John Morrison has opened up about how his WWE ring name came to be changed during his early run with the company, revealing that Vince McMahon personally pushed for the switch shortly after he became ECW World Champion in 2007.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Morrison recalled that McMahon never felt the name Johnny Nitro sounded like the name of a top champion. The issue became more pressing after Morrison captured the ECW World Championship.

“Vince had mentioned a few times that Johnny Nitro is not like a champions name,” Morrison said.

He confirmed that the surname also carried associations with WCW Monday Nitro, which McMahon was eager to move away from.

“Yes. The week after [winning the title], Vince walked up to me in catering, which is rare, said, ‘Gotta change your name. Gotta have a new name.’ Put a paper down on the table and a pen, and just make a list.”

Morrison explained that he was asked to come up with options immediately. At first he considered continuing the “M and M” style that connected with his tag team branding at the time, but he soon began writing down names inspired by celebrities.

Names such as Brando and Morrison made the list as he experimented with different combinations. In the end, the very first name he wrote down ended up being the one that stuck.

“A couple hours later, I handed this list to Vince, and he just went like this and read the top, was like, ‘John Morrison, like it, that’s it,'” Morrison recalled.

After the decision was made, Morrison leaned fully into the new persona. He began shaping the presentation of his “Guru of Greatness” character, including flat ironing his hair to resemble Farrah Fawcett and wearing aviator sunglasses. The look quickly drew comparisons to legendary musician Jim Morrison.

He also revealed that his interest in film helped influence one of the most recognizable elements of his entrance. While studying film at the time, Morrison approached Stephanie McMahon with ideas for a cinematic-style introduction.

Morrison initially suggested an elaborate shot using a Phantom camera to capture dramatic slow motion visuals. Instead, Stephanie offered a simpler solution by incorporating a live switch to a slow motion camera during his entrance, which ultimately became one of the defining parts of his presentation.