One of the many reasons that competition and options are so important in business, especially the pro wrestling business, is that opportunity is provided. The fans get variety, and a way that becomes possible is that performers get the chance to develop their careers across the spectrum of the industry, and in the process, have the chance to work to their fullest potential. It’s a drastic example, but keep in mind, there was a time that the WWE office only saw Cody Rhodes as a secondary comedy character with a spinoff gimmick of his brother’s more successful persona. Cody could’ve coasted on his last name and made a decent living as a lower mid-carder in WWE for the rest of his career, but he opted to leave the company in 2016. At the time, the indies had a level of buzz, but that was partially because Impact Wrestling, where Cody had a cup of coffee, was so under the radar on Pop TV. Sure, Cody made the leap to Ring Of Honor and drew the biggest crowds for the Sinclair-owned organization of that era, and used New Japan as a platform to fully expand the next chapter of his career, but it was ultimately the launch of All Elite Wrestling, the biggest potential competition to WWE since the closure of WCW two decades earlier, that allowed him to completely rejuvenate his career.
The bottom line is, without the existence of All Elite Wrestling as a platform for Rhodes, he wouldn’t have developed the American Nightmare persona that eventually made him the top guy in the WWE that he is today.
Those goals are lofty, and only a rare tier of worker is going to reach that level, but the point is, the chance to reinvent yourself on a smaller scale can lead to the ability to present the best version of the performer on a bigger stage.
According to Fightful Select, another former WWE wrestler is on their way back to the company after years of rebuilding their career outside of the scope of the publicly-traded, global corporation.
Big Bill, once known for his run as a tag team with Enzo Amore, is said to be slated for a return to the WWE eight years after his rocky exit. The real-life William Morrissey was only in the sport for two years before he signed a developmental deal in 2011 so for all intents and purposes, he was almost a total product of that early developmental system of Florida Championship Wrestling, the predecessor to the Performance Center. After spending about three years in NXT, which was put in place of FCW by that time, the act of Enzo and Cass was called up to Raw in 2016.
In short, the presentation was extremely popular for a relatively short amount of time. Despite being under the WWE umbrella for five years, Big Cass still looked to be a puppy with big paws so to speak. Sure, he could do the basic move set that was asked of him, but it looked very robotic and rehearsed. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s one of the unintended possible pitfalls when a talent only works within the WWE system, they aren’t quite as adaptable since they don’t have a variety of experience. Big Cass could do the Enzo and Cass routine, but hadn’t developed as an overall performer. When Enzo was quite literally all talk and so clumsy in the ring that Pac decided he’d rather quit his job than work with him a few years later, the original package of Enzo and Cass was all sizzle and no substance so it ran its course rather quickly.
In 2018, Morrissey was fired for behavior issues after an intoxication incident while on tour with the company. At the time, things looked bleak and he could’ve been on his way to becoming another precautionary tale of the pro wrestling business. There was also a bizarre incident at an independent show a few years later where he was intoxicated and got into some type of altercation, but details weren’t fully reported. Again, things didn’t look good for the career prospects of Morrissey, and his stock in the business was minimal at best.
When he reemerged in Impact Wrestling in 2021, it was reported that he dealt with addiction and mental health issues within the previous few years, but looked to rebound with fresh start as a healthy performer. That notion was reflected in the fact that he was in the best shape of his career when he showed up at the closed set tapings of Impact during the pandemic. He looked solid during his stint in promotion, as he wasn’t asked to do too much, but was given enough to showcase himself. In truth, the year that he spent in Impact was probably just a trial run to see if he had made enough progress to turn his life around for either of the bigger promotions to offer him a contract.
Despite Tony Khan signing such a bloated roster for the vast majority of the existence of All Elite Wrestling, I was still somewhat surprised when Big Bill showed up there in mid-2022, mostly because the promotion isn’t tailored to a big man style. That being said, Big Bill did well there and had clearly progressed in the ring, as his performances looked more natural and crisp. His tag team title run with Ricky Starks is probably what he was most known for within the past four years.
I understand that the Chris Jericho association had helped spotlight other talent prior, including the original Inner Circle faction after the launch of the promotion, but by the time “The Learning Tree” gimmick was used, Jericho himself was struggling to find traction so it just didn’t truly do anything for Bill or Bryan Keith. In fact, Jericho had to take a year away from the company to allow himself to return with a fresh start, but during that time the team of Bill and Keith were left rather directionless.
For most of the past year, Big Bill has been off the radar of All Elite Wrestling so it definitely makes sense for him to make the jump to WWE if a deal was offered. It’s a somewhat odd dynamic because after four years on the roster, I’m not sure Big Bill meant all that much within the landscape of AEW, and to be fair, very few are given the chance to be on an individual basis, but his tenure in the company certainly benefited his career since it allowed him to showcase that he became a more well-rounded performer.
That could ultimately set the stage for the real-life Morrissey to be yet another guy that left AEW as potentially underutilized to became a bigger star in the WWE. Granted, Alister Black ended up being a flop when he went back to WWE, and Andrade more or less wasn’t given much to do before he exited so there are exceptions, but if Morrissey is going to get over to a bigger level in WWE, this would probably be his best chance to do it. At 39, he’s at the latter stage of his career, but it wouldn’t be unrealistic for him to have a five or six year run if he gets over.
There has been some chatter online that Enzo might also be on his way back to the WWE to reform a team with Cass. I have to be honest, if Morrissey has any chance of getting over at this point in his career, he should be kept as far away from Enzo as possible. Aside from Enzo being aloof and insufferable in interviews, putting Cass back in the same scenario where he was before he left WWE would basically neutralize the progress that he made as a performer outside of the company. It remains to be see if Morrissey will be successful in the WWE if he returns, but it would undoubtedly be a tremendous comeback story for his career.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
