DUBAI: John Morrison鈥檚 journey to Thursday night鈥檚 WWE Super ShowDown in Riyadh has been anything but straightforward.

The Los Angeles native first joined WWE just over 15 years ago, before leaving in 2011 to join the independent wrestling circuit and Mexico鈥檚 Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, then returned to the organization in December 2019.

This week, alongside The Miz, he will take on The New Day in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match. It will be his first appearance in the Kingdom.

鈥淚鈥檓 ridiculously excited to be in 黑料社区, but this is the most important match since my return to WWE,鈥� Morrison said.

鈥淜ofi and Big E (The New Day) are no joke. They are individually talented and together they are very dangerous. For The Miz and I to beat them requires 100 percent focus and for us to be on top of our game. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 planning on doing.鈥�

Over the last year, 黑料社区 has hosted two WWE events, Super ShowDown in Jeddah and Crown Jewel in Riyadh. Morrison and his fellow wrestlers are increasingly aware of WWE鈥檚 popularity in the Kingdom and across the Middle East.

鈥淎n event like Super ShowDown is something that families can go to and really feel the electricity and excitement of WWE,鈥� he said.  

鈥淲hen I was growing up watching WrestleMania and going to see WWE Live events as a kid with my dad and my friends, that鈥檚 part of the reason why I fell in love with wrestling and why I do it today. A show like Super ShowDown has the power to capture the imagination of people.鈥�

Looking forward to Thursday, the 40-year-old wrestler points out that preparing for a tag team bout is different to an individual battle.

鈥淭he main difference is that there are more people involved so there are more things that could go right or go wrong,鈥� said Morrison.

鈥淭he preparation physically is very similar, but mentally there is a lot more strategizing and scheming that The Miz and I need to do.鈥�

With weekly WWE events taking place in America, how exciting is it for the wrestlers to take the shows on the road and perform in different countries?

鈥淒oing shows outside the US is so important. It is why we are called World Wrestling Entertainment,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淚t is also a real bonding experience for the roster to travel together. I鈥檓 looking forward to spending time with everybody on this trip. The card we have for Super ShowDown is like a WrestleMania card. The people taking part are stars. These are matches you might never even see in the US.鈥�

Having got his big break by winning the third edition of WWE Tough Enough, a reality television series by WWE, Morrison knows how hard it is to compete against aspiring wrestlers. 

In June, WWE will hold a talent tryout in Riyadh, and he has a word of advice for the Saudi hopefuls.

鈥淚t is an incredible opportunity and the best advice I have for people looking to take part in the tryout is to level yourself up physically and mentally, understand the business in every aspect that you can, and when you get there you鈥檒l have nothing to worry about.鈥�  

They already have the perfect role model.

WWE鈥檚 first-ever Saudi member, Mansoor, has graduated from being a tryout hopeful in 2018 to winner at the 51-man Battle Royal at the 2019 Super ShowDown in Jeddah last February, and beating wrestling legend Cesaro at Crown Jewel in Riyadh on Oct. 31 to the delight of his hometown crowd.

Morrison himself is looking forward to being inspired by the local audience.

鈥淭his is going to be my first time in 黑料社区, in front of a Saudi crowd, and I鈥檓 beyond excited to experience the country and the people. I want to feel the energy.鈥�