John Morrison On His Goal Of Main Eventing WrestleMania: ‘This Is Why I Came Back To WWE’

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, John Morrison discussed Matt Cappotelli’s passing in 2018, his goal of main eventing WrestleMania, and much more. Here are some highlights:

John Morrison on Matt Cappotelli’s passing in 2018: “When we traveled together, I always thought he was the star. That charisma, the way he moved. He was a ball of positive energy. Through terrible luck, he ended up with brain cancer and passed away a couple years ago. I ask myself why, and I drive myself crazy over it. I don’t know why. I do know life is fragile, which has made me have a different mindset. Every time I do something in WWE, that isn’t far from my mind. So when you see me, I’m always all-in.”

On returning to WWE with the goal of winning his first WWE Championship and main eventing WrestleMania: “This is why I came back to WWE. It wasn’t just to be with The Miz on TV, which has been great. The Miz is one of the hardest working people I know, and he’s my best friend. But when I started training for pro wrestling, being on Tough Enough in 2002, I said back then that I was doing this because I wanted to main-event WrestleMania. A couple people snickered, but I remember saying, ‘If you don’t want to main-event WrestleMania, you should quit now.’ That’s the whole point. If you do something, you should want to be the best. I believe there are a lot of things I am the best at, and I haven’t got the chance to show that yet. It does feel like, for me, these next couple months could be that moment to show exactly what I can do in the ring.”

On having a unique style in the ring: “Everything comes back to movement. My movement background is different from everyone on the roster. I was an amateur collegiate wrestler at UC Davis. I also did gymnastics at UC Davis. I’ve studied kung fu, boxing, capoeira, stunt fighting, parkour—I am a master at all those disciplines. Applying those movement patterns is what I do in the ring. If you ask my wife, I’m up until midnight watching tape or working on movements. I love combining movement patterns into offense. It’s very rare you can find something that’s never been applied to wrestling, but that’s what I’m looking to add to my arsenal. I practice every day, and I’m passionate at it. That’s why I bring so much energy to this. This is my passion, and it has been for a long time.”