Why John Morrison Agreed to Have His Head Shaved

John Morrison is finally opening up about the dramatic moment that saw him lose his hair in Mexico — and the experience clearly meant more to him than just a shocking stipulation.

Morrison spoke with Chris Van Vliet on March 10, 2026 and reflected on the hair vs. hair match he had against Ángel de Oro at Arena México. The bout ended with Morrison losing the match and having his head shaved in the ring — a major moment in lucha libre tradition that he says turned out to be one of the most meaningful matches of his recent career. Before even getting into the emotional side of the match, Morrison admitted that the idea of having his head shaved is something wrestlers often worry about beforehand.

“Everyone’s worried that when they get their heads shaved, what if my head is shaped weird. But I mean the match did feel fantastic. That hair vs. hair match was one of the best matches I’ve had in years, and the first time in a while I felt like me again.”

Morrison then shifted the conversation toward his current position in AEW. While he made it clear he isn’t blaming anyone directly, he admitted that he doesn’t feel like he’s currently being used to his full potential on AEW television.

“For me right now in AEW, I feel underutilized. I can’t blame anyone, that’s just how wrestling promotions work. There’s only enough TV time for a certain amount of people.”

To explain his mindset, Morrison shared a phrase he says wrestlers use internally to describe the group of performers who regularly get featured in major storylines. According to him, he currently feels like he’s outside that circle in AEW.

“Those people in AEW—we coined the term ‘The Island.’ I don’t feel like I’m on the island with AEW and Tony right now. So I feel like I’m doing about 20% of what I’m capable of storytelling-wise and wrestling-wise in the ring.”

However, Morrison made it clear that things feel completely different when he wrestles in CMLL. Competing in Mexico gave him the opportunity to fully invest in the story and deliver the kind of performance he feels capable of: “With CMLL, I’m on their island, so I did everything I could. It was cool. Made me remember that yeah, I do love wrestling.”

Morrison also explained that agreeing to lose his hair in CMLL wasn’t a random decision. He had actually thought about doing a hair vs. hair match for years, especially because of how important those stipulations are in Mexican wrestling culture.

“Shaving my head? I did think about it a little bit. My acting coach had been on me to shave my hair for years. I’ve been thinking about the hair vs. hair match for a long time. I had wanted to wrestle Rey Fenix and try to take his mask when we were in AEW for a while, but the timing didn’t work out.

Then I started thinking if I’m going to put my hair on the line, it might as well be for CMLL, since culturally that’s where the hair vs. hair and mask vs. hair matches really started. The significance it has down there culturally is greater than it has in other places. So it made me think if I’m going to do this, I should do it in Mexico, in CMLL, the oldest Mexican lucha libre promotion.”

For Morrison, the match wasn’t just about the spectacle of losing his hair — it was about stepping into a tradition that carries deep meaning in lucha libre.

What do you think about John Morrison saying he feels underutilized in AEW after his hair vs. hair match in CMLL? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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