Black Widow
06-26-2009, 10:38 PM
Johnny Morrison once defended Kevin Federline.
Published online on Friday, Jun. 26, 2009
By Rick Bentley / The Fresno Bee
The "WWE Smackdown & ECW" stops at the Save Mart Center Tuesday. Fresno fans ought to show John Morrison some love when he climbs in the ring.
He did once take a beating while defending Fresno's own Kevin Federline.
"It was when his rap album was about to come out and he was doing some promotional work with the WWE. I had to defend him," Morrison says during a telephone interview.
The Fresno WWE event is being taped for television. Portions of the show will be shown on:
-- "ECW," 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sci-Fi Channel.
-- "WWE Superstars," 8 p.m. Thursday, WGN.
-- "Friday Night SmackDown," 8 p.m. Friday, KAIL (Channel 7.1).
Fans should benefit from the TV tapings because they will get to see a longer, more spectacular show. Just like having to defend Federline, it is Morrison and the other wrestlers who will suffer.
"We have to be there all day. There will be all kinds of pyrotechnics and flash. It's really the ultimate show," Morrison says.
Morrison, a 29-year-old Los Angeles native, was a fan of professional wrestling long before stepping into the ring. He recalls watching the likes of HBK, Macho Man, Ricky Steamboat and the Legion of Doom and then going out in the front yard with his buddies to try out the moves.
Morrison says being involved in sports most of his life, including wrestling, track and field, gymnastics and martial arts, helped him enter professional wrestling.
Taking center stage at a venue like the Save Mart Center is a long way from Morrison's early days as a professional wrestler. After winning the wrestling competition TV series "Tough Enough," Morrison became part of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to work on his craft. It was an inauspicious start. Matches were held in a middle school gymnasium in a small town in Indiana.
"There were about 60 people at the show. My parents were there and they started wondering about my career choice," Morrison says.
The venues have only gotten bigger. And, with the WWE making a push to make matches more family friendly by toning down the action and reducing ticket prices, most arenas are packed these days. Kids are being courted through a new WWE Kids Magazine and the Web site www.wwekids.com.
Even Morrison's name is more in line with the new direction of the WWE. Over the years he has been known as John Hennigan (his real name), Johnny Blaze, Johnny Nitro, Johnny Onyx, Johnny Spade and Johnny Superstar.
"John Morrison just sounds like a more realistic name," Morrison says.
Joining Morrison on the card will be Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, Rey Mysterio and others.
fresnobee
Published online on Friday, Jun. 26, 2009
By Rick Bentley / The Fresno Bee
The "WWE Smackdown & ECW" stops at the Save Mart Center Tuesday. Fresno fans ought to show John Morrison some love when he climbs in the ring.
He did once take a beating while defending Fresno's own Kevin Federline.
"It was when his rap album was about to come out and he was doing some promotional work with the WWE. I had to defend him," Morrison says during a telephone interview.
The Fresno WWE event is being taped for television. Portions of the show will be shown on:
-- "ECW," 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sci-Fi Channel.
-- "WWE Superstars," 8 p.m. Thursday, WGN.
-- "Friday Night SmackDown," 8 p.m. Friday, KAIL (Channel 7.1).
Fans should benefit from the TV tapings because they will get to see a longer, more spectacular show. Just like having to defend Federline, it is Morrison and the other wrestlers who will suffer.
"We have to be there all day. There will be all kinds of pyrotechnics and flash. It's really the ultimate show," Morrison says.
Morrison, a 29-year-old Los Angeles native, was a fan of professional wrestling long before stepping into the ring. He recalls watching the likes of HBK, Macho Man, Ricky Steamboat and the Legion of Doom and then going out in the front yard with his buddies to try out the moves.
Morrison says being involved in sports most of his life, including wrestling, track and field, gymnastics and martial arts, helped him enter professional wrestling.
Taking center stage at a venue like the Save Mart Center is a long way from Morrison's early days as a professional wrestler. After winning the wrestling competition TV series "Tough Enough," Morrison became part of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to work on his craft. It was an inauspicious start. Matches were held in a middle school gymnasium in a small town in Indiana.
"There were about 60 people at the show. My parents were there and they started wondering about my career choice," Morrison says.
The venues have only gotten bigger. And, with the WWE making a push to make matches more family friendly by toning down the action and reducing ticket prices, most arenas are packed these days. Kids are being courted through a new WWE Kids Magazine and the Web site www.wwekids.com.
Even Morrison's name is more in line with the new direction of the WWE. Over the years he has been known as John Hennigan (his real name), Johnny Blaze, Johnny Nitro, Johnny Onyx, Johnny Spade and Johnny Superstar.
"John Morrison just sounds like a more realistic name," Morrison says.
Joining Morrison on the card will be Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, Rey Mysterio and others.
fresnobee