Miz and Morrison: Too good to be true, to stay together, or to break up?

In a world full of winners and losers, two men have risen above to give us one of the most entertaining tag teams we've seen in a while. Those two men are John "John Morrison" Hennigan and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Love them or hate them, these guys are the most entertaining heels the WWE has and that ECW showcases. One is a self-professed chick magnet, while the other is a self-professed shaman of sexy. One was a possible contender for ECW gold, while the other is a former ECW champ. Together, they have the funniest show on WWE.com which is called "The Dirt Sheet". It's a show so talked about, so full of itself, that it has made its way to ECW television a few times. Together, they were WWE tag champs for 8 months, which makes them the longest reigning tag champs in recent history (London and Kendrick were the last ones to hold the titles for a while; they had it for more than a year and are fourth on the all-time longest tag title reigns list in WWE history). It's quite an impressive showing to put together, don't you think? These guys are virtually perfect for each other with their characters. Also, they are pretty good apart. That's the dilemma. Where do you go from here when the time comes to turn a corner? Do you stay together? Do you split up? What do you do?

This arguably is a dilemma every tag team has to answer to, as well as every booker, owner, and sometimes, the occasional super-fan, or not. The Miz and John Morrison veritably complete each other. Both have egos the size of the hometowns or their hometowns' populations, which is why they can't stand each other at times. But both know that sweet smell of success and are willing to put aside the pettiness and work together to succeed. Upon doing that the first time, they realized how great they were (kayfabe), and continued their partnership. As stated, it has brought them gold and notoriety. But, now, the gold is gone, and the questions are starting to come up. What's going to happen when the fun stops? Will the fun stop?

You can't disagree that it would have been inevitable for these two to gravitate towards each other because they are very much alike in their mindsets, but different in their lifestyles. John Morrison started out a rather A-list party boy with a smokin' hot babe named Melina and a tag partner whom he always rolled with named Joey Mercury. They got gold as a team, but then they also got ahead of themselves when they lost the gold. In the end, the team split up, Melina and Johnny went to Raw, Johnny got the IC title a few times, lost to John Cena in a few main events and eventually started to become yesterday's news. Proof of such was his failed attempt at tagging with Kenny Dykstra and his gal Melina becoming Women's champ while leaving him in the dust. The 2007 draft came calling and he was sent to ECW via the supplementary draft. He won the title at Night of Champions and later declared himself by his "real" name, John Morrison. He was starting to embody the late rock star, Jim Morrison with his feathery hair, aloof nature, chiseled good looks, and rather obscure view of life. This new mentality, coupled with a rather amazing wrestling style helped secure his main-event status on ECW and secure a place in the minds of his critics, followers, etc. He was a guy to watch out for as his star was rising steadily.

Now, the Miz, more or less, had a rather different approach. He started out on SmackDown as its host. That quickly dissolved. He continued on as a wrestler who was obnoxious, unproven, and rather sneaky. He had innovative moves, something of a chip on his shoulder, and he was always in JBL's vocal cross hairs (which I believe was a reason the Miz never got over). Time passed, and the Miz disappeared from SD, only to be drafted to ECW as well. He was going to debut on ECW as a face, but his "bad heat" followed him. Instead, he professed himself as a ladies' man and a chick magnet. Everyone found that laughable, until of course, the Extreme Expose of Kelly Kelly, Layla El, and Brooke Adams started hanging out with him. Their relationship went sour and Miz was without the ladies. However, while all that had occurred in his career was made clear, his wrestling abilities were showing improvement as he had been shown to be ruthless, conniving, and very innovative.

These two became a team as they had a mutual interest in obtaining gold after they had battled each other for ECW title contendership. Their need for gold helped them put aside their squabbles and since then, they have been inseparable, but nothing lasts forever. The way I see it, there are three scenarios these boys can follow when it comes to their team. They can stay together, they can break apart with one surpassing the other, or they can break apart with both failing or succeeding. These scenarios are not original by any means as many teams have had to come to these decisions.

Let's say they stay together. They will continue their success as a team. They will continue their web show, The Dirt Sheet, and its entertaining nature. Great. However, what's going to happen when internal talks begin and it is seen that one could be holding the other back? Some already say that Morrison is one incredible talent and has shown that he can main event, let alone vie for major singles gold. But, can the Miz? If anything, the Miz can be a solid mid-card talent, winning mid-card gold at best, with room for improvement if allowed. But, how will he know if he can if he's stuck in a tag team? On the flipside, how can Morrison break out as a top star if he's limited to tagging up with Miz? Tough dilemma..

Let's say they break up. Miz and Morrison re-dedicate their singles' careers. While doing so, they are shown to be moderately good and only passable as top card talent. They both end up mid-carders who will only elevate talent that is chosen to take the next step, while they will be asked by other bookers to step up their game a little bit if they want to get noticed (a la Shelton Benjamin). They can't do it, and are relegated to their spots, until they are fired. Now, that's not a definite, but it could happen. However, you can easily say that one of them does succeed in stepping up, while the other does not. If that were the case, then wish the Miz the best of luck because he hasn't blossomed like Morrison has. Once again, tough dilemma..

Alas, this is not the first time these problems have surfaced for teams, as I've stated. The breakup choice always seems to help one star and hurt the others. A prime example deals with the Rockers. Great high-flying, fast paced team, but once the split occurred, Shawn Michaels became the star he is today, and Marty Jannetty, the more experienced one to some, is now unemployed. It's currently happening with Kendrick and London as Kendrick is "The Brian Kendrick" and London is on the fast track to the doghouse for many reasons. Sometimes, however, the breakup choice doesn't come out that way. Look at the Dudleys. They broke up and their careers suffered for it. They were quickly reunited, and fired 3 years later, as a team. Then, there's the Hardys. They were split up and look what happened. Jeff became a star, but not without his personal demons busting him up. Matt was not as big a star, but had the fan support to get there. If only he had the full female support of his girl, otherwise, he wouldn't have been fired. The fan support got him his job back, though, and later, Jeff regained his when he beat his demons for the time. Now, Jeff is in the main event spotlight with a major title in the wings, but it's not guaranteed, because of his past. Still, he has had moderate success with some IC title wins. Matt is the current ECW champion, which is the best he will ever do in his career, sadly (tune in to the 10/12 post to see what I mean). Still, that's some success for Matt.

What will happen to the Miz and Morrison? Practically, only time will tell. But, I will say this. The fact that they got this far is very impressive. You are looking at the only two superstars to actually successfully come out of WWE's Tough Enough program. They are living their dreams of professional wrestling and are making the most of it. They had an opportunity of a lifetime, and they are running with it. While some people are stuck in neutral trying to figure out what's wrong with their gimmick, they are taking their ideas and lampooning it to the fullest form of entertainment. If anyone can step up their game creatively, they can, and they are showing it. So, truly, anything is possible.

In a wrestling company full of whiners, cheaters, legends in the making, stars on the rise, spoiled brats, super athletes, and the like, two men are rising above to superstardom because it is what they have always wanted to do. But, they are doing it without having too much of the rigors of "paying dues" on their careers, so it's a big opportunity for them. Be Jealous! I already know some that very well might be.