Is Morrison the next Shelton Benjamin?

[darbare]

If you compare them, theyve been pretty similar:

Morrison-
won Tough Enough
went to developmental
came back as Nitro, did nothing
back to developmental
reign of MNM
move to RAW with Melina
did nothing as she became womens champion
ECW champion
Miz and Morrison
SMACKDOWN
IC champion again
did nothing
team with R-Truth
drafted to RAW, doing nothing

Shelton-
tried out as singles star
developmental
WGTT
IC champ on RAW
did nothing
WGTT again
does nothing
ECW
doing nothing
SD
US champion
doing nothing
WGTT AGAIN!
back to ECW!
moved over to SD again
released

theyve both spent a good portion of their career in a tag team
both have been IC champ
both never had great mic skills
both are flashy in the ring
Morrison has been around a good 5 years on the roster for people to actually remember him recently
Shelton had been around for 8 years before being released
when will Morrison ever improve or live up to the hype people have built for him, or is he another Shelton Benjamin

 

[Mighty NorCal]

A fine thread, and the answer is absolutely.

Most likely, I mean. He will be one of those guys whose fans are immensely delusional, and blind to the fact that he is one of the worst in ring preformers in the WWE, horrendous on the mic, and that the crowd could give less than a flying fuck about him. They just see abs and flippies, and thats about all they can process.

Matter of fact, he was pushed even harder than Shelton Benjamin ever was. Benjamin didnt have as high prestigie encounters as going through his entire moveset on the two WM main eventers of that year. Shelton Benjamin never got his own DVD. Morrison is far more of an immense failure, and yet, will continue having fans cry for his ME push through it all.

A fine, correct comparison.

 

[Alex]

It does seem to be going that way.

I remember when Miz and Morrison broke up and everyone was expecting Morrison to be in the Main Event at the end of the year and Miz to be future endevoured. Karma's a bitch as the one nobody expected to succed (Miz) is getting some of the best heat on Raw while Morrison is in a tag team with R-Truth who is more over than him.

Morrison has been pushed a lot. He had a a world title match against Jeff Hardy last year which many claim to be very good, he beat Rey Mysterio to become IC champ, was in a fued with Miz over who was better at Bragging Rights or Survivor Series (can't rember which) and had a DVD released on him. When he lost the IC title to Drew McIntyre, people were expecting him to jump to the main event but aside from the occasional world title match he's floundered, a lot like Shelton Benjamen.

 

[RatedRSuperstar84]

I want to say no, but right now I definitely see where you are coming from.

Morrison is a natural heel. Why they are trying to push him as a face, I will never know because it is not his thing. As far as in the ring, people like someone who can do a few flashy moves. I don't think his in ring work is horrible but he is not main event ready by any stretch. The biggest qualm I have is his finisher. It looks weak and would be a nice signature move but not a finisher. Mic work wise, I have seen better and I have seen worse and Shelton was definitely worse.

I think the biggest thing saving JoMo right now from being the next Shelton Benjamin is the fact that he actually has some similance of a character whereas with Shelton he was pretty generic and "The Gold Standard" thing never really got off the ground.

In my opinion, Matt Hardy is the closest thing to being the next Shelton Benjamin that WWE has right now. They use him when they need to, he gets big pops from the crowd, but I don't see him sniffing the main event (at least not seriously.)

G

 

[Via Armbar]

People are really split on Morrison. Some claim he has through the roof charisma while others believe he has the personality of a wet towel. Minus the fun of a wet towel. Personally I have only seen a couple instances where Morrison was better than okay. His matches on average are, well, average. He has a couple of above average ones every now and then, but the comparisons to one of the greatest in ring entertainers of all time in Shawn Michaels may have been a little rushed. I digress however because his in ring work isn't what's holding him back. It's that dreaded X factor.

It's the same thing Shelton seemed to lack. There 's just something holding him back in my eyes. Something I can't put my finger on, something that still screams midcard to me. Of course, this could just stem from his booking. There's been moments when he looked as if he was finally going to break through. Flash forward a couple of months and he's teaming with Goldust and Santino. The thing is, when Swagger was jobbing to Santino I could tell that there was a light at the end of that jobbing tunnel. With Morrison, I can't see anything. Not to say it's not there, just that personally I don't see it. As is with wrestling though, somebody could only be one good angle away from breaking through.

He has a good gimmick, a crowd pleasing moveset and seems tailor made to be a future main eventer. He was given almost everything he needs to make it. There's no real reason he shouldn't. Perhaps it's a problem in creative finding something for him to work with. Maybe they're just giving it time, with the big unflux of fresh talent they have right now. There's plenty of reasons he's at where he is at right now and honestly there's no telling whether or not it's temporary.

As far as comparing him and Benjamin; eh maybe. Benjamin had a time where he was pretty damn over. He came to Raw and beat one of the biggest stars in the company. He had that ''going somewhere'' aura about him. Yet things never panned out and was eventually future endeavored. The thing is, I haven't seen Morrison being as over as Shelton was at one point. He gets decent pops, but Benjamin was pretty damn over at one point. The most over Morrison has been is when he's teaming with Truth. Sad but ultimately true. The real test is going to be when he has a feud with a much bigger name. How he handles that will ultimately decide I believe. Just as Kofi had his feud with Orton, Morrison needs a similar feud. There's a very stacked roster right now on Raw so there's many options. Feuds with Jericho or Edge would do him good. If you can't get top performers to bring that certain something out of him, he may be a midcarder fore life.

 

[drobs85]

People are saying how benjamin floundered, how when he was never pushed worth of shit. I can't remember Benjamin ever getting a wwe or whc title match. Benjamin is much better in the ring, not as sloppy, and bigger. Morrison's had more title shots than Benjamin, been in more meaningful matches, better fueds. So no, Morrison's not the next Benjamin because Benjamin is better and if given the opportunities Morrison had it would've been a different story.

 

[XgringolocoX]

As things stand right now I'd have to agree. Although he isn't a lost cause yet. I think the next year will tell either way. Not to say he has to become a World Champ by then, just elevate his stock.
The comparison of Hardy to Shelton is just inaccurate. No I'm a Hardy fanboy. I see Hardy turning into more of a Tommy Dreamer. Way over, and puts everyone over. He's being refered to as The Heart and Soul Of Smackdown...hmmm the heart and soul of ECW was? Shelton is just sorta over due to some amazing spots. Same with Morrison to an great extent.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I was about to say the same thing, I amend my earlier statement adding that he isnt YET. Reminiscent, yea, but he still has a chance to improve. Also, he has a chance to be given a gimmick and a feud that isn't y'know, shit. If I have said it once, ive said it 100 times, he is NEVER going anywere above were he is at with this goofy ass gimmick and shit theme music.

I stand by my statement of most likely though, as it appears the WWE is done with him for a while, if the recent weeks of programming are any indication. He isn't going anywere, for a long, long time.

 

[Ferbian]

I feel he may very well be the next Shelton Benjamin, he's very over although, something Shelton may never have been able to properly brag about, but in the end, that's not what it's all about, because John as well as Shelton has spend their majority of their career swooping around the mid-card never getting further, they've been handed every single potential to be put into the world championship position, but in the end, they didn't

John had his matches with CM Punk and Jeff Hardy, pinning CM Punk while he was champion, he's pinned and wrestled Jack Swagger as champion, and he made it to the final 3 in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber at Elimination Chamber, so he's definitely been handed every single possibility to be shot into the main event.

But like Shelton Benjamin, he failed, Shelton pinned and wrestled Triple H clean, and wrestled Shawn Michaels in firm contests, Shelton was put together with Kurt Angle at the very damn start of his WWE career, something John Morrison couldn't even brag about, he was associated with Eric Bischoff, but it's not at the same level of Shelton.

Either way, yes I feel John Morrison will be around for a long period of time, and ultimately, do nothing, only to perhaps eventually become a future endeavored wrestler, or keep an active role on television, without ever going into the main event.

 

[Oppurtunist]

Well, after him and Miz split, i tought that each of them will be in ME soon. Year after, we see that Miz will be in ME quicker than Morrison and Morrison will be jobber quicker than Miz. To be honest, if Morrison will be next Shelton Benjamin, i will answer yes and no. Yes, because i think writers like him, and no,because at the moment he is on RAW, where only person he can feud with now is... R-Truth. We will find out in this/next year.

 

[DrEwMcInTyRe503]

Does anyone remember morrison vs benjamin back at judgement day 09? That was a really good midcard match. Morrison just got over as a face and benjamin was working
As a heel. They're both very athletic. If shelton didn't get release I woulve wanted to see a tag team. They could be a heel or face team.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Shelton Benjamin was giving a push that was amazing. In 2004, he came to Raw, beat HHH not once, but twice, and had a hell of IC title Run. As I stated in recent posts, he did things in the ring, that made a crowd go wild. He was getting better on the mic when he got his big push. Then he got an awful gimmick and feud. The gimmick with his momma, and a feud with Ric Flair. I know Ric Flair is one of the greats, but the style of wrestling Benjamin had, and what Ric Flair was limited to just didn't add up.

After his push, he never saw anything really big again. Yea, he main evented in the new ECW, but never got the title, he made some amazing memories in the money in the bank. But he never panned out. I really never heard of him doing anything great in the locker room, he was just there for a pay check. I mean he was dedicated to performing, but just wasn't dedicated to anything else. Never worked on his mic skills, never tried to be an influence in the locker room. Gave a hell of a performance most of the time, but you need so much more then just mind blowing moments in this industry.

As for the comparison, the really big push for John was when him and K-Fed had a feud with John Cena. Then John Morrison went to the new ECW to win the championship. Him and CM Punk had some good matches, then he got suspended for the wellness policy. Then he teamed up with the Miz. He really hasn't had the great light shine on him like Shelton had. Then again, he hasn't had bad gimmicks to deal with yet, just like Shelton had.

The comparison is somewhat accurate, but it has a lot of flaws. John's mic time is much better then Shelton which isn't saying that much. But he needs a solid feud with a main eventer, not a mid-carder. In fact, What a way to boost his stock if he cost the Miz the US championship. Another Miz and Morrison feud. Then leading to a Morrison Jericho feud? Jericho is the guy that can get Morrison over. Hell, he got Edge over. Why not work with Morrison right?

Overall, It's too early to tell if Morrison is a bust yet. He is getting good pops, and was stocked about a few stars taking time off sure he can get more air time.

 

[WJDwjdWJDwjd]

I agree that Morrison needs a good, long and bitter feud with Miz to avoid being a bust. He has been in the light a few times and then his Drug failure happened. Morrison is already the "Jannety" of Miz/Morrison but it doesn't have to stay like that. He a feud away from really taking off. He has all the potential in the world, he just needs the creative backing.

 

[brainsuks1234]

All Morrison needs is that extra push. Give him time too get used to the mic and let him wrestle main events and watch how good he will be.

 

[thepalaceprince]

Its a scary thought he certainly could end up being a the next shelton but hes got a few years before Id count him out. As older guys move on others will move up. I think the thing that seriously may hurt him was him being moved to raw if he were still on smackdown he be available for a push at any moment but him being on raw is going to kill him. I can only hope he ends up in a feud with the miz because that could be something that can spark a push. I will say this mighty norcal idk how you figure hes one of the worst in ring performers in the wwe you need to stop sniffing paint bro because its clearly effecting either your eyes or your ability to think clearly

 

[mvalley]

It's hard to say at this point. Jericho, RVD, Jeff Hardy and numerous others had a floundering point before they made it to the main event. Swagger was being beat by Primo if I remember correctly before winning MITB, cashing it in, and becoming the world champ.

Sometimes I think the WWE does this on purpose to make sure that whoever they give the title to appreciates it and won't leave them. The WWE has had a few instances when they invested greatly in a star and pushed them to the moon early, only to have that star leave.

I feel though his current persona is keeping him from the title. there is something about it I just can't accept. I think he needs to have that serious edge to him to make it to the title.

 

[befair2flair]

The one way they are similar is that WWE never figured out hot to use Benjamin and they still have Morrison in an idiotic gimmick, however both men have immense talent and they have lost one lets hope they capitalize on Morrison the right way

 

[Sgt Ledbetter]

Not everyone in the this business is destined to be a Superstar or Hall of Famer. Morrison doesnt have the "It" Factor that makes him special. I have been saying for 2 yrs that morrison is overrated and Im so glad some others started to finally see it. He is a solid mid-carder and world title contender (jobber), meaning he could be used to throw in a world title scramble or chamber match. Nothing more

 

[steveh0481]

As much as I HATE to say it, I will have to agree that Morrison is shaping up to be the next Shelton Benjamin. Shelton was an amazing athlete; however, being able to talk is huge. Morrison had a big win (in my opinion) a couple weeks ago against Dibiase (twice). If the WWE wants to bring him to the next level, he needs to capture the US Title and start (successfully) defending that ASAP. The Miz is at the level that he doesnt need the title anymore to be considered legitimate. If Morrison doesnt start winning and capturing gold, he is slowly going to fall into the Benjamin category.

The truly sad thing about this is that Benjamin was a much better pure athlete than Morrison. Benjamin couldn't draw though. I really think Morrison needs to be heel to start gaining interest. His face run has gotten stale. I'd love to see him capture the US title and then turn heel. He could potentially draw as an arrogant heel that is "better than everyone else." I think thats what WWE was starting to do back in 07 with his ECW Title win (and change from Johnny Nitro to John Morrison). However, the performance enhancing debacle of the WWE in 07 crushed his run and he struggled to gain momentum upon returning.

 

[befair2flair]

the only way morrison will become the next Shelton Benjamin is if WWE does not capitalize on his immense talent. Benjamin and Morrison are similar to me in one obvious way. Benjamin and Morrison never have never had a solid gimmick in the WWE. If I was Benjamin I would be thankful for my release because now he can show the WWE what he's all about if used correctly in TNA. Morrison has the just as much talent but is a different type of wrestler, however John Morrison wannabe gimmick has never helped him. Give him a different gimmick and he should be fine.

 

[AllanC]

Simple...NO....he wont turn out like Benjamin...he might not have the best mic skills..but hey i find some of the things he says funny...i like his wrestling style..and to me, you are right...in my eyes he is turning out just like Benjamin...but i can almost guarantee he wont...Morrison was great as a heel...think about it...he shines as a tag expert...ok WWE doesnt have that great of a tag team division...but point is, when he was a heel...he held gold...hes a face and what..he held the IC title once..heel he held Tag titles..and ECW title...think about it...its clear he needs to be a heel..but seeing as it is WWE does a horrible job turning faces into heels, i highly doubt we will see it anytime soon. (damn i read what i wrote and im confusing lol, sorry im tired)

 

[stillboy21]

I think it'll be easy to compare these two, they both started out as tag teams, both have made there mark on the secondary titles, both are undeniably athletic. But Benjamin didn't ever have the charisma of Morrison. I'm not saying Morrison was the best on the mic skills but he was one half of an award winning web cast after all. I think Morrison hasn't peaked yet but if he doesn't start getting into something meaningful in about the next year then I could be wrong. Carlito could be the next Shelton though.

 

[flocker]

Look, if morrison needs jericho type heat to get over, he's done. Jericho could take a sign held by a fan in the back row and make it a face.
Morrison has "the look" of a rock star. Wwe will use that, eventually I but you are all right in the idea that he doesn't have the natural charisma to pull off a babyface. Not yet, maybe not ever.

 

[ccotreau1]

I don't think that Jo-Mo will be like Shelton. Only reason being that Jo-Mo has accomplished a little more than Shelton. What I think Jo-Mo needs is a good feud with a ME like Kofi had with Orton to elevate him to the next level.

 

[Mark0820]

I think he's worse off than Shelton is honestly. Morrison is constantly pushed and can't really break through. Shelton had everything but the mic skills. Give him a mouth piece and he could have easily gone onto the upper midcard-main event level. Morrison I don't see getting the reaction Shelton did during his early pushes. He doesn't get bad responses, but it always sound like kids popping because they are going to see flippies.