Post by morrison on Mar 7, 2015 16:51:02 GMT -5
Cincinnati native and longest reigning PCW World Heavyweight Champion Michael Morrison discusses his recovery, marriage, Sickboy and…Danielle Lopez!
(Cincinnati Enquirer) Michael Morrison has long been one of Cincinnati’s favorite sons. From his success as a high school wrestler to carrying on in the professional ranks, the natives of this city have always gravitated to what he was doing. And he certainly has returned the favor, doing everything from visiting local hospitals and schools to signing autographs for anyone who wanted one. While he didn’t care much for what people thought about him, he always was fond of his roots in the Queen City.
The last time Morrison was in the public eye was the PCW reunion show, where he defeated Sickboy. Following a vicious attack two years prior, many in Cincinnati wondered if they would ever see him compete again. A long, painful, difficult recovery followed that attack but Morrison persevered and proved that he was indeed true greatness. The Cincinnati Enquirer recently caught up with the local legend to talk about his present and his future.
The attack in Toronto that almost cost you everything
Morrison: It’s no secret what happened to me a couple years ago. I was set to defend my PCW World Heavyweight Championship at Anarchy when I was attacked from behind by a coward. He, or she, damn near killed me. I was in a coma for three days and I barely survived. When I finally got out of the hospital, I battled everything from heavy drinking to depression. There were days I could barely get out of bed. And when I finally did, I’d stare at a loaded shotgun propped up against the wall. It took everything I could muster not to pick it up and blow my brains out. I was in a bad, bad, way and there were times I didn’t think I’d ever be able to shake it.
What ultimately saved Morrison
Morrison: I met my guardian angel in that Toronto hospital. She was my nurse and without her, I have no doubt that I would not be here today. Not only is she beautiful but she is strong. She took a broken shell of a man and forced him to look in the mirror and accept things for what they were. She took a broken shell of a man and forced him to move on with his life. I had lost everything and had no will to live. I certainly wouldn’t have blamed her for bolting because I didn’t make things easy for her. But she stuck by me and saved my life…literally and figuratively.
Popping the question
Morrison: There is no way I could imagine my life without Kay. Simply put, she is the most important person in my life. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her so I bought a ring and asked her to marry me. I became the luckiest man on the planet when she said yes. It’s funny…there was a time when I never thought I’d get married. It just wasn’t my style. I liked doing what I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. Settling down with one person just didn’t interest me. I guess almost dying changes your prospective on things like that. In a small way, I’m glad I was attacked because I never would have met her otherwise.
The PCW reunion show match with Sickboy
Morrison: I proved once again what true greatness was all about. I don’t know if Sickboy was the one who physically attacked me but I have no doubt that he was involved. That’s the way the Elite operated. But I proved once again that he wasn’t even close to being the talent I am. I beat him at Cataclysm for the PCW World Heavyweight Championship and I beat him again at the reunion show. For all the talk of how legendary the Elite were, they certainly couldn’t get rid of those they couldn’t beat. If Sickboy had been smart, he would have made sure I was dead. If Sickboy had been smart, he would have made sure that Michael Morrison would never have been able to step into a PCW ring again. But he wasn’t and he paid the price.
The significance of competing at the PCW reunion show
Morrison: By far, the most important match of my career. I don’t want to keep harping on the attack at Anarchy but I don’t think people realize how serious that was. Most men would not have been able to recover from something like that. Even had they survived, they’d be sipping their dinner through a straw for the rest of their life. But it was important for me to not only regain a sense of normalcy but also, regain my career as a professional wrestler. I didn’t want the lasting image of me to be laying on the floor in a pool of my own blood. I worked too hard and accomplished too much for that to be the way things ended. Once I got out of my own way and quit feeling sorry for myself, my focus became very clear…I had to come back. I had to prove to myself and everyone watching that Michael Morrison was still true greatness. And at the PCW reunion show, I did just that. And for that, it is probably the greatest match of my career.
If Premium Championship Wrestling ever came back, would that future include Morrison?
Morrison: Never say never. There is definitely one thing, or one person, that would get me back.
What gets Morrison back to Premium Championship Wrestling?
Morrison: Without a doubt, Danielle Lopez. The one person who holds the PCW World Heavyweight Championship. The end of the PCW reunion show made me sick. Lopez, Monroe, Skye…all three raising their hands up and acting like a bunch of little girls on the playground at school. I was embarrassed for them. That’s not what the PCW World Heavyweight Championship is all about. It is not about respect. It is not about sportsmanship. It is about being the best that professional wrestling has to offer and doing ANYTHING it takes to capture that belt.
I would be a damn fool to dismiss Lopez. She is one of the greats to ever step into a PCW ring. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that I never lost the PCW World Heavyweight Championship. My shoulders were never pinned to the mat for a 1...2...3. That would, at the very least, entitle me to a rematch clause, I would think. I certainly would, at least, deserve the opportunity to get my belt back. And THAT would get me back to PCW.
A message for the champ
Morrison: Lopez, you’re a good competitor, I won’t deny you that. You have won your fair share of matches and you obviously have the big belt in your possession. But let me make one thing perfectly clear…the ONLY reason you have that belt is because I was taken out. The ONLY reason why there is a PCW World Heavyweight Champion not named Michael Morrison to begin with is because of a sneak attack by a coward. Maybe it was you? Maybe you’re the one who decided to stack the deck in their favor…hell, it was the only way you could succeed.
You have a lot of feathers in your cap but as far as I’m concerned, your reign as PCW World Heavyweight Champion is incomplete. Your reign as PCW World Heavyweight Champion is a sham. Because you see, while it’s easy to beat the likes of Monroe and Skye, you’re nothing until you take on the longest reigning PCW World Heavyweight Champion of all time. You’ll always have that little asterisk by your name because you never beat Michael Morrison when everything was on the line. For your sake, PCW better not reopen its doors because if they ever do, I’ll be more than happy to take back what I never lost to begin with.
(Cincinnati Enquirer) Michael Morrison has long been one of Cincinnati’s favorite sons. From his success as a high school wrestler to carrying on in the professional ranks, the natives of this city have always gravitated to what he was doing. And he certainly has returned the favor, doing everything from visiting local hospitals and schools to signing autographs for anyone who wanted one. While he didn’t care much for what people thought about him, he always was fond of his roots in the Queen City.
The last time Morrison was in the public eye was the PCW reunion show, where he defeated Sickboy. Following a vicious attack two years prior, many in Cincinnati wondered if they would ever see him compete again. A long, painful, difficult recovery followed that attack but Morrison persevered and proved that he was indeed true greatness. The Cincinnati Enquirer recently caught up with the local legend to talk about his present and his future.
The attack in Toronto that almost cost you everything
Morrison: It’s no secret what happened to me a couple years ago. I was set to defend my PCW World Heavyweight Championship at Anarchy when I was attacked from behind by a coward. He, or she, damn near killed me. I was in a coma for three days and I barely survived. When I finally got out of the hospital, I battled everything from heavy drinking to depression. There were days I could barely get out of bed. And when I finally did, I’d stare at a loaded shotgun propped up against the wall. It took everything I could muster not to pick it up and blow my brains out. I was in a bad, bad, way and there were times I didn’t think I’d ever be able to shake it.
What ultimately saved Morrison
Morrison: I met my guardian angel in that Toronto hospital. She was my nurse and without her, I have no doubt that I would not be here today. Not only is she beautiful but she is strong. She took a broken shell of a man and forced him to look in the mirror and accept things for what they were. She took a broken shell of a man and forced him to move on with his life. I had lost everything and had no will to live. I certainly wouldn’t have blamed her for bolting because I didn’t make things easy for her. But she stuck by me and saved my life…literally and figuratively.
Popping the question
Morrison: There is no way I could imagine my life without Kay. Simply put, she is the most important person in my life. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her so I bought a ring and asked her to marry me. I became the luckiest man on the planet when she said yes. It’s funny…there was a time when I never thought I’d get married. It just wasn’t my style. I liked doing what I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. Settling down with one person just didn’t interest me. I guess almost dying changes your prospective on things like that. In a small way, I’m glad I was attacked because I never would have met her otherwise.
The PCW reunion show match with Sickboy
Morrison: I proved once again what true greatness was all about. I don’t know if Sickboy was the one who physically attacked me but I have no doubt that he was involved. That’s the way the Elite operated. But I proved once again that he wasn’t even close to being the talent I am. I beat him at Cataclysm for the PCW World Heavyweight Championship and I beat him again at the reunion show. For all the talk of how legendary the Elite were, they certainly couldn’t get rid of those they couldn’t beat. If Sickboy had been smart, he would have made sure I was dead. If Sickboy had been smart, he would have made sure that Michael Morrison would never have been able to step into a PCW ring again. But he wasn’t and he paid the price.
The significance of competing at the PCW reunion show
Morrison: By far, the most important match of my career. I don’t want to keep harping on the attack at Anarchy but I don’t think people realize how serious that was. Most men would not have been able to recover from something like that. Even had they survived, they’d be sipping their dinner through a straw for the rest of their life. But it was important for me to not only regain a sense of normalcy but also, regain my career as a professional wrestler. I didn’t want the lasting image of me to be laying on the floor in a pool of my own blood. I worked too hard and accomplished too much for that to be the way things ended. Once I got out of my own way and quit feeling sorry for myself, my focus became very clear…I had to come back. I had to prove to myself and everyone watching that Michael Morrison was still true greatness. And at the PCW reunion show, I did just that. And for that, it is probably the greatest match of my career.
If Premium Championship Wrestling ever came back, would that future include Morrison?
Morrison: Never say never. There is definitely one thing, or one person, that would get me back.
What gets Morrison back to Premium Championship Wrestling?
Morrison: Without a doubt, Danielle Lopez. The one person who holds the PCW World Heavyweight Championship. The end of the PCW reunion show made me sick. Lopez, Monroe, Skye…all three raising their hands up and acting like a bunch of little girls on the playground at school. I was embarrassed for them. That’s not what the PCW World Heavyweight Championship is all about. It is not about respect. It is not about sportsmanship. It is about being the best that professional wrestling has to offer and doing ANYTHING it takes to capture that belt.
I would be a damn fool to dismiss Lopez. She is one of the greats to ever step into a PCW ring. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that I never lost the PCW World Heavyweight Championship. My shoulders were never pinned to the mat for a 1...2...3. That would, at the very least, entitle me to a rematch clause, I would think. I certainly would, at least, deserve the opportunity to get my belt back. And THAT would get me back to PCW.
A message for the champ
Morrison: Lopez, you’re a good competitor, I won’t deny you that. You have won your fair share of matches and you obviously have the big belt in your possession. But let me make one thing perfectly clear…the ONLY reason you have that belt is because I was taken out. The ONLY reason why there is a PCW World Heavyweight Champion not named Michael Morrison to begin with is because of a sneak attack by a coward. Maybe it was you? Maybe you’re the one who decided to stack the deck in their favor…hell, it was the only way you could succeed.
You have a lot of feathers in your cap but as far as I’m concerned, your reign as PCW World Heavyweight Champion is incomplete. Your reign as PCW World Heavyweight Champion is a sham. Because you see, while it’s easy to beat the likes of Monroe and Skye, you’re nothing until you take on the longest reigning PCW World Heavyweight Champion of all time. You’ll always have that little asterisk by your name because you never beat Michael Morrison when everything was on the line. For your sake, PCW better not reopen its doors because if they ever do, I’ll be more than happy to take back what I never lost to begin with.