It wasn’t exactly the comeback WWE management nor Morgan had hoped for. Very impressive at first, but unfortunately, this routine got old double quick and offered little variety. On-air, Matt Morgan became defensive and paranoid of his speech impediment and, during each successive week, laid the smackdown on various lower card opponents who he thought were mocking him.īrett Matthews (who later became Matt Cardona), Mickey Whiplash from England, Robbie E (later Robbie Stone), and Funaki all fell victim to Morgan’s new vicious-looking finisher called the Hellevator (vertical suplex side slam). It almost seemed like he was being ribbed! The stuttering gimmick did not work wonders for Matt Morgan in WWE, and he was soon gone from the company. It can be said that this was what did him in.Īt the time, Morgan did mention that he’d graduated Magna Cum Laude (top 10 to 15% of their class) in Public Speaking from Chaminade University in Hawaii, but this fell on deaf ears. Since this was seen as an opportunity, an idea handed down by McMahon, Morgan was advised to take it. He sported a black goatee and more hair maybe this would make a difference in how the fans received him.īut Creative, led by Vince McMahon, also egregiously slapped on an odd “stuttering gimmick.” When Matt Moran was finally called back to the main roster, he ditched the hood but had a slight makeover. ![]() While this is undoubtedly a commendable accomplishment, it was not yet championship gold in a major promotion.Ĭould he ultimately attain this lofty goal? “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan in a mask in Ohio Valley Wrestling, on While there, he became a two-time OVW Heavyweight Champion. ![]() Simply put, this didn’t make sense for OVW or Jim Cornette, their head booker at the time. He was called “The Blueprint.” But naturally, the mask did not fool the fans one bit. Once back in OVW, he was told to work on his body language and was given a mask to wear. Right when it seemed like creative was primed to book Morgan on the top of their cards, he was sent back down to developmental for 15 months to hone his skills further. Jones deciding pro wrestling was not for him, and instead pursuing a movie career probably impacted Morgan’s career more negatively than Brock’s departure because Morgan and Jones were being considered for the tag titles at the next WrestleMania. Where Did It All Go Wrong for Matt Morgan?Īfter eight matches in WWE, including some pay-per-views, such as Survivor Series 2003 and the 2004 Royal Rumble, his planned tag partner Nathan Jones and later Brock Lesnar quit the company. Matt Morgan surrounded by big hitters at Survivor Series 2003. Sometimes the size, look, and desire to succeed in wrestling aren’t enough. Yet some say the Morgan hype was premature.Īfter only 14 matches of varying quality and importance, he was gone from the company. On the October 30th, 2003 broadcast of WWE SmackDown, General Manager Paul Heyman declared, “And just like Brock Lesnar was ’The Next Big Thing,’ Matt Morgan will assert his dominance on every single athlete that falls before his greatness!” Matt Morgan in Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2002. ![]() It helped the Fairfield, Connecticut native as he was called up to SmackDown only a year after being in OVW. In athletics, and in the case of pro wrestling, having a body like Matt Morgan’s should get you at least one foot in the door of any significant promotion. ![]() Matt Morgan was an accomplished university basketball player who entered the world of professional wrestling through WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2002 after being discovered in the second season of Tough Enough.Ī push was in evidence already even before being introduced, he was teased by then OVW Heavyweight Champion Nova as his friend “Tiny.” Paul Heyman introduces fans to “the next big thing,” Matt Morgan, on WWE SmackDown on October 30th, 2003. But after only fourteen matches, he was gone from the company, which begs the question, “What went wrong?” We explore why, including the alleged time he made an anger-fueled decision that led him to get into hot water with the law. And with a billed height of 7’0″ and 300 pounds, Matt Morgan should have ascended to the very top of the WWE.
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