John Hennigan (professional wrestler)
| John Hennigan | |
|---|---|
| File:Johnny nitro.jpg | |
| Born | October 3, 1979 Los Angeles, California |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny Blaze Johnny Spade Johnny Superstar Johnny Nitro |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Trained by | Al Snow Bill DeMott Ivory Nick Dinsmore |
| Debut | 2002 |
'John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances World Wrestling Entertainment on the ''Smackdown!'' brand under the ring name Johnny Nitro and a member in the stable, MNM.
Career
Hennigan, along with Matt Cappotelli was the winner of Tough Enough III in 2003 and was granted a WWE contract as a result. After the series ended, Hennigan and Cappotelli were sent to the WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) for further training. Before Tough Enough, he had trained at XPW's Asylum.
In 2004, Hennigan debuted on WWE television the assistant of RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff. Hennigan was given a variety of pseudonyms, including, briefly, "Johnny Blaze", a trademarked property of Marvel Comics (and nickname of rapper Method Man), and "Johnny Spade". He was eventually named "Johnny Nitro", a reference to WCW Monday Nitro, the television series formerly produced by Bischoff. Hennigan also began using the Nitro theme music as his entrance music. This storyline was abandoned after several weeks and Hennigan was sent back to OVW, although he retained the name "Johnny Nitro".
Hennigan returned to WWE television on April 14, 2005, making his SmackDown! debut as one-third of the stable MNM with Joey Mercury and Melina. The following week, MNM defeated Rey Mysterio and the late Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Tag Team Championship. MNM successfully defended the titles in a match with Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly at Judgment Day 2005, but were defeated by Heidenreich and Animal on July 24, 2005. They defeated Animal and Heidenreich for the titles in a four way tag team match on October 28, 2005, and held the titles until December 16, 2005, when they lost to Batista and Rey Mysterio. They began their third reign to date on December 30, 2005, defeating Batista and Mysterio with the assistance of the returning Mark Henry.
The team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick would go on to feud with MNM, beginning by picking up a win in a non-title match against the reigning WWE Tag Team champions. London and Kendrick would continue their winning streak on the champions, including singles victories for both Kendrick and London on Nitro and Mercury respectively. Nitro and Mercury attacked the pair. The next week, Nitro and Mercury had their pants ripped off and were left in their underwear. The feud came to a head at Judgment Day 2006, where they defeated MNM for the titles. Later that same night, Melina and Nitro were fired, in kayfabe, from Smackdown.
It is unclear at this moment the situation with Melina and Nitro. It is rumoured that they may jump ship to RAW for Nitro to pursue a Single Career, with Melina more than likely his manager.
Wrestling facts
Finishing and signature moves
- Superkick
- Standing shooting star press
- Capoeira leg drop
- Powerbomb
- Snapshot (Flapjack DDT) (with Joey Mercury)
Championships and accomplishments
- 1-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (with Joey Matthews)
- 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Joey Mercury)
- Tough Enough III winner
Championship succession
Personal life
- John Hennigan is dating current MNM stablemate Melina Perez.