The following is an excerpt from an article on News-Press.com:
Wrestler happy in role of Lizard King of the ring
John Morrison’s gimmick stays true to the person
He’s the Shaman of Sexy, the Honcho of Hotness, the Guru of Greatness and the Tuesday Night Delight.
Right now, though, you can just call him John.
Over the phone, wrestler John Morrison sounds much more laid-back than his gum-smacking, poetry-spouting stage persona.
Gone are the sunglasses and fur coats – we assume – and gone are his swollen ego and testosterone-fueled cockiness (although Morrison does answer the phone with a "Yo" instead of a simple "Hello").
Maybe it’s because Morrison isn’t performing in front of thousands of screaming fans at the moment.
Or maybe he’s just tired.
It’s been a hectic week, Morrison explains, and the weariness shows in his ragged voice.
"I’ve been staying super-busy," he says.
Five or six World Wrestling Entertainment fights (including one at Germain Arena in Estero on Monday). An Iraq trip to tape a TV show airing Saturday. And on top of that, he still needs to find time to pump iron.
Frankly, Morrison says, he’s exhausted.
This isn’t The Palace of Wisdom – the William Blake reference Morrison sprinkles throughout his wrestling matches.
It’s more like The Tower of Tired.
"Once you’re in front of a crowd, it’s easy," he says. "But the hardest part is keeping up the energy in the meantime to do the stuff that’s not as fun, like driving three or four hours in between two shows. Or working out on your off day.
"That’s the stuff that gets really draining – when you’re running on fumes."
Morrison’s schedule isn’t getting any easier. When he appears at Germain next week, he’ll be fake-fighting with other popular WWE SmackDown wrestlers, including The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and CM Punk.
But don’t worry, wrestling fans. Morrison says he’ll pep up when he bounds over those ropes in his trademark fur coat.
"It doesn’t matter how big the crowd is, whether there’s 3,000 people or 10,000 or 20,000," he says. "All those people screaming and cheering, you can put aside whatever you’re feeling and you can just kind of live those 20 minutes in the moment.
Check out the complete multi-page feature on John Morrison at News-Press.com by visiting this link.
