Show: Wrestling Epicenter courtesy of www.WrestlingEpicenter.com
Guest: “Future Legend” Kerry Morton
Date: 11/11/2025
Your Host: James Walsh
Kerry Morton is a former NWA Tag Team Champion, Crockett Cup Winner, amd most recently the Juggalo Championship Wrestling World Champion! That’s right, the Insane Clown Posse’s wrestling organization is back and it is bringing back old school wrestling in a very cool way. JCW Lunacy broadcasts on YouTube every Thursday. Give it a try! And, Kerry Morton is here to tell you all about it!
Kerry Morton is the son of Rock & Roll Express’ Ricky Morton. We talk about that, learning under his dad, Robert Gibson, and “The Franchise” Shane Douglas amongst other topics. A lot of times, guys pick their nick names. In this case, “Future Legend” is a prediction. And, it is one I predict will absolutely come true!
You can check out JCW Lunacy on YouTube! Click here to subscribe to their channel!
Watch this interview on YouTube: http://www.wrestlingepicenter.com/IWR/interviews/KerryMorton902.html
Don’t forget to check out our official site, www.WrestlingEpicenter.com, for more great content like this including Enrique Calderon from Phoenix Championship Wrestling as well as former Dungeon of Doom and Raven’s Flock member “The Yeti” Ron Reis AKA “Big Ron Studd” Reese! We’ve been at this for over 23 years. Come check out our interviews, store, and more!
KERRY MORTON:
On growing up in the wrestling business:
“You know, my father grew up in the wrestling business as well. My grandfather Paul Morton was a referee for Memphis Wrestling and had a little tenure in the ring as well. Professional wrestling is literally the only thing I’ve ever known, it is what my father did to literally put food on our table. So, to say that I’m fortunate to live my dream in my father’s shadow… My father is my hero. To see what he has done in the professional wrestling industry motivates me. It also makes me want to go out there and make something of my own. That is something he’s always preached to me. He’d say, “Son, you got to go out there and make something for yourself! You can have my name. I can throw your name in a hat here and there. But, what is going to make you is you being you.” That is always something that has stuck with me.”
On growing up in the locker room:
“I grew up in the locker room. I grew up with the boys. That was my upbringing. Some of the guys I looked up to where not necesserilly my friends but instead some of the guys in the locker room that I grew up with. I’d go to them for advice. To say I have been blessed would be an understatement. I’m totally blessed to have had the people in my life and in my upbringing in professional wrestling.”
On if he likes to team or square off with his father in the ring:
“Both have their perks and cons. You know? It isn’t always fun to go home after facing him and tell the girls that I got my ass kicked by my dad. (laughs) But, both have their perks and cons. I’ve learned so much from him. Any time I can be in there with him or Uncle Hoot (Robert Gibson), be it with them or against them, there is always something new that I can put to the learning tree.”
On his athletic and theatrical background:
“Absolutely. I grew up playing all kinds of sports – I amateur wrestled for 13 years. And, my parents got me into theater where I had some success. I got to tour with national musicals. I am super glad my parents gave me that opportunity. That taught me how to act not just on stage but act in general. And, I’ve been able to bring some of that to the ring as well. It all came back around to my promos, the way I’m walking, the way I present myself, or even the way I think about matches. It is all important. That is something that young professional wrestlers that might listen to this, I hope they take pride in those things.”
On his theater background lending itself to new JCW Lunacy writer Vince Russo’s style:
“You’re not wrong. I had the opportunity to work with Vince Russo on the recent JCW Lunacy tour. He’s a different cat. I would say we agreed to disagree on a few things. That’s OK! That is something you have to take with a grain of salt. I’m not trying to shoot myself in the foot while on the air. (laughs) I enjoyed what he gave me. He gave me some great tips and I took those tips into my own realm of professional wrestling. The important thing to realize is it is OK to agree to disagree. I do think he really took a liking to me. And, if he didn’t? To Hell with him! I really don’t care! I’m Kerry Morton! I do what I want to do! (laughs)”
If his collegiate cheerleading background has helped in pro wrestling:
“Tremendously! Mind you, I played lots of sports. I did amateur wrestling for 13 years, I wrestled as part of the Tennessee State Team. I played football, I played soccer… I did the whole nine yards as it comes to sports. No baseball, no basketball. But, I played some of the most hard nosed sports there are and cheerleading outranks all of them by a lot. Excuse my French but taking the ass whooping of throwing a girl up 20 plus feet in the air. I wear a size 11. So, imagine 20 of those going straight up in the air, sometimes as high as 30 feet in the air, and that is 110, 120 pounds coming down from that height, not necessarily able to catch itself. That is something you have to take into account. Lots of trusting, lots of skill bas. I take a lot of that into professional wrestling. When you’re in there with a partner, there’s lots of trust, lots of skill, and trust in the ability to depend on one antoher without knowing one another. If that makes any sense at all? (laughs) Cheerleading absolutely helped me. And, I went on to win championships in cheerleading and be a champion collegiate athlete.”
On if he learned much working with “The Franchise” Shane Douglas:
“(laughs) Every time I get around Shane Douglas, I learn something. Whether it is picking up a new thing or he tells me something that he doesn’t tell any of the other boys which I think comes with trust, maybe in knowing who my father is. I’ve wrestled him more than 10 times. Now when I wrestle Shane Douglas, he shuts his mouth and lets me call the match. The amount of trust that me working with someone that I’ve looked up to like “The Franchise” is something I don’t take for granted one bit. I’ve learned so much from Shane Douglas. His mind is beyond anyone’s that I’ve gotten to talk to. I’ll put over Shane any day! He’s someone I still learn from and I love catching up with at wrestling shows.”
On the Southern 6 faction of he, Silas Mason, & Alex Taylor:
“When you’re hot, you’re hot! And, when you’re not… Well, you know how that goes! We’re some Southern boys. I’m from East Tennessee, Silas is from Knoxville, and Alex is in Hendersonville. We are some Southern boys. That is something we take a lot of pride in. I mean that as in Southern professional wrestling. There are so many styles of professional wrestling be it high fly, strong style, grappling, or the entertainment realm. Then, i believe there is Southern professional wrestling! That is where the crowd still cares about those little things. Still care about getting the crowd involved. That still believe in the roles of heels and babyface and knowing what your roles are and sticking to that. The ability to grapple and to fly around but still not lose sight of the audience. That is something that we are all on the same page with. When we came together in Australia on a tour with the NWA, that was our goal. We were going to put all of our eggs in the basket with this team. And,it is something we have had a lot of success with and something that is still going strong. If you watch us on JCW Lunacy or NWA Powerrr, it is awesome and incredible to see everybody on the same page!”
On working with the NWA:
“Absolutely. It is alive and well. I’m still under contract with NWA and that is something that I don’t take for granted. WPC, Billy Corgan, he gives me the freedom to do things like JCW Lunacy as well. There is so much wrestling out there. I’m booked 3 times a week – That is something I take a lot of pride in, the amount that I’m booked. And, I’m always thriving to make sure that the fans and the promoter get their money’s worth everytime that I’m booked on a card.”
On JCW Lunacy being a great pro wrestling show:
“Violent J, in particular, I will speak on. He has really taken that next step towards in building that production team, building those transitions between shows, making it an authentic professional wrestling show. That really, really stands out in this big field of professional wrestling shows and what makes us different as compared to everyone else.”
On working for the Insane Clown Posse’s JCW:
“I’m going to tell you a story I’ve never shared on air with anyone else. About two and a half years ago, I believe it was at NWA 77 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Violent J was there. He had taken a spell away from professional wrestling. I think maybe 6 or 7 years, he had not done anything on a big scale in professional wrestling. I saw him from across the room, he did not know me. That’s OK! I am not offended. He didn’t have to! But, I went up to Violent J and I said, “I’m going to be the JCW Heavyweight Champion.” He looked at me like I was crazy. I looked at Violent J and I said this word for word, “I’m going to take JCW to the next level.” He gave me one of those cool head nods. And, i walked away. I went out and I had a match with Colby Corino. Then, I’ll never forget, about two and a half hours after I went up to Violent J, he came up to me and said, “Were you being serious with what you said?” I said, “You’re damn right I am.” He grabbed me and he said, “What’s your number?” We shot some texts back and forth after that, nothing crazy. But, when I got back, he said, “I’ve got this idea. ANd, I want you to help me run this show, run this event.” We did that show, it was in Columbus, Ohio, and it was booming! Tickets sold out immediately. The crowd was red hot. It was unbelievable. I really busted my tail for him. I did some other stuff for him, an ICP concert down in San Antonio… That all lead to JCW Lunacy which is really Violent J’s vision for professional wrestling. A lot of stuff went into that. Violent J is the ultimate hype man. Not just for his own things but also for the wrestlers and who he books on his shows. He really believes in us. He wants us to bring ideas, he wants us to think outside of the box. If you’ve ever listened to ICP music, you know it is a little out there. But, it is beautiful. That is something that always has fascinated me… The way his brain works. Not to get away from your question but from the guy you see on the TV show to the Kerry Morton talking to you right now, I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to start up JCW Lunacy with him and to get it to where it is right now.”
On JCW Lunacy being so well rounded:
“We bring that old school professional wrestling back. We do interviews, we do vignettes, and it all leads to the in=ring. If you are looking for storyline based professional wrestling, JCW Lunacy is the show for you.”
On his future with the NWA:
“Well, my contract is up on December 31st. I’ve been with the NWA for the past 5 years now. I’ve been very fortunate to be here. But, here’s another something I’ve never said on air before. I want to be the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. As someone who has learned from Ric Flair and who was a part of his “Last Match” show and was hand picked to help work with him leading up to the match along with Jay Lethal, Andrade, and a few other names I’ll leave out… He (Ric Flair) said to me, “They’re not wrong. This company should be guiding you to becoming the next NWA World Heavyweight Champion.” That is a Hell of a compliment and I do not take it at all for granted. That said, I’ve done a lot in the NWA. I was the Junior Heavyweight Champion, I was the Tag Team Champion, I’ve won the Crockett Cup. So, I’ve done a lot. But, as far as my future in the NWA, I don’t know. I’ve had some interesting phone calls. But, I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot nor count my chickens before they hatch.”
On if he feels he is in his father’s shadow:
“A lot of second or third generation wrestlers might answer this differently but I’m extremely proud of my father and all of his accomplishments in professional wrestling. But, I’m not one to latch on to his success. That is why I’ve tried to do things differently from my father. I’m almost almost a complete 180 degree turn from him. From my gear to how I present myself, I try to it differently. I do not want to be Ricky Morton Jr, but I also love when people come up to my merchandise stand and tell me how much my father changed my life. It is like he’s said to me a lot of times, “You have to make yourself a star.” Look at Cody Rhodes, look at Randy Orton, look at JCW Lunacy roster member Colby Corino. They all took different strides and different motives.”
Om if he has WWE dreams:
“I would be out of my mind if I said I didn’t have dreams of main eventing one of those pay per views. Of course I do. And, I do think not too long in the future, that could become a reality. We will have to wait and see what the future brings.”
On JCW Lunacy:
“Did you ever go to a restaurant and it was really good but then you went back again and it wasn’t as good as you remembered? That is kind of what wrestling reminds me of sometimes. With JCW Lunacy, you get to see the creative ideas of Violent J! Anyone who knows me knows I love old school wrestling. I love Jim Crockett Promotions, I love the AWA, I love Mid South Wrestling. That is the kind of wrestling I love. That is what you get with JCW Lunacy. If you’re an old school fan, find it on Thursdays on YouTube. Go back and watch old episodes. See for yourself!”
