10 Things You Didn't Know About John Morrison
The lesser-known nuggets of interest from JoMo's storied career.
John Morrison - known now as Johnny Mundo in his various independent ventures - is undoubtedly one of the most unique talents we've seen in a WWE ring. Infusing his offence with parkour-inspired elements - which, in hindsight, were something of a precursor to the flips and tumbles of today's emerging scene - he forced his way through the ranks of a company which didn't entirely believe in him (as we'll discover shortly).
Making his name first as the winner of Tough Enough, then as a tag team specialist alongside Joey Mercury, Morrison has enjoyed a varied and interesting time in pro wrestling. He's a former ECW Champion, a multi-time Tag Team Champion, and is currently one of the major players in Lucha Underground - the leader of the brash heel 'Worldwide Underground' stable alongside names such as PJ Black (formerly known as Justin Gabriel) and indie sensation Jack Evans.
He also made his debut in this year's PWG Battle of LA tournament, and seems a more content, freer figure than he was under Vince McMahon.
Such aspects of Morrison's story are common knowledge among many wrestling fans, but what about those little details that may have gotten lost along the way?
As John Morrison (as Johnny Mundo) prefers for his WCPW debut against an as-yet named opponent at DELETE WCPW on iPPV Nov 30th (available from FITE and WhatCulture Extra), here are ten things you probably didn't know about John Morrison...
10. Kevin Dunn Didn't Think He'd Make It
Morrison's first contact WWE came when he auditioned for the second series of Tough Enough, but he failed to make it through to the final process. The main reason given on the show was that Kevin Dunn found him to be too much of a showoff, despite the praise of other judges including Jim Ross.
John displayed his otherworldly agility in the ring, but failed to impress WWE's executive producer, who had an especially negative reaction to Morrison's take on Booker T's signature spineroonie (despite being asked to perform the move, rather than simply busting it out of his own accord).
Thankfully, he made it to Tough Enough 3 - and was one of the series' winners alongside Matt Cappotelli.