Johnny Mundo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
and actor, better known by the ring name John Morrison. He is best known for his time in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Hennigan currently makes appearances for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
as Johnny Caballero, as well as the independent circuit under various ring names. After winning ''
Tough Enough III ''WWE Tough Enough'' was an American professional wrestling Reality competition#Reality competition or game shows, reality competition series that was produced by WWE, wherein participants undergo glossary of professional wrestling terms#S, profes ...
'' (a WWE reality TV competition show that awarded winners a wrestling contract with the company), Hennigan was assigned to its
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
,
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...
. WWE promoted Hennigan to its SmackDown! roster in April 2005 under the ring name Johnny Nitro; winning the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
with
Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
in his first match on the show. Hennigan has also held main event roles in several promotions outside of WWE, including '' lucha libre'' promotions Lucha Underground and
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
as Johnny Mundo, and in Impact Wrestling as Johnny Impact. Hennigan has won the
ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
,
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. Known officially in Spanish as the ''Mega Campeonato AAA'', it is sometimes referred to in the English ...
,
Impact World Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result ...
, and Lucha Underground Championship once each. In WWE, he also held the Intercontinental Championship three times, and was a six-time tag team champion. In ''lucha libre'', Hennigan was a central fixture in all four seasons of Lucha Underground, and was AAA's first-ever triple champion, holding the AAA Mega Championship,
AAA Latin American Championship The AAA Latin American Championship (''Campeonato Latinoamericano AAA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion in Mexico. The championship is generally contested in professio ...
, and
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship The AAA World Cruiserweight Championship (Campeonato Mundial Crucero AAA in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The championship cannot be competed ...
simultaneously. He has headlined multiple major events for WWE and
Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...
, including the latter company's flagship event, Bound for Glory, in
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
and
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
. Outside of wrestling, Hennigan has also worked in the film and television industry. In film, he has mainly worked as an actor, producer and stuntman. He also competed as a contestant on the 37th season of the competitive reality show '' Survivor''.


Early life

John Randall Hennigan was born on October 3, 1979, in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, and grew up in
Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a landform and a geographic sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the S ...
, where he attended
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is a public high school in Rolling Hills Estates, California, United States. History The school was formed in 1991 when Miraleste High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Rolling Hills High School were merge ...
. He graduated from the
University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...
in 2002, where he studied film and
geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
.


Professional wrestling career


World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE (2002–2011)


''Tough Enough'' and Ohio Valley Wrestling (2002–2004)

After graduating college with a degree in film and geology and deciding that he did not want to pursue either path, Hennigan began his professional wrestling career training at the Supreme Pro Wrestling
school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...
in
Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. After failing his audition for ''Tough Enough 2'', a competition in which the winner earned a
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF) contract, he was accepted as a cast member for ''Tough Enough III'' in 2002, eventually becoming the co-winner with
Matt Cappotelli Matthew Lee Cappotelli (November 12, 1979 – June 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. After co-winning '' Tough Enough III'' with John Hennigan, he worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the primary developmental territory for WWE ...
. For winning, Hennigan was awarded a developmental contract and assigned to their
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
,
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...
(OVW), to continue his training. Hennigan competed in
Acolytes Protection Agency The Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) was an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of Bradshaw (John Layfield) and Faarooq (Ron Simmons). They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) b ...
's invitational Bar Room Brawl match on July 27, 2003, at Vengeance. Hennigan and Cappotelli made an appearance on an episode of ''
Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
'' in January 2004, losing to Garrison Cade and
Mark Jindrak Mark Robert Jindrak (born June 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional wrestler, and actor. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Mark Jindrak and ...
. In March 2004, Hennigan, going by the ring name "Johnny Superstar", turned on Cappotelli, establishing himself as a heel.


MNM (2004–2006)

On the March 1, 2004 episode of ''
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', Hennigan debuted on the main roster as a heel under the ring name "Johnny Blaze". His gimmick was that he was the apprentice and assistant of the Raw
General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
,
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) an ...
. The next week his name was changed to "Johnny Spade", and three weeks after that it was changed to "Johnny Nitro". The Nitro name, which finally stuck, was a reference to ''
WCW Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the Unite ...
'', the flagship show of
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
(WCW) for which Bischoff had previously worked, using the ''Nitro'' theme as his ring entrance music. Nitro acted as Bischoff's apprentice and assistant until June, when he was sent back to OVW. To explain his departure, Nitro lost a match on the June 7 episode of ''Raw'' against Eugene, which carried the stipulation that upon his loss, he also lost his job, but was actually returned to OVW. Upon his return to OVW, Nitro was put into a feud with Matt Cappotelli. During the course of the feud, Melina was brought into the company as Nitro's ex-girlfriend and an ally of Cappotelli, only to turn on him and side with Nitro. Not long after, Nitro and Melina were joined by
Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
, forming the stable MNM. MNM wrestled in OVW for around a year, holding the
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
once, before losing the titles to Cappotelli and
Johnny Jeter John Jeter (born December 14, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2006 as Johnny, a member of The Spirit Squad. Jeter was trained by Nick Dinsmore (also k ...
in January 2005. They were soon called up to the main SmackDown!
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...
in April that same year. In their debut match on the main roster, MNM won the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
from
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero i ...
and
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...
on the April 21 episode of '' SmackDown!''. MNM held the titles for three months, having successful defenses against the teams of Guerrero and Mysterio, and
Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
and
Hardcore Holly Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former auto racer and wrestling trainer/ host, better known by the ring name Hardcore Holly or Bob Holly. He is best known for his 16-year career wit ...
on May 22 at Judgment Day, before dropping them to the
Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univer ...
on July 24 at
The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...
. They won the titles again on the October 28 episode of ''SmackDown!'' in a
four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
defeating Legion of Doom, The Mexicools, and
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
and
Paul Burchill Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English retired professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE. Prior to joining WWE, Burchill wrestled for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance and oth ...
, but lost them to Rey Mysterio and
Batista Batista is a Spanish or Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also known as Batista * Edina Alves Batis ...
on the December 16 episode of ''SmackDown!'' two days before
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
. Due to help from
Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is b ...
, MNM defeated Mysterio and Batista in a rematch on the December 30 episode of ''SmackDown!'' to win the championship for the third time. They began a rivalry with the team of
Paul London and Brian Kendrick Paul London and Brian Kendrick were an American professional wrestling tag team for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). They are former WWE Tag Team Champions and World Tag Team Champions. Their 2006-2007 reign as WWE Tag Team Champions was th ...
that lasted over three months, until they dropped the championship to London and Kendrick at Judgment Day on May 21, 2006, with the storyline leading to Nitro and Melina suddenly
turning Turning is a machining process in which a cutting tool, typically a non-rotary tool bit, describes a helix toolpath by moving more or less linearly while the workpiece rotates. Usually the term "turning" is reserved for the generation ...
on Mercury after the match, breaking up the group. Melina and Nitro left the SmackDown! brand by losing their jobs in
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged ...
.


Singles competition and championship success (2006–2007)

The next week, Nitro, along with Melina, debuted on the
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
brand in a loss to
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
. Nitro was immediately placed in the Intercontinental Championship picture, and at Vengeance on June 25, he defeated champion
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
in a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
also involving Carlito to win the title. Nitro held the championship for four months, retaining against
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
on September 17 at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
, before losing the title back to Hardy on the October 2 episode of ''Raw''. Nitro recaptured the Intercontinental Championship from Hardy on the November 6 episode of ''Raw'', but lost it back to Hardy on the following week's ''Raw''. Also around this time, Nitro entered into a partnership with rapper
Kevin Federline Kevin Earl Federline (born March 21, 1978), often referred to, and also known as K-Fed, is an American dancer, rapper, actor, model, wrestler and DJ. He is known for his two-year marriage to American singer Britney Spears, for whom he was previou ...
, with the duo antagonizing and beginning a rivalry with
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
. Federline was then, in storyline, trained by Nitro for a match with Cena, which he won after interference from Umaga. MNM reunited on the November 27 episode of ''Raw'' to accept an open challenge from
The Hardys The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...
(Jeff Hardy and
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
) at December to Dismember on December 3, a match that they lost. MNM and The Hardys feuded across the
brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
throughout the month, with the two teams competing in a four-way ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
on December 17 also involving
Brian Kendrick Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrest ...
and
Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his time with WWE. After being trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy, London began competing for Ring of Hon ...
and Dave Taylor and
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
, which MNM failed to win. Nitro challenged Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
at New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, but lost. MNM lost to The Hardys at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
on January 28, and again at No Way Out on February 18, which ended the feud. MNM disbanded as a team when Mercury was released from WWE in March 2007. After Mercury's departure, Nitro also ended his association with Melina. Nitro was placed in a tag team with
Kenny Dykstra Kenneth George Doane (born March 16, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler signed to WWE as a producer and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. During his past time in WWE, he was known as Kenny Dykstra and Kenny as a membe ...
, until the 2007 WWE draft, during which Nitro was drafted to the ECW brand. Nitro made his debut for the brand on the June 19 episode of '' ECW'', with a win over Nunzio, and few days later, on June 24, at Vengeance: Night of Champions, he won the vacant
ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
by defeating CM Punk, replacing the absent
Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
due to his double-murder suicide. A few weeks after winning the title, Nitro was repackaged as John Morrison, a reference to musician
Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...
, to whom Hennigan bears a strong physical resemblance. Morrison retained the title against Punk at
The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...
on July 22, and on August 26 at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
. Punk would again challenge for the championship on the September 4 episode of ''ECW'', in which Morrison lost the championship to Punk, ending his reign at 69 days. Morrison was then suspended for thirty days for violating WWE's Wellness Program, renewing his feud with Punk upon his return, as well as competing against
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
for the number one contendership to the title.


Teaming with The Miz (2007–2009)

Though rivals, Morrison and The Miz faced the dysfunctional tag team of Matt Hardy and
Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and manager currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name MVP (standing for Montel Vontavious Porter) a ...
on the November 16 episode of ''SmackDown!'' for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a winning effort, marking Morrison's fourth WWE Tag Team Championship reign. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
two days later, Morrison and The Miz were both defeated by CM Punk in a triple threat match for the
ECW Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
. After the defeat, the rivalry aspect of Morrison and Miz's relationship faded, as they were now portrayed as trusting friends. Morrison competed in the 2008 Royal Rumble match on January 27, but failed to win after being eliminated by Kane. In February 2008, Morrison and Miz were given a streaming segment on WWE.com named ''The Dirt Sheet'' in which they mocked other wrestlers and facets of pop culture. Morrison and Miz co-wrote each episode of ''The Dirt Sheet'' each week, and Morrison credits his time in college studying film with contributing to the success of the show. On March 30 at
WrestleMania XXIV WrestleMania XXIV was the 24th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brand divisions. The ev ...
, Morrison competed in the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
, which was won by CM Punk. Despite being unsuccessful, Morrison had a standout performance in the match, in which he performed a moonsault from the top rope to the outside of the ring while holding onto a ladder. Morrison and Miz retained the titles against Kane and CM Punk at Judgment Day on May 18 and
Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay * Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor * Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby pl ...
and Hornswoggle at Night of Champions on June 29, before dropping the titles to
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder The Major Players are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brian Myers and Matt Cardona. They currently appear in Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), in which Myers is a former Impact Digital Media Champion and ...
on July 20 at
The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...
in a
fatal four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...
which also featured
Jesse and Festus Jesse and Festus, also once known as The Dalton Boys, were an United States, American professional wrestling tag team made up of Ray Gordy (Jesse) and Doc Gallows, Drew Hankinson (Festus). History World Wrestling Entertainment Ohio Valley Wrest ...
. Neither Morrison nor Miz were pinned, as Hawkins pinned Jesse to win the titles. Afterwards, they started a feud with
Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG and Shad Gaspard, best known for their tenure in WWE. The team was an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs. The tag team first disbanded in 2010, though ...
(
JTG Jayson Anthony Paul (born December 10, 1984) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name JTG. Paul began his professional wrestling career ...
and Shad) through each team's Internet show, which then transitioned to matches on ''Raw'' and on October 26 at Cyber Sunday. After winning the
Slammy Award The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 e ...
for Best WWE.com exclusive earlier in the day, Morrison and Miz won the "Tag Team of the Year" Slammy Award on December 8, 2008 episode of ''Raw''. On December 13, Morrison and Miz won the
World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...
from CM Punk and
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...
at a
live event A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
. Morrison and Miz engaged themselves in a feud with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo), who were the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, which resulted in both teams defending their respective championships successfully in separate matches. Their feud culminated in a tag team
lumberjack match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
where both titles were on the line at the
WrestleMania 25 WrestleMania 25 (also marketed as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and written as WrestleMania 25th Anniversary) was the 25th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ...
, but it was The Colóns who would unify the championships with a win. On April 13, as part of the 2009 WWE draft, The Miz was drafted to the Raw brand to split up the team, and as a result, Miz attacked Morrison.


Intercontinental Champion (2009–2010)

On April 15, Morrison was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the April 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', he defeated
R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...
. On the May 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', Morrison engaged in a backstage fight with
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
after Jericho slapped him, turning
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
in the process for the first time in his career. Later that same night, Morrison defeated
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
, beginning a feud between the two. On the May 7 episode of ''Superstars'', Morrison lost a match to Jericho after a distraction by Benjamin. Morrison continued to score victories over Benjamin in singles and tag team matches before defeating him on May 17 at Judgment Day. During this time, Morrison would soon become wildly popular with fans. On the June 19 episode of ''SmackDown'', Morrison lost a critically acclaimed match against
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
, in which the commentators described it as a "third main event". On the July 31 episode of ''SmackDown'', Morrison had his first World Heavyweight Championship match against Jeff Hardy, but failed to win the title. On the September 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Morrison defeated Rey Mysterio to win his third Intercontinental Championship. Morrison then began a feud with
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...
, retaining the title against Ziggler on October 4 at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...
, and again on the following episode of ''SmackDown''. The feud between Morrison and Ziggler continued throughout the next month, with the two wrestling to a double countout for the Intercontinental Championship on the November 13 episode of ''SmackDown'' and Morrison retaining the championship in a two-out-of-three falls match the following week to end the feud. At
Bragging Rights Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
on October 25, Morrison lost to his former tag team partner then- United States Champion The Miz in an interbrand Champion vs. Champion match. Their rivalry continued after both were announced as opposing team captains for
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
on November 22, where Miz's team defeated Morrison's team. Morrison then went on to feud with newcomer
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE I ...
, who defeated Morrison in a non-title match on the December 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', thus earning a championship opportunity against Morrison. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, Morrison lost the Intercontinental Championship to McIntyre, ending his reign at 103 days. Morrison later won an
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
qualifying match and participated in the
Elimination Chamber match The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
for the World Heavyweight Championship on February 21, 2010, but was eliminated by
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
. On the March 5 episode of ''SmackDown'', Morrison teamed with R-Truth to defeat Cryme Tyme and
The Hart Dynasty The Hart Dynasty was a Canadian professional wrestling stable who appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and Natalya as a manager. The group was named due to the connecti ...
to earn a Unified WWE Tag Team Championship match against ShoMiz (
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
and The Miz). At
WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI (also written as WrestleMania 26) was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDo ...
on March 28, they failed to win the championship.


Championship pursuits and departure (2010–2011)

On April 26, Morrison was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the
2010 WWE draft The 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft was the eighth WWE draft, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment. The draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three ...
, and lost his first match back for the brand later that night to
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society ...
. In his final match on ''SmackDown'', he lost to
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...
. On June 1, Morrison announced that he would be mentoring Eli Cottonwood in the second season of ''
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
''. Cottonwood, however, was the second person eliminated from the competition, and was eliminated on the July 27 episode of ''NXT''. Morrison then went on to participate in the main event of
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
on August 15, in which he and six teammates (John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho,
Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
, R-Truth, and Daniel Bryan) were victorious in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against The Nexus. In October, Morrison began a feud with
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European i ...
after he helped
Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Ar ...
earn an upset win during a one-sided match against Sheamus. Within the following weeks, Morrison continued to save Marella from attacks by Sheamus. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
on November 21, Morrison defeated Sheamus. Morrison entered the 2010 edition of the
King of the Ring tournament The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don M ...
, defeating
Tyson Kidd Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson ...
, Cody Rhodes, and
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
but lost to Sheamus in the final round. He continued to feud with Sheamus and defeated him in a
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
number one contender's ladder match at Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 19. Morrison received his WWE Championship match on the January 3, 2011 episode of ''Raw'', but lost to reigning champion The Miz in a
falls count anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. Morrison participated in the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble (2011), Royal Rumble on January 30, 2011 and despite not winning, he had a stand-out moment which was praised by critics as "arguably the spot of the decade" when Morrison was knocked off of the ring apron and performed a cat leap onto the barricade to avoid having his feet touch the floor and then went on to precision jump onto the ring steps and re-enter the ring. On February 20, Morrison participated in the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber (2011), Elimination Chamber, but was eliminated by CM Punk. During the match, Morrison climbed to the top of the cage while inside the cage before dropping to deliver a crossbody on and eliminate Sheamus. At WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, Morrison, Trish Stratus and Jersey Shore (TV series), ''Jersey Shore'' guest star Snooki defeated Dolph Ziggler and LayCool (Layla El, Layla and Michelle McCool) in a mixed tag team match. On the April 11 episode of ''Raw'', Morrison participated in a five-man gauntlet match for the #1 contender's spot for the WWE Championship, but was eliminated by R-Truth. The next week on ''Raw'', Morrison challenged R-Truth to a match with the stipulation that if Morrison won, he would take Truth's place in the steel cage match at Extreme Rules (2011), Extreme Rules. Truth accepted and lost the match, making Morrison the new #1 contender. After the match, Truth viciously attacked Morrison. At Extreme Rules on May 1, R-Truth interfered in the WWE Championship steel cage match, attacking Morrison to prevent him from winning the match. The next night on ''Raw'', Morrison was attacked by Truth again, prior to a scheduled match between the two which did not happen as a result. Morrison then underwent surgery to correct a legitimately pinched nerve in his neck. Morrison initially returned on the June 13 episode of ''Raw'', but Truth attacked him again prior to their scheduled match, re-injuring him. Morrison returned again on the July 25 episode of ''Raw'', attacking R-Truth. At SummerSlam (2011), SummerSlam on August 14, Morrison, Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio defeated R-Truth, Alberto Del Rio and The Miz. The following night on ''Raw'', Morrison defeated R-Truth in a falls count anywhere match to end their feud. At Night of Champions (2011), Night of Champions on September 18, Morrison competed in a fatal four-way match for the WWE United States Championship, United States Championship, also involving Alex Riley, Dolph Ziggler, and Jack Swagger, with Ziggler retaining his title. Morrison then challenged Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship at Hell in a Cell (2011), Hell in a Cell on October 2, but failed to win the title. Following this, Morrison went on a losing streak, lasting a number of weeks. On the November 7 episode of ''Raw'', Morrison picked up his first victory in three months, defeating United States Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match. Morrison challenged Ziggler for the championship at Survivor Series (2011), Survivor Series on November 20 but lost. In his last advertised WWE appearance on the November 28 episode of ''Raw'', Morrison faced The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere match; Miz won the match by delivering the Skull-Crushing Finale on the steel entrance stage, giving Morrison a
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged ...
injury. This was used to write Morrison off television, even being stretchered out of the arena after the match. On November 29, WWE acknowledged the end of Morrison's contract, and moved his profile to the alumni section of its website. In a video published on December 9, 2011, via Hennigan's personal YouTube channel, Hennigan claimed that he was taking time off to heal and retrain for a possible return to wrestling in the future. In 2015, Hennigan revealed on Stone Cold Steve Austin's podcast that WWE wanted him to sign another multi-year contract, but due to a neck injury, residual pain, and creative frustrations, he decided to not renew his contract, wanting "more control over [his] time".


Independent circuit (2012–2019)

After leaving WWE, Hennigan began wrestling on the independent circuit under his real name, as well as his previous ring name John Morrison. On his first post-WWE wrestling appearance, Hennigan rekindled an old feud, facing off against
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
in the main event of the World Wrestling Fan Xperience (WWFX) Champions Showcase Tour in Manila, Philippines on February 4, 2012. Hennigan won the match to become the inaugural WWFX Heavyweight Champion. On August 12, 2012, Hennigan appeared at Juggalo Championship Wrestling's Bloodymania 6 event, defeating
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
and Breyer Wellington in a three-way match. On January 25, 2013, Morrison appeared at Dragon Gate USA's Open the Golden Gate, defeating Akira Tozawa in the main event of the show. Hennigan took part in the WrestleMania weekend, wrestling for the Pro Wrestling Syndicate. On April 4, Hennigan defeated Elijah Burke and on April 5, Morrison defeated Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger in an "International Dream Match" at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS) event. On June 21, 2013, Hennigan defeated Carly Colón, Carlito Caribbean Cool in FWE Welcome to the Rumble II, winning the FWE Heavyweight Championship.Namako, Jason (June 22, 2013
"6/21 FWE iPPV Results: Corona, New York (RVD, Striker) – Wrestleview.com"
wrestleview.com.
The next day, Hennigan defended the title against Too Cold Scorpio at House of Hardcore 2. On October 12, 2013, at FWE Grand Prix, Hennigan defeated Matt Morgan (wrestler), Matt Morgan, retaining the FWE Heavyweight Championship. On March 11, 2015, Hennigan lost the FWE Heavyweight Championship to A.J. Styles. On June 28, 2016, it was announced that Hennigan would make his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerilla in the company's annual Battle of Los Angeles (professional wrestling), Battle of Los Angeles tournament. He won his match against Matt Sydal in the first round, but was eliminated by Ricochet (wrestler), Ricochet in the quarter-finals. On January 28, 2017, Morrison won a tournament at a 5 Star Wrestling event for the 5 Star Wrestling Championship, defeating Moose (wrestler), Moose, Drew Galloway, and
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...
to win the title. On February 8, 2018, he lost the title against Jack Swagger, Jake Hager after over a year as champion. On September 22, Morrison reunited with former MNM tag team partner
Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
after ten years, defeating Reno Scum.


Lucha Underground (2014–2018)

In September 2014, it was reported that Hennigan had signed with the El Rey (network), El Rey network's new television series, '' Lucha Underground'', where he wrestled under the ring name Johnny Mundo. Mundo wrestled in the main event of the debut episode of ''Lucha Underground'' on October 29, 2014, defeating Ricochet (wrestler), Prince Puma and winning one hundred thousand dollars, which was then taken away from him by promoter Dario Cueto, setting up several feuds. He then teamed with Prince Puma during the November 5, 2014 episode, defeating Ricky Reyes, Cortez Castro and Mr. Cisco. On the November 19 episode, Mundo defeated Ezekiel Jackson, Big Ryck by disqualification after interference by Castro and Cisco. Mundo then defeated Prince Puma and Big Ryck in the main event of the December 10, 2014 episode, which was a three-way ladder match, to finally win the hundred thousand dollars he was denied in the ''Lucha Underground'' debut. On January 7, 2015, Mundo participated in a 20-man "Aztec Warfare" battle royal for the Lucha Underground Championship. He was the second ''luchador'' to enter the ring, but was the last man eliminated by Prince Puma who won the Championship. King Cuerno attacked Mundo on the February 4 episode, beginning a feud between them; the second installment took place on the episode which aired March 11, where Mundo and Cuerno wrestled in a Steel Cage match, which was won by Mundo. On May 13, Mundo turned into a Heel (professional wrestling), villain when he attacked Alberto El Patrón in his match against Hernandez (wrestler), Hernandez, throwing him through the window of Dario Cueto's office. Mundo subsequently tossed El Patrón back into the ring, giving Hernandez the win. On the June 17, episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Johnny Mundo unsuccessfully challenged Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship in an Iron Man match. On August 5, 2015, at ''Ultima Lucha (season 1), Ultima Lucha'', Mundo defeated Alberto El Patrón after an interference by his girlfriend Melina Perez. On the February 3, 2016 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Mundo faced Shane Strickland, Killshot in a winning effort. After the match, Mundo taunted Lucha Underground Champion Ricky Banderas, Mil Muertes, only to be confronted by Brian Cage, Cage. Mundo defeated Cage on February 24, after interference from the debuting Taya Valkyrie, Taya, subsequently becoming Mundo's valet. On the May 25 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Taya revealed to P. J. Black and Jack Evans (wrestler), Jack Evans that their partner Fénix (wrestler), Fénix was injured by Mundo. As Mundo revealed himself as Fénix's replacement for their match, Black and Evans allied with the two. Later that night in the main event, Mundo, Black and Evans defeated Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Horus, Dragon Azteca Jr. to win the Lucha Underground Trios Championship, the first championship for each in ''Lucha Underground''. The week after, Mundo, Black and Evans, now collectively billed as Worldwide Underground, retained their championships in a rematch via disqualification. Worldwide Underground lost their titles to Aero Star, Drago (wrestler), Drago and Fénix (wrestler), Fénix at the third and final part Ultima Lucha Dos, which aired on July 20. On the October 26 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Mundo defeated Sexy Star to win the Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Championship after he knocked out Sexy Star with brass knuckles while the referee was unaware. On the November 23 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', he cashed in his Gift of the Gods Championship on Sexy Star before defeating her to win the Lucha Underground Championship, becoming the second Triple Crown (professional wrestling), Triple Crown Champion in Lucha Underground history. On the December 21 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Mundo successfully defended his championship in a rematch against Sexy Star inside a steel cage. He lost the title to Prince Puma at ''Ultima Lucha Tres''. Mundo made his return on the fourth season's premiere, competing in Aztec Warfare entering at number 11. Mundo eliminated Ricky Mandel, Ricky Mundo and Daga (wrestler), Daga before getting eliminated by Martin Casaus, Marty Martinez and being attacked by the Reptile Tribe. On November 17, 2018, Mundo wrestled on the final episode of Lucha Underground, ''Ultima Lucha Cuatro'', defeating Jeff Cobb, Matanza Cueto in a Sacrifice to the Gods match.


Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2015–2018)

On May 24, 2015, Mundo made his debut for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
(AAA) at the Lucha Libre World Cup (2015), Lucha Libre World Cup event representing Lucha Underground as a member of "Team Impact Wrestling, TNA/Lucha Underground" alongside TNA wrestlers
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
and Ken Anderson (wrestler), Mr. Anderson. They finished in second place, losing in the finals to the "Dream Team" (Alberto Del Rio, El Patrón Alberto, Místico, Myzteziz and Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr.). On June 4, 2015 in the main event of Verano de Escándalo (2015), Verano de Escándalo, Mundo established himself as a ''Heel (professional wrestling), rudo'' (or villain) and teamed with El Mesias and Pentagón Jr. losing to Myzteziz, La Parka II, La Parka and Rey Mysterio Jr. On September 27, Konnan announced Mundo as an official member of the ''rudo'' Stable (professional wrestling), stable, ''La Sociedad'', while he subsequently stepped down as the leader of the group. On October 4, at Héroes Inmortales IX, Mundo unsuccessfully challenged El Patrón Alberto for the
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. Known officially in Spanish as the ''Mega Campeonato AAA'', it is sometimes referred to in the English ...
, when he was defeated by disqualification. After Alberto left AAA, Mundo was scheduled to face Rey Mysterio Jr. for the vacant AAA Mega Championship at ''Guerra de Titanes (2016), Guerra de Titanes'', but after the matches of the event were officially announced, neither Mundo nor Mysterio were featured for the event. Mundo participated in the Lucha Libre World Cup (2016), 2016 Lucha Libre World Cup as a member of "Team Lucha Underground" alongside Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Brian Cage, defeating "Team Mexico Leyendas" (Blue Demon Jr., Canek (wrestler), Canek, and La Parka) in the quarter-finals, and "Team Mexico International" (Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr., and Rey Horus, Dragon Azteca Jr.) in the semi-finals. Mundo's team won the tournament defeating "Team AAA" (Pentagón Jr., El Texano Jr. and Psycho Clown) in the finals. After adopting an "Anti-Mexican sentiment, anti-Mexico" attitude and teaming with El Mesías and Hernandez (wrestler), Hernandez to defeat El Texano Jr., El Hijo del Fantasma and Pentagón Jr., Mundo challenged the latter to a match at Triplemanía XXIV for the
AAA Latin American Championship The AAA Latin American Championship (''Campeonato Latinoamericano AAA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion in Mexico. The championship is generally contested in professio ...
, to which Pentagón accepted. At the event, on August 28, Mundo defeated Pentagón to win the Latin American Championship, marking his first championship in AAA and becoming the first non-Mexican to hold the title. On October 2 in the main event of ''Héroes Inmortales X'', Mundo successfully defended his title against Garza Jr. On March 19, 2017, at ''Rey de Reyes (2017), Rey de Reyes'', Mundo defeated El Texano Jr. and El Hijo del Fantasma in a three-way match to not only retain the Latin American Championship, but to also win Texano's
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. Known officially in Spanish as the ''Mega Campeonato AAA'', it is sometimes referred to in the English ...
and Fantasma's
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship The AAA World Cruiserweight Championship (Campeonato Mundial Crucero AAA in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The championship cannot be competed ...
. In his first AAA Mega Championship defense, on June 30, Mundo successfully retained his title against Texano. In July 2017, Mundo and his fiancée Kira Forster, known as Taya Valkyrie, Taya, were involved in controversy with AAA and its Director of Talent Vampiro, which led to Taya's departure from the company. According to ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wrestling Observer'', AAA asked Mundo to turn in Taya's Reina de Reinas Championship for a photo shoot the day prior to an event on July 1. A few weeks later, Vampiro addressed to the live crowd that Forster was stripped of the title due to not appearing to defend her title, despite not being scheduled to appear. On August 26, at Triplemanía XXV, Mundo successfully defended his three championships against Fantasma and Texano in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. On October 1 at Héroes Inmortales XI, ''Héroes Inmortales'' XI, Mundo wrestled in three matches, retaining the Mega Championship against Rey Wagner, but losing the Latin American Championship to Fantasma in the annual Copa Antonio Peña Battle royal (professional wrestling), battle royal, and the World Cruiserweight Championship to Lanzelot in a ten-way match, ending his triple championship reign at 196 days. On January 26, 2018 at Guerra de Titanes (2018), Guerra de Titanes, Mundo lost the AAA Mega Championship to Rey Wagner, ending his reign at 314 days.


Impact Wrestling (2017–2019)


Championship pursuits (2017–2018)

In August 2017, despite not being signed to the promotion at the time, Hennigan appeared for Impact Wrestling at some live events. On August 17, a video package was shown at Destination X (2017), Destination X revealing his ring name as Johnny Impact. His first feud in the promotion was with Eli Drake, when Impact made his televised in-ring debut on the August 24 episode of ''Impact! (TV series), Impact!'', participating in a Gauntlet match, Gauntlet for the Gold match for the vacant Impact Global Championship, Global Championship, but was eliminated by eventual winner Eli Drake. Impact would face Drake for the title at Victory Road (2017), Victory Road on September 28 and Bound for Glory (2017), Bound for Glory on November 5, where he failed to win the title. Since the Bound for Glory match ended after Alberto El Patrón made an interference, Impact, Alberto and Drake had a three-way Professional wrestling match types#Last Chance Match, Last Chance Professional wrestling match types#Steel Cage match, Six Sides of Steel match on the January 25, 2018 episode of ''Impact!'', where Drake retained the title. After Drake lost the renamed Impact World Championship to Austin Aries, Impact began pursuit of Aries's championship, facing him at Impact Wrestling Crossroads, Crossroads special on March 8, where he lost again. On the April 19 episode of ''Impact!'', Johnny Impact was attacked and injured by Kongo Kong, which was performed to write him off television in order to film for Reality television, reality television show '' Survivor''. Impact returned at Slammiversary XVI on July 22, when he won a four-way match against Fénix (wrestler), Fenix, Taiji Ishimori, and Petey Williams.


Impact World Champion (2018–2019)

Impact began a feud with the Impact World Champion Austin Aries, which led to a match at Bound for Glory (2018), Bound for Glory. As the PPV moved closer, the feud started to blur the lines between a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#W, work (something scripted) and Shoot (professional wrestling), shoot (something real), beginning with the two wrestlers trading insults on Twitter that they appeared to take personal, with Aries later deleting many of his tweets. Specifically, Impact mocked Aries' short stature and the champion responded by making fun of Taya Valkyrie, his wife's weight. Aries and Impact both alleged in the media that they authentically took issue with comments. TMZ, TMZ Live also Push (professional wrestling), pushed the angle "like [it] was a shoot". The two wrestlers got in a brawl the night before Bound for Glory during Abyss (wrestler), Abyss's Impact Hall of Fame induction. At the event on October 14, Impact defeated Aries to win the Impact World Championship. Throughout the following weeks, Impact successfully defended his title against Fénix, Killer Kross, and Matt Sydal. At Impact Wrestling Homecoming, Homecoming on January 6, 2019, Impact defeated Brian Cage to retain his championship. During the February tapings for Impact Wrestling, Impact defended his title in a four-way contest involving Killer Kross, Moose and Brian Cage. Impact hit his finisher on Moose, barely seconds prior to Cage hitting his ''Drill Claw'' finisher on Killer Kross. As Impact was able to cover his opponent first the referee was able to provide the count and therefore Impact won the match as Brian Cage went to cover his opponent. On the March 15 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Impact's wife Taya Valkyrie would low blow Cage, which allowed Impact to attack Cage, turning into a villain. At Impact Wrestling United We Stand, United We Stand on April 4, Impact won a five-way Ultimate X match to become the number one contender for the Impact X Division Championship. Throughout April, Impact successfully defended his title from Cage, often with interferences from Valkyrie and former referee John E Bravo. At Rebellion (2019), Rebellion on April 28, Impact, accompanied by Valkyrie and Bravo, lost the title to Cage in a match where Lance Storm was special guest referee; this left Impact's reign to end at 196 days, leaving it the longest reign since Bobby Roode, Bobby Roode's 2011–2012 reign, and therefore the longest reign in seven years, as well as the third-longest reign in history. On the May 31 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Impact challenged X Division Champion Rich Swann to a title match at Slammiversary XVII. Later that night, he teamed with Michael Elgin to face Swann and Willie Mack in a tag team match, in which Swann pinned Impact. At Slammiversary XVII on July 7, Impact lost to Swann. On July 8, Pro Wrestling Insider reported that Hennigan's contract with Impact Wrestling had expired several weeks prior to the event, and the two sides agreed to have Hennigan work until Slammiversary.


Return to WWE (2019–2021)

On September 26, 2019, it was reported by Mike Johnson of ''Pro Wrestling Insider'' that Hennigan had re-signed with WWE, which was officially confirmed by the company on December 3 during ''WWE Backstage''. He made his return on January 3, 2020 episode of ''SmackDown'' under his John Morrison ring name and resumed his partnership with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
, thus re-establishing him as a heel for the first time in WWE in 10 years. They would feud with the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The New Day (professional wrestling), The New Day, with Morrison winning singles matches against Big E (wrestler), Big E and
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...
. At Royal Rumble (2020), Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Morrison participated in the Royal Rumble match as the fifth entrant, but he was eliminated by Brock Lesnar. At Super ShowDown (2020), Super ShowDown on February 27, Miz and Morrison won the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship, SmackDown Tag Team Championship from The New Day. On March 8, Morrison and Miz had their first title defense in a tag team Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber (2020), Elimination Chamber, successfully defending their titles against The New Day, The Usos, Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic, Otis and Tucker Knight, Tucker), Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado), and
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...
and Robert Roode. On the first night of WrestleMania 36 on April 4, after the Miz's absence due to illness, Morrison defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championships by himself in a ladder match against Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso, in which he was successful. On the April 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', the duo lost the titles back to The New Day after Miz unsuccessfully defended the titles by himself in a triple threat match against Big E and Jey Uso ending their reign at 50 days. At Money in the Bank (2020), Money in the Bank on May 10, Morrison and Miz unsuccessfully attempted to regain the championship in a fatal four-way tag team match also involving Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado) and The Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake). Morrison and Miz then started a rivalry with WWE Universal Championship, Universal Champion Braun Strowman. At Backlash (2020), Backlash on June 14, the duo competed for Strowman's title in a two-on-one handicap match, but lost. As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, 2020 Draft in October, both Morrison and Miz were drafted to the
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...
. Prior to the draft, Morrison and Miz entered a feud with Otis (wrestler), Otis for his Money in the Bank ladder match, Money in the Bank contract. At Hell in a Cell (2020), Hell in a Cell on October 25, Morrison accompanied Miz in his match against Otis for the contract, which Miz won. On the December 7 episode of ''Raw'', Morrison ended a nearly seven-month losing streak after defeating
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE I ...
and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European i ...
in a 3-on-2 handicap match alongside The Miz and AJ Styles. Morrison entered the Royal Rumble (2021), 2021 Royal Rumble match on January 31, lasting over eight minutes before being eliminated by Damian Priest. At Elimination Chamber (2021), Elimination Chamber event on February 21, 2021, Morrison defeated Ricochet (wrestler), Ricochet, Elias (wrestler), Elias, and Mustafa Ali (wrestler), Mustafa Ali in a fatal four-way match for an opportunity at the WWE United States Championship, United States Championship. Later that night, he failed to win the title in a triple threat match against Matt Riddle, Riddle and reigning champion Bobby Lashley, as Riddle won the match. After this, Morrison and Miz feuded with rapper Bad Bunny and Damian Priest. At WrestleMania 37 on April 10, Morrison and Miz lost to Bad Bunny and Priest. After Miz suffered an injury at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16, Morrison would embark on a singles run, starting by defeating
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
on the June 14 episode of ''Raw''. The following week, Morrison defeated Randy Orton to qualify for the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
at the Money in the Bank (2021), namesake pay-per-view event on July 18, which was won by Big E (wrestler), Big E. On the August 23 episode of ''Raw'', Miz turned on Morrison by attacking him, thus turning Morrison
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
and setting up a feud between the pair. However, the feud abruptly ended after the Miz took a hiatus to compete on ''Dancing with the Stars (American season 30), Dancing with the Stars''. On November 18, as part of an eighth round of layoffs due to budget cuts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrison was released from his WWE contract.


Return to AAA (2022)

On February 19, 2022, Hennigan, as "Johnny Superstar" (his former ring name in
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...
), unsuccessfully challenged El Hijo del Vikingo at ''Rey de Reyes (2022), Rey de Reyes'' for the
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. Known officially in Spanish as the ''Mega Campeonato AAA'', it is sometimes referred to in the English ...
. At Triplemanía XXX#Triplemanía XXX: Monterrey (April 30), Triplemanía XXX: Monterrey, Hennigan, now under the name "Johnny Caballero", teamed with Black Taurus, Taurus in a Three-way match, three-way tag team match to defeat Dragon Lee (wrestler), Dragon Lee and Dralístico, and Laredo Kid and Jack Cartwheel. In the main event of Triplemanía XXX#Triplemanía XXX: Tijuana (June 18), Triplemanía XXX: Tijuana, Caballero was revealed as
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
's mystery tag team partner (due to his original partner
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
's arrest five days prior). Caballero, who went under the name "Johnny Hardy", and Matt Hardy lost their match against Dragon Lee and Dralístico. At Triplemanía XXX#Triplemanía XXX: Mexico City (October 15), Triplemanía XXX: Mexico City on October 15, Caballero teamed with Brian Cage and Sam Adonis in a Three-way match, three-way ''trios'' match for the AAA World Trios Championship against Psycho Clown, Laredo Kid, and Bandido (wrestler), Bandido and champions ''Los Capos#Nueva Generación Dinamita, Nueva Generación Dinamita'' (El Cuatrero, Sansón (wrestler), Sansón, and Forastero). Caballero pinned Laredo Kid to win the match for his team, but did not win the World Trios Championship due to the match stipulation in which the champions must be pinned to win the titles.


Return to the independent circuit (2022–present)

On March 31, 2022, Hennigan debuted for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport, Josh Barnett's Bloodsport 8, defeating Simon Gotch. The following day, Hennigan, as "Johnny Caballero", wrestled at GCW's Wrld on Lucha event, defeating Jack Cartwheel. On May 28, Hennigan appeared at GCW's Downward Spiral event under the name "Johnny Game Changer", defeating Joey Janela. On June 3, Hennigan debuted for Progress Wrestling for the List of Progress Wrestling tournaments#Super Strong Style 16 Tournament 2022, Super Strong Style 16 tournament under the name "Johnny Progress". He defeated Jack Evans (wrestler), Jack Evans in the first round and Aramis (wrestler), Aramis in the quarterfinals, before losing to Warren Banks in the semifinals.


All Elite Wrestling (2022)

On the May 18, 2022 episode of ''AEW Dynamite, Dynamite'', under the name Johnny Elite, Hennigan debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the surprise "Joker" entrant in the Owen Hart Cup Memorial Tournament's quarterfinals, being defeated by Samoa Joe. After the match, it was reported that Hennigan had not signed a contract with AEW, but that "the door is open" for him to return. On the May 27 episode of ''AEW Dark'', Elite scored his first victory by defeating Marq Quen. On the June 1 episode of ''Dynamite'', he issued an "open contract" challenge which was answered by a returning Miro (wrestler), Miro, who defeated Elite.


Professional wrestling style and persona

Hennigan was described by WWE as having "lightning-fast offense", "high-risk aerial expertise", and "incredible agility". He is known to utilize a Moonsault#Split-legged corkscrew moonsault, split-legged corkscrew moonsault, dubbed ''Starship Pain'', as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#finisher, finishing maneuver. During his singles run as Johnny Nitro, he used a Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Standing, standing Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Shooting star press, shooting star press as his finisher. After transitioning to his John Morrison character, Hennigan began using a Neckbreaker#Corkscrew neckbreaker, corkscrew neckbreaker dubbed ''Moonlight Drive'', in reference to the Moonlight Drive, song of the same name written by
Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...
. He also prominently used a superkick as a finisher in 2008 during a feud with D-Generation X, as a way to mock Shawn Michaels's ''Sweet Chin Music'' maneuver. Hennigan is a practitioner of parkour and often incorporates it into his wrestling style, giving him the nickname "The Prince of Parkour". He also has a background in amateur wrestling, breakdancing, gymnastics, and martial arts. Regarding his unique wrestling style, Hennigan stated in a 2021 interview with ''Sports Illustrated'': Alongside his team MNM, Hennigan debuted on WWE television as Johnny Nitro, presenting himself as an arrogant wrestler with "elite Hollywood status". After winning the ECW World Championship in 2007, he changed his ring name to John Morrison and his Gimmick (professional wrestling), gimmick was tweaked to be even more conceited and self-aggrandizing — in addition to being modeled after Jim Morrison, the legendary frontman of the 1960s rock band The Doors, to whom he bears a strong physical resemblance. Following his return to WWE and reunion with his tag team partner the Miz in 2020, Hennigan added a comedic aspect to his villainous character, with WWE describing him as using "quirkiness and quick wit to shine every time he is on screen". He also began to refer to himself as "Johnny Drip Drip", a reference to the song "Drip (song), Drip" by rapper Cardi B. Outside of WWE, Hennigan began referring to himself as the "Mayor of Slamtown", a fictional town he first coined in Lucha Underground in 2015. Hennigan filed to trademark the term "Slamtown" in November 2020.


Other media

In 2009, Hennigan and Maryse Ouellet were interviewed on Eurosport. In 2009, Hennigan appeared on two episodes of ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'', which were both aired on September 29. Hennigan is the subject of a WWE DVD, called ''John Morrison – Rock Star'', which was released on February 16, 2010. The DVD covers his career from his name change to John Morrison up until his Intercontinental Championship win in September 2009. He appeared on an episode of ''Destroy Build Destroy'' on March 3, 2010. Hennigan was on the cover of ''Muscle & Fitness'' in June 2010, with the issue also featuring an interview and photo shoot. In 2016, Hennigan,
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...
, and El Hijo del Fantasma, King Cuerno appeared on ESPN to promote the second season of ''Lucha Underground''. Hennigan is also a frequent collaborator with comic book-based film producers Bat in the Sun Productions, appearing in two episodes of their well-known ''Super Power Beat Down'' series; playing as Casey Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Casey Jones against Kick-Ass (character), Kick-Ass in episode 13, and as Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier against Nightwing in episode 19. Hennigan portrayed Eternal Warrior in the web series ''Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe'', produced by Valiant Entertainment and directed by Bat in the Sun. Hennigan is a playable character in ''WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2007'' and ''WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008'' as "Johnny Nitro", ''WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009'', ''WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010'', ''WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011'', ''WWE '12'' and ''WWE 2K22'' as "John Morrison", and ''RetroMania Wrestling'' under the name "Johnny Retro".


Filmmaking

After leaving WWE in 2011, Hennigan pursued a career in the film industry as an actor and filmmaker. In 2013, he appeared in ''20 Feet Below: The Darkness Descending'' with Danny Trejo, as well as served as co-producer of the film. In 2017, Hennigan released his first feature film titled ''Boone: The Bounty Hunter'', which he starred in, co-wrote, and served as executive producer of. Hennigan sold his house in order to finance the film. On October 31, 2022, Hennigan announced the release of his directorial debut, a comedy horror short film titled ''The Iron Sheik Massacre'' which he also produced and co-wrote with his wife Kira Forster. The film stars Hennigan and Forster alongside fellow wrestlers Karrion Kross, PJ Black, Holly Meowy, Super Panda, and the voice of The Iron Sheik, and will have its first screening on November 5, 2022 at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.


''Survivor: David vs. Goliath''

Hennigan was a contestant on the 37th season of '' Survivor'', ''Survivor: David vs. Goliath'' where he was originally part of the Goliath tribe and later the Tiva tribe before making it to the merged tribe Kalokalo. He finished 12th out of 20 contestants and became the second member of the jury after the former members of the Goliath tribe were blindsided at tribal council; two contestants used hidden immunity idols, causing Hennigan to be eliminated despite only having three elimination votes, as Christian Hubicki, who received seven, was immune. Hennigan's performance as a contestant and the episode of his elimination received critical acclaim. Chris Chase of ''USA Today'' praised Hennigan for being "true to everything we’ve seen from him this season, [and] a class act after his shock defeat". Writing for ''People (magazine), People'', former ''Survivor'' contestant Stephen Fishbach highlighted that "in a tribal council that was meant to take out the Davidest David [Christian Hubicki], it was really the Goliath of the Goliaths [Hennigan] who fell. How perfectly Biblical." The show’s executive producer and host Jeff Probst was "so impressed" with Hennigan, describing him as "the guy who catches the winning touchdown pass in the final moments of the Super Bowl, and then, instead of some crazy celebration, he casually tosses the ball to the ref, kisses his wife and hugs his kids", alongside stating that he would "absolutely" have Hennigan back on the show.


Filmography


Personal life

Hennigan is good friends with fellow professional wrestlers
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
,
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...
, Matt Cardona,
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
, and Randy Orton. He was also good friends with Shad Gaspard, and still is with
JTG Jayson Anthony Paul (born December 10, 1984) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name JTG. Paul began his professional wrestling career ...
, of
Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG and Shad Gaspard, best known for their tenure in WWE. The team was an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs. The tag team first disbanded in 2010, though ...
, and was a part of the search team after Gaspard's Shad Gaspard#Disappearance and death, disappearance and death. Hennigan was involved in an On-again, off-again relationship, on-off relationship with former WWE Diva and on-screen manager Melina Perez from 2003 to 2015. The pair met during the auditions for ''Tough Enough III'', in which Perez was cut and Hennigan eventually won. Since 2016, Hennigan has been in a relationship with Kira Forster, better known as Taya Valkyrie. The pair met through the affiliation between AAA and Lucha Underground, with Forster becoming Hennigan's on-screen partner in the latter promotion prior to their real-life relationship. They became engaged on June 14, 2017, and were married on June 1, 2018.


Championships and accomplishments

*5 Star Wrestling **5 Star Wrestling#Championships and Accomplishments, 5 Star Wrestling Championship (1 time) **One Night Tournament (2017) *ACW Wisconsin **ACW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''The Baltimore Sun'' **Tag Team of the Year (2008) – with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
*Blackcraft Wrestling **BCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Continental Wrestling Federation **CWF United States Championship (1 time) *DDT Pro-Wrestling **Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *European Pro Wrestling **EPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Family Wrestling Entertainment **FWE Heavyweight Championship (FWE Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) * Impact Wrestling **
Impact World Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result ...
(List of Impact World Champions, 1 time) *
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
**
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. Known officially in Spanish as the ''Mega Campeonato AAA'', it is sometimes referred to in the English ...
(AAA Mega Championship#Title history, 1 time) **
AAA Latin American Championship The AAA Latin American Championship (''Campeonato Latinoamericano AAA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion in Mexico. The championship is generally contested in professio ...
(AAA Latin American Championship#Title history, 1 time) **
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship The AAA World Cruiserweight Championship (Campeonato Mundial Crucero AAA in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The championship cannot be competed ...
(List of AAA World Cruiserweight Champions, 1 time) **Lucha Libre World Cup (Lucha Libre World Cup (2016), 2016 Men's Division) – with Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Brian Cage * Lucha Underground ** Lucha Underground Championship (List of Lucha Underground Champions, 1 time) **Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Championship (Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Championship#Title history, 1 time) **Lucha Underground Trios Championship (Lucha Underground Trios Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Jack Evans (wrestler), Jack Evans and P. J. Black **Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#Lucha Underground, Second Triple Crown (professional wrestling), Triple Crown Champion *Mondo Lucha **Mondo Lucha Championship (1 time) **Mondo Lucha Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Matt Cross (wrestler), Matt Cross *Next Generation Wrestling **NGW World Championship (1 time) **NGW World Title Tournament (2013) *
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...
**
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
(OVW Southern Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Joey Mercury, Joey Matthews *Pacific Coast Wrestling/PCW Ultra **PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year, Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2009) **PWI Tag Team of the Year, Tag Team of the Year (2005) – with Joey Mercury **Ranked No. 24 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2017 *Qatar Pro Wrestling **QPW Souq Waqif Championship (1 time) **QPW Souq Waqif Title Tournament (2015) *Rogue Wrestling **Rogue Championship (1 time) **Rogue Championship Tournament (2019) *WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE **
ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
(List of ECW World Heavyweight Champions, 1 time) ** WWE Intercontinental Championship (List of WWE Intercontinental Champions, 3 times) **
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
(List of WWE Raw Tag Team Champions, 4 times) – with
Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
(3) and
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
(1) **
World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...
(List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE), 1 time) – with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
**WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (List of WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
**List of WWE tournaments#ECW World Championship Tournament, ECW World Championship Tournament (2007) ** ''WWE Tough Enough#Tough Enough III, Tough Enough III'' (2003) **
Slammy Award The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 e ...
(2 times) ***Tag Team of the Year (Slammy Award#2008 Slammy Awards, 2008) – with The Miz ***Best WWE.com Exclusive (2008) – with The Miz *World Series Wrestling **World Series Wrestling#WSW World Heavyweight Championship, WSW Heavyweight Championship (2 times, current)https://www.pwinsider.com/article/160777/janela-vs-morrison-cardona-chelsea-brian-cage-flip-gordon-taya-more-wsw-phoenix-rising-tour-night-one-on-fitetv-report.html?p=1 *World Wrestling Fan Xperience **WWFX Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' **List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Tag Team of the Year, Tag Team of the Year (2008) – with The Miz


Notes


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, John 1979 births 21st-century American male actors AAA Mega Champions American capoeira practitioners American male professional wrestlers ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions Living people People from Palos Verdes, California Professional wrestlers from California Sportspeople from Los Angeles Survivor (American TV series) contestants TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions Tough Enough winners Traceurs WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions 21st-century professional wrestlers AAA Latin American Champions AAA World Cruiserweight Champions Lucha Underground Champions Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Champions Lucha Underground Trios Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions