Is Morrison the next Shelton Benjamin?

[Theo Mays]

This thought crossed my mind soon after Benjamin was released. Morrison will be a guy that a lot of people think should get a main event shot (which looked to be the case when he was moved to SD, but it never happened). Morrison is flashy in the ring and half decent on the stick, but he just isn't that over with the fans. Morrison will always be a guy they can place in the mid card and have solid matches with the mid card guys and if need be have some matches with the main event guys. And if the need a new champ (US or IC) he is a guy they can slap the belt on and not doing any damage by doing so (much like Shelton Benjamin).

Morrison isn't at the point where you can give up on him as a main eventer (which is where Shelton was and that is coming from a Shelton mark). There is still hope JoMo can succeed, but it won't be right away. It will take some time to build him up to main event level and a heel turn and a potential gimmick change might have to take place for that to happen.

 

[rko102]

I definetely think Morrison has great athleticism, just like Shelton, but I don't think we should be comparing them. Shelton was an amateur wrestler growing up, and that means he comes from a different background than John Morrison. Not only that but Shelton Benjamin's career in WWE spanned 10 years (counting his developmental time as well), whereas Morrison's been around for 6, meaning Benjamin has more experience. I will agree that the two have similarities in terms of athletic ability, but I don't believe we should measure them against each other. So no, I don't believe John Morrison is the next Shelton Benjamin, but that doesn't mean he won't go places and become world champion one day, because I know it will happen regardless.

 

[gonszo]

I think he has a chance to break through, but just needs to be booked properly.

His gimmick is fine.
Cool intro, music, flashy finisher (although I agree it should be a signature move..)

Like everyone has said, he was much better as a heel, so you'd expect him to break through as one. I could see him winning this years MITB. He, like Punk would benefit with cashing it in turning heel and get instant heat.

Hell, if they can give Swagger the MITB, who im pleased is getting a chance, but previously was really akward on the mic, they can give it to Morrison.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I made this exact same thread like a year ago. I called this shit. Only back then everyone but Jake shit all over me. I like Morrison, and even I have to admit he's over a little bit more, but he's still not gonna amount to much. He's got the look, he's got the moveset, but unfortunately he doesn't have the personality. Just like Evan Bourne. Especially not on Raw. One thing though, where'd you hear that Shelton won Tough Enough?? He was never even on that show dude.

EDIT_ Nevermind, I skimmed through your post too fast.

 

[The Brain]

A lot of people seem to think John Morrison is heading toward superstardom. To me it looks like he is heading toward mediocrity. I can’t help but notice the similarities between him and Shelton Benjamin. Both these guys started in the tag division and had some success. After they split from their respective teams both were predicted to excel as singles. I’m afraid to say it looks like both will achieve about the same level of success.

In 2004 Benjamin had what should have been a breakout match on raw against Triple H. He got a decent push and did fairly well for about a year. The fans loved his high risk offence and innovative style. He stole the show in the first money in the bank match, and in mid 2005 he had a match against HBK that a lot of people on this forum loved. It looked like his star was on the rise. Shortly there after he dropped the IC title to Carlito and it was downhill from there. Over the next five years Benjamin was barely relevant. He would occasionally be involved in storylines, but most casual fans didn’t notice if he wasn’t. So many in the IWC held hope the Benjamin’s athletic abilities would prevail and he would bounce back. Many stuck up for him for years, all the way up until his release, insisting he would be a star some day. It never happened.

I’m afraid Morrison is headed down that same path. He broke away from the Miz over a year ago. He had some good matches after moving to Smackdown and, like Benjamin, displayed an innovative high risk offense that the IWC loves so much. He had what looked to be a breakout match when he defeated Rey Mysterio for the IC title last September. His three month reign was underwhelming and he hasn’t done much since dropping the title. I’ve read many posts where fans are insisting Morrison’s style will make him a star. I’m not saying he is not talented, but this seems all too familiar to me. When Morrison was drafted to raw many assumed it was his time to shine. He hasn’t done anything of significance since the move and has often been left off the show all together. A lot of people have called him the next Shawn Michaels. Those are some big shoes to fill and even if he achieves only half of what Michaels did he will be considered a success. I’m not sure he has it in him. I think he lacks a certain intensity to be taken seriously in the main event. I’m not as optimistic about his future as I was six months ago.

So what do you think? Is the comparison a fair one? I’m I jumping the gun here with Morrison? He could still be considered a success even if he never escapes the mid card. As long as he is consistently relevant and involved in decent angles he will be fine. Not everyone has to win a world title to be successful (Jake Roberts, Rick Rude). I’m just worried he’s going to struggle just to get on a ppv and may be used as enhancement talent. Is he on a road to nowhere or will he prove me wrong? Just for the record I hope he proves me wrong.

 

[Simmo]

I think given that WWE has just released a DVD for Morrison he should still be around for a while and will still get the superstar push he should deserve to get.

Morrison can work on the mic and his wrestling skills are some of the best in the business today so I don't see any reason for Vince to hand him a pink slip any time soon...

Creative might just be working on a new storyline for him....

Probably a side note but - I noticed with R Truth winning the US Title a lot of people were mentioning Morisson being the "Jannety" of the tag team (as was referred to with the Miz) and that isn't the case either as surely Mercury was the "Jannety" of MNM.....

 

[Undying777]

I kind of do see them going the same direction. If Morrison dos not make some changes.

I like Shelton. He is awesome in the ring. The man can wrestle. He was not just a spot monkey. He had some really good matches and performed spots that not many superstars are willing to do. But he was terrible on the mic and maybe lacked charisma. Two things I think he could have achieved more if given better opportunities. I saw on this site that Shelton left the WWE to get his degree, so maybe we will see him agin soon. A fresh new start could do him some good.

As far as Morrison goes. Im not sure what people see in him. He is ok in the ring for his style of wrestling, but Shelton was way better. Morrison is better on the mic then Shelton but not buy much. I don't hate Morrison. In time I think he will be a top guy. Right now I am just not impressed. So I guess maybe I do see what you are saying OP. If Morrison satays on the path he is on now, I don't think he will go to far...

IMO Morrison needs some change to his look to get him over. I just don't take him seriously with the rock star look a like gimmick. Maybe some trunks, and a hair cut could boost him a little hire in the main event. I also think he is a much better heel then face.

 

[macksstream]

im sure this thread has already been posted...
But no, I don't think Morrison will be then next Benjamin. Sure the wwe can see that they've made a mistake with Benjamin so they'll try not to do it again.

 

[thebrownmenace]

I do not understand how the Miz has gotten the push that he has, while Morrison has been left out of pay per views. For some reason people believe that The Miz is gold on the mic, some have even compared his skill on the stick to that of the Rock. This is absolutely insane; just because he copied the man's mannerisms, while he says his catchphrase does not put him on the same level as the great one. s

Morrison is just as, if not more, talented on the mic as the Miz the difference is that one gets the 10 minutes every Monday night to tell us how great he is. No disrespect to the Miz, who has improved greatly through hard work, but John Morrison is so much more incredible in the ring, and I am not just talking about the high risk stuff either.

This guy knows how to work a match and does not give up until the crowd is into it. He knows how to counter wrestle, mat wrestle, and adds his own unique style moves. Prior to beating Rey Mysterio for the IC title, he had two months worth of great matches against Edge, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, and Jeff Hardy. I thought that it was a no brainer for the WWE to at least put Morrison in the qualifying matches for the Fatal Four way, but instead it is going to be an injured Orton, Edge, and Sheamus.

I really hope he is able to break out this year because he has everything it takes to be a great draw in this business. All he needs is the opportunity to show off in a main event match at a pay per view and then everyone will be left wanting more

 

[Xemmy]

Morrison does need to be on Smackdown. They need world title contenders anyway. Morrison's over with the crowd enough to put him in the main event. If he can't do it as a face, then turn him back heel. His mic skills are better as one anyway.

 

[The Con Volt]

In my opinion, if John Morrison was ever gonna be somebody, he would be a world champion by now. Guys like Sheamus, who don't have a 1/4 of his in-ring ability, is some how in contention for a second world title. Then there are guys like Jack Swagger who is on his way to having a longer title reign than CM Punk, while having hardly a 1/4 of the mic skills. We can't expect to have the guys we think deserve a world title to get it more than the guys who even HHH alone thinks deserves one. It took YEARS for Vince to say, "Hey, maybe I should make Jeff Hardy, the most popular wrestler in the world, a world champion finally." Yet it took HHH maybe 2 or 3 weeks to decide he was gonna use his influence to push a human jar of mayonaise. The point I'm trying to make here, is that just because the fans love a wrestler, doesn't mean it's not gonna take over ten years in Hardy's case, to actually have your hard work pay off. The old days of earning your dues and proving your worth has long been replaced with more of a "buddy system".

 

[Judah's Lion]

interesting thread, OP. lots of "rabbit trail" possibilities for discussion, but i'll try to stay on topic.

one trend i keep seeing in responses is the frustration of not seeing Morrison on tv or ppv matches and the question of why Morrison is not being used right now. very simply answered, it has nothing to do with his storylines, skills or push. he is injured. creative might be taking this opportunity to write him back in with some relevance, but that is not the reason Morrison is off television. he's off because he's hurt and healing.

i do see the comparison between Benjamin and Morrison. both had tag team gold followed by intercontinental gold and now both are seemingly not relevant. however, as stated earlier, it is likely that Benjamin will return after getting his college degree. hopefully this will allow both Benjamin and the WWE to start fresh with his character and gimmick because we all know he can wrestle. and if he can't work the mic, then give him a manager that can and that solves that problem.

Morrison is a good wrestler and possibly is rightfully compared to HBK. i think that if Morrison really wants to fill those shoes, which we all know is no easy task, he needs to do a heel turn like that of the early Barber Shop HBK. Morrison is great as a heel and that's how HBK got his first major push and became relevant. plus, Morrison kinda fits that character and look of the "boy toy" "rock star" "arrogant" heel. switch Morrison heel by attacking a face, like Truth, and see him start climbing the ranks!

 

[habib7]

wat bout jeff hardy..when he started no1 thought hed win the big 1 he was barely used for a while nd now hes the biggest star in the world atm
hardy nd morrison started off abit the same

both were in tag teams
both won the gold a few times
moved on to great succes in the mid card with ic title
the only difference is hardy has won the big one
morrisons just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode into a world champion
if they can give a pale white irish guy whos been there for not even half a year wen he won the belt nd the whc to a guy who was a jobber before winning it
i think they can give it too a guy whos got the look,the mic skills,the ring skills and he can get over heel or face...morrison deserves to win the title
he will be the next 1st time champion

 

[President Evil]

Where the hell is John Morrison right now anyway?? He was doing good on Smackdown, by himself and then with R-Truth, and then he was drafted to Raw, lost a couple of matches and now I havent even seen him on tv the last couple of weeks.

It feels like they pushed him aside for a moment so they could elevate the status of some people like, Kofi, and now R-Tuth, I have nothing against these 2 that I mentioned. But logic sense tells you that if you're a promising talent like Jomo the only way to go is up. Which is the main event scene. Now we've had rookies like Shaemus and Swagger become wwe champions and Jomo is still in the "we have plans for him".

Jomo having his own dvd out doesnt do squat for him, if he begins to appear less and less on tv and have less of an impact fans will start forgetting about him. And that will be a major fuck up by wwe.

 

[tjfjr4488]

its a hard one not to say he is heading down sheltons road, i mean he was drafted to raw which i thought was dumb he should have stayed on smackdown and been in the main event and where has he been since being drafted had like 2 or 3 matches that meant nothing, and then not even shown on this weeks raw and no mention rly of him we can see his tagteam with truth over now that truth is US champ. i can see a heel turn for him going after truth bc he is jealous of him winning the title, that could be a good fued altho i want truth to continue with dibiase

 

[cmillsa1]

To undying777 - if he cut his hair and wore trunks, he should have joined the clone factory that was legacy. Micheals didnt do those things and look what he did for wrestling.

As far as shelton goes, its a shame. He was one of the last great ones there. He came up with cena, bautista and orton and he was the only one that didnt get a huge push. he was stuck as angles lackey. He wasnt the best on the mic, but honestly neither is mr ziggles, sheamus, bautista is terrible. remember too that not all wrestlers need to be on the mic, the fact that the undertaker is talking more now has hurt his intimidating factor.

 

[Undying777]

To undying777 - if he cut his hair and wore trunks, he should have joined the clone factory that was legacy. Micheals didnt do those things and look what he did for wrestling.

Trust me man I know what you mean. I cant stand cookie cutter gimmicks. BUT.....

Im just saying Morrison has had the same look since he started in the WWE. It has not gotten him to far.

Their is a huge difference between Michaels and Morrison. Michaels has good mic skills and endless amounts of charisma. Michael's did not need to change his look because he has those key tools that it takes to make it big. Morrison lakes those two tools. Maybe in time he could sharpen them and be something great. But right now, I just think if he tried something new he might get over. Maybe people would take him more seriously as a world tittle contender and he will not end up like Shelton.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

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.

Damn NorCal, u hit the nail right on the head with that one brotha.
Finally someone says it. I thought I was one of the only ppl in the world that thinks this guy is farr to overRated. He is in great shape, but that's ALL. He is terrible on the stick and he only has about 4 moves to fuck with. And that starship pain b.s. I mean yeah its a good eye fuck but there's no way in hell hislegs are putting ANYBODY down for the 3 count. Its just so imagined.... he should be booked on NXT AND STAY THERE. Lol, he needs to "imagine greater"!
As for him being the next SB, I would have to say yes, because he imo is just going to fade out just as quick as he burned bright. And seriously, while were talking about bad wrestlers, I don't think shelton was that good anyway. Sure he was a good pure athlete but you need it all in WWE and if a superstar can't put the effort and work into taking their character to the next level, then you don't deserve that ME spotlight shine, you go where the other midcard jobbers go, to RAW and not have entrance music, wearing a PPV shirt as you proceed to get your ass kicked in all of 2 minutes ala Regal and Kozlov this past Monday night.... get ready JoMo, your future is calling...

 

[Lady Sheamus]

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.

Tbh, no disrespect, but when I read comments about Shelton just being in the WWE "for a paycheck" and things of that nature I really, really want to hear the words and reasoning from the mouth of the man himself. I want to know what was going on with him.

I think JoMo is talented in ways, but something about him altogether seems mid-card to me. If it changes, then maybe. For the person who said that Sheamus doesn't have 1/4 of his ability... Looking back on over his years of wrestling in Ireland and England before even "debuting" in WWE, I will only say that the man has a lot of talent, and something that irks me is that his moveset is changed somewhat in WWE w/o him doing some of the things he used to do. I think they've limited S.O.S. Note: No insult to Morrison, who I also like.