Views from the Hawke’s Nest: John Morrison – Rock Star

 

The DVD starts with John Morrison on a beach. He’s wearing a jacket with no shirt. It’s very hard to relate to this man.

 

ECW
September 4, 2007

John Morrison(c) vs. CM Punk [ECW Championship]

CM Punk had lost to Morrison on three straight PPVs with the ECW Championship on the line. This was his “Last Chance Match.” I think I read at one point he was never supposed to get the title, but Morrison either failed a drug test or was a part of the Signature Pharmacy scandal. I can’t remember.

Punk had decent WWE music before “Cult of Personality.”

They went back and forth for a while. Punk hit an Asai crossbody as they went to commercial. We came back with Punk in control. Morrison reversed a springboard attempt to cut him off, and he then worked over Punk. The crowd noise sounds very canned. Punk made a comeback after a superplex. Morrison came back and hit Starship Pain for a nearfall. That didn’t become a finisher until he turned babyface. Morrison escaped the GTS. Punk got a great nearfall on a schoolboy. Punk avoided the Flying Chuck and hit the GTS: 1…2…3

This was pretty good for two guys who aren’t naturals at the WWE style. The crowd was worked up into a frenzy by the end, and the title switch felt like a big deal.

Match Rating: ***1/2

 

We then got “The Best of The Dirt Sheet,” which I really liked at the time. I can’t believe I’m admitting that.

 

Raw

November 3, 2008

The Miz & John Morrison vs. D-X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels)

Morrison & Miz seemed like the most successful WWE tag team in a while. Naturally, this was set up to “make them bigger stars.” (I’m sure that was the idea anyway.)

Shawn showed everyone the video of Miz & Morrison making fun of them. In the video, The Young Bucks dressed up as DX to get beaten up by Miz & Morrison. Shawn and HHH then did some comedy in the ring. HHH somehow found a way to call Lillian a horse. This all went on for NINE minutes. NINE.

The match started with…a commercial break. We came back with HHH and Morrison going at it. Miz and Morrison cut off Shawn and then worked him over. HHH eventually made a hot tag. The teams started going back and forth quickly enough. Morrison did the elbow/kip up spot and then tuned up the band. He even gave HHH the superkick. Miz went to pedigree HHH, but HHH avoided it. Miz then ate the superkick/pedigree combo: 1…2…3

This didn’t do much for Miz & Morrison unless you subscribe to the notion that losing fairly easily to an irregular tag team is a good way to get a new tag team over.

Match Rating: **1/2

Watch this match here.

 

Morrison then answers some fan questions. He stayed in character, hopefully. This was brutal.

 

ECW
April 14, 2009

John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne

This took place during the very brief time period between Miz/Morrison breaking up and Morrison turning face.

Bourne got a lot in early, but Morrison cut him off by dropping him on the apron and then hitting a brutal running knee strike. Morrison worked Bourne over and even applied a torture rack! Morrison was in control for a while. They really found a way to do some innovating sequences, which is key to standing out in a company that basically requires everyone to work the same structure for extended television matches. Morrison was going after the left arm for some reason. Bourne made a comeback after a surprisingly powerful-looking lariat. Bourne took them to the floor with a crossbody. Bourne got a nearfall with a Meteora. Bourne blocked the Air Bourne and then hit an elevated Moonlight Drive: 1…2…3!

I remember watching this one live at the time, and I love how fresh/exciting it still feels to this day. (Although in some ways, it certainly says something about WWE that a 2009 C-show television match still feels fresh and innovative.)  They worked the WWE structure, but they worked in twists and turns that really made the match stand out at the time and now. Bravo.

Match Rating: ***3/4

 

We saw highlights of Morrison’s parkour training. Michael Scott, Andy Bernard, and Dwight Schrute were better at it.

 

Superstars
June 11, 2009

John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho

The second Smackdown Six! These were good times.

Jericho recently won the IC belt from Rey, but it was not on the line here. Morrison had some success early on. He hit a corkscrew pescado. Jericho cut off Morrison by reversing a springboard move and then worked him over. Remember how awful Jericho was in 2014? This was the opposite of that. Morrison made his comeback after blocking a middle rope forearm drop. They started going back and forth. Jericho eventually had to grab a handful of tights to get the three count.

This was a fairly standard WWE television match, but Morrison was on the rise at the time and Jericho was at his peak as a performer. (Morrison may have been too, now that i think about it.) You really can’t go wrong with any of the 2009 Smackdown Six matches. Great time period for WWE.

Match Rating: ***1/4

 

We saw footage of Morrison doing parkour in an arena. I’ve always gotten the impression that Morrison is a decent fella, but he has trouble not coming off like James Franco in interviews.

 

Smackdown
June 19, 2009

Edge vs. John Morrison
Edge buried Morrison on the microphone before the match. Morrison came out and buried Edge for being Canadian.

Edge cut off Morrison fairly quickly and then worked over Morrison. Morrison started to come back because it was time to come back apparently. Luckily, Edge cut him right off again and then went back to working him over. Morrison made a comeback after a dropkick. I prefer the change in the momentum to be done with more of an exclamation point or at least a payoff to something earlier in the match. Edge avoided the Flying Chuck and applied a sharpshooter. Morrison got to the ropes and then made a comeback. Edge avoided Starship Pain. Morrison avoided a spear. Edge sent him into the turnbuckle. Edge avoided another spear and hit a Flying Chuck: 1…2…NO! Edge reversed Moonlight Drive into Edgecution: 1…2…NO! Edge avoided Starship Pain and then finally hit the spear: 1…2…3!

This started out fairly average and underwhelming but they turn it on big time down the stretch. They even kind of had the story of Edge going after his ribs throughout the match. The finish bothered me then and now though.

Morrison was doing a ton of losing around this time for reasons I never fully understood. Losing this match isn’t a big deal if it leads to Morrison winning a feud with Edge to become a bigger star. Obviously, that never came close to happening. Instead, Edge buried him before the match and then beat him clean as a sheet.

Match Rating: ***1/2

 

Morrison did a video talking about all of his movez.

 

Smackdown
June 26, 2009
John Morrison vs. CM Punk

I actually don’t remember this match at all. Punk cut off Morrison after the latter missed a Flying Chuck. Morrison started come back after a moonsault off the middle rope to the floor. Punk came back with a single leg crab, but Morrison got to the ropes. Morrison avoided the GTS and hit a Flying Chuck for a nearfall. Punk prevented Starship Pain and then hit a reverse superplex. Remember when that was Kennedy’s finisher for a week? They did a pinning combination sequence that Morrison actually managed to get the better and pinned Punk clean. Oh yes. Now, I remember.

As great as WWE’s matchmaking was during this time period, some of the booking was less than ideal. (Punk-Jeff was fantastic though. Something, something, good with the bad.) Morrison was losing to older stars but beating rising players like Punk who was not entrenched in the main event scene or established as a credible champion yet. Dumb.

Match Rating: ***

 

We learned about Morrison’s interest in surfboards.

 

Smackdown
July 31, 2009
Jeff Hardy(c) vs. John Morrison [World Heavyweight Championship]

This was a glorious time for Smackdown.

They went back and forth for a while. Morrison hit an Asai Moonsault as they went to a commercial. Morrison was working Jeff over after the commercial. Jeff came back after a Whisper in the Wind. Jeff worked over Morrison for a while. Morrison made a comeback. Both men crashed to the floor as they went to a second commercial. They were fighting back and forth. Morrison seemed to have all the momentum and was starting to connect on his trademarked movez. Jeff finally slowed him down with a gourd buster. Swanton: 1…2…NO! Kicking out of the Swanton did more for Morrison as a serious threat to the world title than anything else we’ve seen on this DVD. Morrison went for Starship Pain, but Jeff got his knees up. Twist of Fate/Swanton combo: 1…2…3!

This was your classic babyface vs. babyface style match that the WWE does very, very well. Jeff Hardy was particularly on fire at this point in time and basically could not have a bad match. As I’ve discussed, this was also probably the peak of Morrison’s career. Those two things combined to make for a very fun Smackdown world title match. I’m not sure if Morrison could have been a PPV main eventer in the WWE, but matches from this time period certainly prove that he had a ton of talent and deserved a chance.

Match Rating: ***3/4

 

We saw footage of Morrison surfing. He seems to have a lot of interests outside of wrestling. That is important of course. It’s just not terribly interesting to learn about. Morrison on surfing: “Surfing is definitely one of those things that you get better at the more you do it.” Shades of everything else ever.

 

Smackdown
September 4, 2009

Rey Mysterio(c) vs. John Morrison [WWE Intercontinental Championship]

They went back and forth early on. After a commercial, Morrison appeared to be in control, but Rey took him to the floor within thirty seconds. Morrison got control in the ring after Rey crashed into a ringpost. Rey came right back though and had control. Morrison escaped after a wonderfully athletic reversal (back flip kick?) and then got control again. They went through another commercial. Mysterio hit a hurricanrana to the floor that Morrison took a hysterical front flip bump for. They went back and forth in the ring after that. Rey connected on the 619, but Morrison then hit the Flying Chuck. Mysterio blocked Starship Pain twice. Mysterio then went for a super Poison ‘Rana, but Morrison avoided it. Starship Pain: 1…2…3!

If John Morrison went on to have a great/main event career in the WWE, this would be a very fondly remembered match that would probably be romanticized by the WWE and appear on many DVDs. Instead, this ended up being the peak of Morrison’s in-ring career, and his IC title reign went nowhere of significance.

Morrison really got good at working babyface vs. babyface style matches at this time, and Rey was the king of WWE television matches for years by this point. Smackdown was a beautiful place in the Summer of 2009.

Match Rating: ****

 

We got bonus footage of Morrison changing his name/gimmick after winning the ECW Championship. It was a flat promo that got the “WHAT?!” treatment. CM Punk came out after Morrison started to run him down. Morrison hit him with the microphone and walked away. Super weak angle before a PPV.

 

Watch some John Morrison matches for free:

John Morrison vs. Jushin Liger

John Morrison vs. Prince Puma

John Morrison vs. Prince Puma vs. Big Ryck [Ladder Match]

John Morrison vs. Sami Callihan

John Morrison vs. Sheamus

John Morrison vs. Brian Cage

John Morrison & The Miz vs. Triple H & Shawn Michaels

John Morrison vs. Matt Cross

John Morrison & Prince Puma vs. Cisco & Castro

John Morrison vs. Kenny King

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

This compilation suffers from John Morrison's WWE career being insignificant in the grand scheme of things and for his outside interests not being...interesting. Those aren't the reasons I watched this set though. I watched it for the wrestling, and the wrestling was a ton of fun to watch. It's an easy recommendation for that reason alone. Morrison probably did not get enough credit for his in-ring contributions over the years. The fact that a lot of his best matches didn't happen on PPV certainly didn't help him, but he was someone who was clearly talented enough in the ring that the WWE should have found a better way of presenting him.