By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler John Morrison says he experienced jealousy from WWE wrestlers after winning the third season of "Tough Enough," but says he's earned his keep by surviving the WWE schedule that eliminates people who are in WWE for the wrong reasons.

"A lot of people looked at Tough Enough as a little bit of a shortcut," Morrison said on 93.1 The Wolf in Richmond, Va. "Tough Enough is a shortcut to get to the big show, but it's not long you win 'Tough Enough' and you're the main event of WrestleMania."

He added: "You pay dues pretty much the whole time that you're working with WWE. You travel 250 days a year. You do shows four nights a week. You basically have to earn your keep and if you don't, you get weeded out along the way. "

Morrison is one of three Tough Enough contestants still left in the company. Josh Mathews is an ECW announcer and The Miz is on the Raw brand.

Morrison said he grew up a fan of Shawn Michaels and tries to emulate him in the ring. Radio DJ Mike Levay asked if Michaels was one of the wrestlers who was jealous when Morrison came to WWE from "Tough Enough." Morrison answered by saying Michaels was more concerned about whether a new wrestler could work rather than where he came from.

"Michaels didn't really have anything to be jealous of. He's one of those guys that respects hard work and talent," Morrison said. "He's just someone you work with and if you're good at what you do, he respects that."

Morrison was also asked about creative input on his character and involvement in TV storylines. Morrison said it's generally a "collaboration" in WWE and he cited an example of changing his character's name from Johnny Nitro to John Morrison.

"John Morrison was my idea, changing my name was not my idea," he said. "Once I found out they wanted to change my name, I had some ideas and we met in the middle."

Link: The interview is available for download on Graham Cawthon's "History of WWE" website. Download here.

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