10 Wrestlers We Had To Hate Before We Could Love

7. John Hennigan

Long before he became the parkour-loving, high-flying rock star John Morrison, John Hennigan was a university dropout who applied for Tough Enough Season 2, appeared on Tough Enough Season 3 and, as a result, won (alongside the late Matt Cappotelli) a developmental contract with WWE in 2002. After some mandatory time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Hennigan debuted properly on RAW in March 2004, under the name Johnny Blaze.

Apparently, no one told WWE until it was too late that the name was likely to be copyrighted by Marvel (it's the name of one of the man behind the Ghost Rider persona), so the following week Hennigan was named Johnny Spade. No, honest. Three weeks later, he changed suit to Johnny Nitro. Working as the onscreen assistant and protégé of hated RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff, the new name was no coincidence - Hennigan was named for Bischoff's WCW creation, the competitor to RAW on Monday nights. As a heatseeking device for a pretty-boy wrestler that fans saw as not having paid his dues, the name was perfect. Johnny Nitro was despised by fans and performers alike, playing Bischoff's lackey/golden boy for over three months until returning to OVW for more in-ring training.

It wasn't until he reappeared in April 2005 as a part of the MNM stable (with Melina and Joey Mercury) that people began to slowly appreciate that Nitro might well have what it took to be a WWE star. Initially, Mercury was the talented one carrying Nitro but by the time the team split, it was the other way around, Mercury's issues having affected his head and his performance, while Johnny Nitro had become the in-ring MVP of the group.