John Morrison Ready For "Another Chapter" After WWE Release

John Morrison has broken his silence following his WWE release earlier this month, thanking his fans for their support while looking to the future in a new video uploaded to his Instagram page.

Saying he was grateful for his fanbase's support, the 42-year-old confirmed he received a call from John Laurinaitis on 18 November, joking that WWE's head of talent relations didn't even hit him with his "future endeavours" line, which Morrison called his "catchphrase."

Morrison continued, saying that his latest WWE run meant a lot to him as it gave him the chance to reconnect with old friends he hadn't seen in a decade. He continued, speaking of the nostalgic feeling that returning in late 2019 gave him (h/t Wrestling Headlines):-

"I mean, just the whole thing was nostalgic. It brought me back to how I felt when I was brand new to the business. I was always so nervous. I wanted to do everything right, you know, so I would do things like get to the arena, super early all the time, which actually just gave me more time to be nervous. But there was one time in particular, I remember I was standing there in the ring hours before doors, looking out at all the empty seats, thinking in a couple of hours, this place is going to be packed. And there is going to be a person in every one of those seats all staring at me expecting me to do stuff."

John, whose wife Taya Valkyrie (formerly Franky Monet) was also released by WWE in November, said that he was looking forward to stretching his storytelling wings with whatever the next chapter of his career brings:-

"I got to get better at stuff. And I think maybe the most important thing I learned during my first run with WWE is it’s not the stuff that people go to see wrestling for. It’s the stories. We’re storytellers. Now, I happen to be a storyteller who takes a lot of pride in being able to do the flips, the tricks, the kicks in the hair whips, but those are just tools/ The moves, the ropes, the ring the mic, they’re all just tools used by those who practice the art of professional wrestling to tell stories. And the great thing about being a storyteller is when one chapter ends, another begins.”

Re-signed by WWE in September 2019, Morrison once again became a midcard staple in the company after returning to television the following January. He was immediately paired with long-time partner The Miz, with the duo quickly becoming SmackDown Tag Team Champions, though things started going south for Morrison this past August.

A big tag split angle with Miz appeared to set Morrison up for a face turn and singles feud with the former WWE Champion. This never happened. Miz went off to film a season of Dancing With The Stars, leaving Morrison to job to Karrion Kross and Omos in consecutive Raw squashes, then fade away from television before being cut on 18 November.

Morrison's 90-day non-compete clause expires on 16 February 2022, which is when he'll officially become a free agent.