creative settled on the Johnny Nitro, complete with theme music from the defunct WCW show. His role would be short-lived, as he returned to OVW.

Morrison aligned with a more experienced Joey Mercury and Melina to form MNM. The trio quickly moved up the ranks on WWE SmackDown in 2005. They won the tag team titles from Eddy Guerrero and Rey Mysterio in their first match on the blue brand.

Morrison remained in the tag team picture a little longer on WWE’s ECW brand with reality star turned WWE superstar The Miz. It’s here where Morrison got a chance to show more of his personality.

Before “Z! True Long Island Story” or Zack Ryder became an internet sensation, there was the “Dirt Sheet” on WWE.com. Miz and Morrison were entertaining fans weekly with their over-the-top antics and humor.

The arrogant team eventually split, going their separate ways.

Each enjoyed success in singles competition. Morrison’s run as WWE’s ECW champ included mat classics with CM Punk. The Californian continued to turn heads with the Intercontinental title around his waist against the likes of Jeff Hardy.

WWE put Morrison in the corner of Kevin Federline against John Cena in the first Raw of 2007 from Miami. The next time he teamed with a pseudo celebrity was with Snooki at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta.

The talented performer’s star continued to shine over the years with spectacular showings in Money in the Banks, elimination chambers and ladder matches. He was even featured in a DVD release. In spite of all this, Morrison wasn’t able to break through to full-fledged “main event status” the same way his former tag team partner.

JoMo’s frustration was evident in a Miami Herald interview during the WrestleMania 27 festivities.

“A good motivator for me is frustration of not achieving my goals at the rate I would like to achieve them,” Morrison said.

“When you get into sports entertainment, your goal is to become WWE champion. How do you get that? That is like asking someone how to get a promotion. There are a lot of answers, but there is no clear cut, ‘This is what you got to do.’

“It’s frustrating. I see myself as a perfectionist, an almost obsessive compulsive workout fiend. The things I can control I give a 100 percent all the time. I workout, pay attention and study. I do all that stuff. To not be able to achieve the level of success I want — dreamed of as a kid and feel I deserve — is part of what really led me to show that aggressive streak and show that anger and frustration in the ring. It’s something that is real. It’s something that is really happening to me.”

Speculation is Morrison’s contract is ending, and his last WWE appearance in the foreseeable future was against Miz on Raw on Nov. 28. Morrison was looking forward to a great match but instead got stretchered out quickly.

Morrison tweeted: “Humble pie tastes like crap.”

If his days with the company are over, me, along with the other JoMo Sapiens, hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Morrison in a wrestling ring. After all, WWE alum MVP is proof positive that there is life after you leave Stamford.

• Follow John Morrison @TheRealMorrison.

• Follow me on Twitter @smFISHMAN, (http://twitter.com/#!/smFISHMAN), where I post links and information. Opinions expressed there are mine. I can also be found tweeting incessantly during wrestling shows during the week.

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