Photo via @HarleyPlays on Twitter
Harley Morenstein Drops 50 Lbs to Fight “Wrestling Icon” John Morrison
Harley Morenstein, of Epic Meal Time fame, clashes with former WWE superstar John Morrison in a boxing bout at Creator Clash II. This all goes down on Saturday, April 15th at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
I engaged in a bit of Q&A with Morenstein ahead of his unique charity showdown. Excerpts from that interaction are below.
Harley Morenstein
Q: I was at WWE Elimination Chamber in Montreal and thought I saw you. Were you there ringside and if so, how did you feel about the event?
A: “I was there ringside!! I love wrestling. Was such a great event and I love the energy my city brought. I can’t believe they really had my ass believing that Roman (Reigns) would be losing the belt to Sami (Zayn) at Elimination Chamber. Wrestling has been great lately.”
— Matt Haun (@MattHaun1) February 19, 2023
Harley Morenstein vs John Morrison
Q: Speaking of pro wrestling, your opponent John Morrison is seasoned in that space and he is crossing over to the sweet science. Even though this is a new endeavor for him and there’s not a great deal of localized info to go off of, what are some of Morrison’s better attributes in this fight?
A: “John Morrison is one of the most athletic heavyweights I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring. His physical advantages, I believe, far outweigh my own other than my reach. Another attribute, that shouldn’t be discounted, is John has experience being physical inside a ring in front of tens of thousands of people.”
“I’ve done it once and it is deafening and hard to think. I couldn’t even hear my coach who was yelling strategies at me from ten feet away. Meanwhile, John is used to executing spots and improvising in a ring. Lastly, I also think John is somewhat of a crazy person. He’s just a crazy ass dude that has done some crazy ass things in the ring. That can be a positive attribute.”
Creator Clash II
Q: With this being your second boxing bout and your second Creator Clash appearance, what aspects of your sweet science approach do you feel have most improved?
A: “I was 276lbs for Creator Clash 1. I weigh about 50lbs less than I did last creator clash. Been following a nutrition and exercise plan from Lui Marco (one of the first fitness influencers I ever came across). So me being lighter means cardio hasn’t really been as much of an issue like it was for the last event. Training for the last event I couldn’t hone much technique because I was gassed or I was putting strain on my ankles and knees during training.”
“Now I feel much better in the ring so overall I can work on a lot more. My coach, Jessy Thompson, has me working on footwork and hammering the basics down. He puts an emphasis on defense, because that was important to me going into the first fight and especially now since I’m not fighting a YouTuber and instead a wrestling icon.”
Pat Stay and King of the Dot
Q: I remember you being right there at the forefront of several big King of the Dot battles. At the time of this question, Pat Stay Tribute events in lieu of his tragic passing are set to go down in Toronto. What are your feelings on the overall legacy of Pat Stay and his contributions to battle rap culture?
A: “Last year, I hosted an event in Halifax. It was my first time there and it was really cool. They had BBNO$ performing and some other musically talented people. I asked around for Pat Stay’s phone number because I wanted to connect with him while I was in town. We had some weird dramatic run-ins in the past and I wanted to clear that up and hang out. I’ve always been such a fan of Pat Stay. He came out that night, we hit it off and we had such a great time in Halifax. He was telling me how he was going to be boxing in a Rough n Rowdy match.”
“I invited him to come stay at my house for two weeks to do a camp. We would be perfect to spar together and train together. He was down. We locked it in. He was coming to stay with me in a couple weeks. He died the very next day. Was a legend as a battle rapper. He was hilarious and sweet in person. I can honestly speak endlessly about Pat Stay and all of it is good.”
Creator Clash
Q: Do you have any parting or final thoughts for John Morrison before this fight?
A: “John, you wanted to step in the ring and box some clout-chasing, bacon-eating, alcoholic YouTuber and walk away without breaking a sweat. But that’s not who you’re stepping in the ring with. You’re stepping in the ring with someone different. I am different now and I’m going to be problematic for you.”
