Sexy beast
As bashful as a boxer and as smooth as a Motown crooner, wrestler John Morrison - the self-styled "Shaman of Sexy" - is planning to set hearts pounding when he visits Sydney for the WWE Smackdown/ECW Live Tour this week. Lisa O'Brien blushes
What sets John Morrison from other wrestlers? I would say just about everything - the way that I look, the way that I move, the way that I talk and the way that I think. I'm far more intellectual and artistic than most other wrestlers on the Raw roster, I can do things athletically that other wrestlers can't even dream about doing. I express myself more than other wrestlers who just wear little Speedos out into the ring, I wear long tights with rhinestones and patterns and designs and fur coats. I feel that stylistically, artistically and athletically I'm just way, way above and beyond everybody else.
How do you prepare for a match? I do a lot of meditation, a little yoga, I align my chakras. I warm up and stretch, just as any other athlete would do to prepare for a competition. Then I take a quick check of myself in the mirror, give myself a thumbs up and walk out in the ring.
For the uninitiated, how would you describe a WWE match? I would compare a WWE match to a song at a rock concert, or to a movie, or a Broadway show, or a boxing match. Think about all the best parts of those things and combine it, because every WWE contest is going to be a great match. It's going to be emotional, it's going to draw in the energy of the crowd, and the entertainers in the ring feed off your energy. It's a group experience, a catharsis, that you can't experience other places.
How did you get your break in wrestling? I was on Tough Enough in 2002, a reality show where you train and learn how to become a professional wrestler. At the end of the show they pick two winners and each winner gets a WWE developmental contract. That contract is a lot different from becoming the champion, because you win the developmental contract and it's like "congratulations, now move to Louisville". For me, LA to Louisville was a culture shock, it's a big difference. So I moved to Louisville and stayed there for three or four years, and I actually ended up liking it. It was a fun community, but a lot of hard work and it was really rewarding.
How's your new project The Dirt Sheet going? It's doing phenomenally well - it's exploding right now with popularity. It's a three to five minute show for the internet where The Miz and I talk about other WWE superstars. We say whatever we want about whoever we want and some of the other superstars don't like it that much but we don't really care because we think it's funny. We just talk smack about them, sometimes we do little parody sketches, dress up as other wrestlers and expose their embarrassing habits and moments. It's a lot of fun.
What's next for John Morrison? The biggest contest of the year is Wrestlemania and Summer Slam is the beginning of the road to Wrestlemania, so after Australia I'll start focusing on them. I stay in shape year-round and the thing I've been trying to do lately is to be happy and simplify my life. So I'm training, simplifying and focusing on my goals. Other than that, just looking sensational and being fabulous.
What are you looking forward to getting up to while you're in Sydney? Well, you sound pretty sweet, I'm looking forward to seeing you.
WWE Smackdown/ECW Live Tour is on Sun 15 Jun, Acer Arena