Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1 on New Year's Day or shortly thereafter. Then Headline Surfer will post a Top 10 forecast story of the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Headline Surfer illustration / above: The Morgans of Longwood - Matt Morgan, wife, Larissa, and son, Jackson, extend Happy Easter greetings to wrestling fans on this Christian Holy Day marking the resurrection of Christ. / Below: The Morgans pose with the Easter Bunny at a recent community event in Longwood. Matt Morgan is an elected city and former mayor of the municipality in Seminole County. He's also a retired pro wrestler and starred for one season on American Gladiators.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
LONGWOOD, Fla. -- Matt Morgan, a giant of a man at 7-feet tall and 315 pounds, wraps his thick muscular arms around the Easter Bunny as a show of love to set the example for his young son, Jackson.
You may think the Easter Bunny is just some jabroni dressed up in a costume pretending to be hip-pity-hop-hop critter delivering Easter eggs.
But don't say anything like that in the presence of the 7-foot tall retired professional wrestler, who was known in the squared circle as 'the Blueprint" Matt Morgan.
As an elected politician and celebrity, Morgan, 44, gives of himself to countless charities and community events in this Seminole County city, just northeast of Orlando and about 45 minutes from Daytona Beach along the I-4 tourism corridor - Disney and the Attractions in The City Beautiful on one end and Daytona International Speedway and the World's Most Famous Beach on the other end.
For Morgan and his wife, Larissa, devout Christians, Easter symbolizes the day of Christ's resurrection from the grave following his death from being nailed to the cross by the Romans due to the betrayal of one of his disciples - Judas Iscariot - for 30 pieces of silver. It's also an opportunity to provide their 7-year-old autistic son, Jackson, enjoyment and love of the Easter Bunny and other fun activities such as coloring eggs.
For Matt Morgan and his wife, Larissa, devout Christians, Easter symbolizes the day of Christ's ressurection from the grave following his death from being nailed to the cross by the Romans due to the betrayal of one of his disciples - Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. It's also an opportunity to provide their 7-year-old autistic son, Jackson, the experience of enjoying a fun-loving experience of Easter with the Easter Bunny and other fun activities such as coloring eggs as shown above in the videos.
Despite his active daily schedule, family always comes first to Matt Morgan, especially during the holidays for these are special occasions that he can celebrate the true meaning of life and love.
"My wife and son - my family - that's what is most important to me," Morgan said.
And what better day than Easter for Morgan to truly reflect on the loves of his storied life in and out of the public spotlight - that of his wife and son.
Matt Morgan Career: Pro Wrestler, American Gladiators, elected politician
Headline Surfer photo illustration / Above: The Morgans of Longwood, Florida - Matt Morgan, his wife, Larissa, and their son, Jackson, extend Happy Easter greetings to wrestling fans on this Christian Holy Day marking the resurrection of The Lord. Below: The Morgans pose with the Easter Bunny at a recent community event in Longwood.
Morgan stands tall, literally and figuratively: After all, he's 7 feet tall. He was a giant in the world of professional wrestling and a frightening sight on American gladiators for one season.
Morgan's wrestling career started in 2002 and lasted for a decade and a half - with the WWE, TNA Impact Wrestling and on independent wrestling circuits in the US and in Japan.
In 2008, Morgan accepted an offer to appear on the third series of American Gladiators as one of the Gladiators.
Under the name "Beast," Morgan made his Gladiator debut during the first night of the semifinals in the joust. He defeated each of his two opponents in less than eight seconds.
On Sept. 24, 2010, he appeared on the Fox television show The Good Guys, playing the role of a Russian mobster on an episode titled Vacation.
In November 2010, Morgan was a contestant on an all-TNA week of Family Feud, teaming with pro wrestlers Jay Lethal, Mick Foley, Mr. Anderson, and Rob Van Dam against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara, and Velvet Sky.
These days, Morgan is an elected politician - serving as a city commissioner in Longwood and as its former mayor.
In 2017, Morgan ran for public office, defeating incumbent Mark Weller as District 4 City Commissioner of Longwood, Florida. He is a member of the Republican Party. He became the mayor of Longwood on May 7, 2019, serving for one year in a rotation as part of his elected municipal commissioner post.
Even with his family and with his political duties, Morgan keeps tabs on wrestling through various podcasts and wrestling websites, either as a special guest or contributing writer.
Did You Know? Matt Morgan, legitimately 7 feet tall, participated in tryouts for the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors of the NBA, but he was not offered a contract by either team. So he turned to professional wrestling. The Fairfield, Conn. native played basketball in college, first for Monmouth then transferring to Chaminade University in Hawaii, where he finished his college basketball career and graduated magna cum laude in public speaking. While at Chaminade, Morgan played in the Maui Invitational against the No. 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.