If Liv Morgan is going to show the WWE Universe just how real she is, these feuds will go a long way in helping her get that character over.
As WWE Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live are taken over by “new management,” there seems to be a push for lesser used talent to get time on the screen. One such person is Liv Morgan. The former Riott Squad member was kept from television for months; often hinting to a return on social media that would never come to fruition.
Things would change as she stepped forward during the SmackDown Live town hall segment next week and ended up in a match against former champion, Charlotte Flair. As expected, she came out on the losing end of that contest, but that wasn’t the big story at the end of her evening.
After the match, Morgan walked outside the ring and snatched the headset off Corey Graves’ head. She proclaimed that Flair was right and promised that she would return as “real.” While this declaration doesn’t come with any clarity, there is some interest around what this new version of Morgan shall be.
Are we looking at a whole-scale change to her character, or a subtle shift from the persona that liked to stick her colored tongue out to mock her opponents? Whatever the answer, there’s an interest in building Morgan for the future. Here are some potential feuds for the 25-year old, New Jersey native.
Charlotte Flair
The Charlotte Flair angle picks up from the match last weekend. Pushing them beyond a one-off encounter gives Morgan the opportunity to learn from one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Flair’s presence in the ring immediately elevates anyone and Morgan can benefit from that chance.
This isn’t a feud in which Morgan would need to go over as the final victor. Instead, this should be booked in a fashion that allows Morgan to show off this new character and be a thorn in the side of Flair, who is looking for a path back to the title. Casting Morgan as a suitable and momentary foil helps elevate her up the women’s roster; regardless of result.
Flair doesn’t have a feud heading into SummerSlam. With Bayley scheduled to face off against Ember Moon there isn’t a need to insert Flair into that storyline. Instead, booking a match with Morgan and Flair, perhaps on the Kickoff Show, gives them something of value to do while opening the door for story telling to occur in the three weeks leading into the showcase.
Morgan already has the look that could translate her into a woman to watch on this roster; working with Flair is an opening for her to show that her abilities in between the ropes are growing as well.
Lana
If Morgan is going to get over as a credible wrestler within the women’s division, then WWE Creative needs to book her with wins over her peers. There aren’t a lot of names that could be considered fodder for those looking to move up the roster within the women’s division, but Lana is one that hasn’t received much attention in recent months.
Her lack of booking creates the space needed to allow Morgan to get over her with matches that are meant to make her come off as a credible threat.
Now, the issue around this selection is whether Lana has improved enough as a wrestler. The biggest complaint against Lana is that while she has the appeal to be a central figure on the women’s roster, she has not shown the consistent development as a wrestler that can put on exceptional matches. That would be the danger of putting her in the ring, one on one, with Morgan who is still developing in her own right.
Still, Lana is the perfect candidate that is recognizable with fans, been involved in major storylines in the past and not in a position where taking losses would hurt her. A mini feud with Morgan wouldn’t need to involve some intricate storytelling for it to deliver the message that the “real” Liv Morgan is a threat to everyone on the SD Live roster.
Carmella
Rewind the clock back to when Enzo, Cass and Carmela were back in NXT; it was hard to predict back then that Carmella would be the one to have the best WWE career to this point. Not only has she shown longevity that they both massively failed to display, but she’s grown into one of the most important women on the WWE roster.
Carmella has had one of the longest women’s title reigns while on SmackDown and is now a part of the most watched WWE segments surrounding the 24/7 Championship. Plus, she’s improved head over heels within the ring to prove that she can hang with the best workers that that any WWE brand has to offer.
Carmella versus Liv Morgan has the potential to be a longer feud that can be woven into what is going on with R-Truth and the 24/7 belt. Imagine a scenario where Morgan costs Truth the title in order to get the attention of Carmella; setting up an angle between the two that can be fleshed out.
With Carmella’s involvement around the Truth storyline, her taking a loss to a rising Morgan wouldn’t hurt her overall stock on the roster. Just as the suggested angle with Charlotte Flair, Carmella versus Liv Morgan would be a suitable match for the SummerSlam Kickoff Show and extended beyond that to push Morgan higher up the roster.
Dakota Kai
Liv Morgan doesn’t have to remain on SmackDown Live in order to find a viable feud. Just like Killian Dain, who has gone back to NXT to cause havoc, Morgan can return to the black and yellow brand to reestablish herself as a character. While Morgan was never a featured talent during her time in NXT, she has gained increase exposure during her two-year stint on the main roster.
Dakota Kai is a veteran of professional wrestling with more than a decade under her belt across major organizations such as Impact Pro, Stardom and many others.
Within NXT she’s become a fan favorite and was rising to the main event before a torn ACL forced her out of action in early 2019. She’s made tweets that have caused some to believe her return is imminent, and there’s an interest in the New Zealander’s comeback. Morgan would be a good name to welcome her back to the ring.
As with what we saw with Tyler Breeze returning to NXT, this suggestion is more about an opportunity to showcase Morgan’s growth while helping Kai get over with the NXT crowd once again. Many see Kai as a title challenger to whomever is the NXT Women’s Champion and getting wins over Morgan would help her maintain that position.
However, this is also a chance to insert Morgan into that title picture at the same time if they are given the space to put on a great showing between the ropes. Morgan would benefit from a return to NXT and Kai is a great way to bring her back into the fold.
Sonya Deville/Mandy Rose
Can we create a long-term storyline for Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose where they aren’t accosting a woman of color? Both Deville and Rose have been welcome additions to the women’s roster, but their continued pigeon-holing as characters have hurt their growth as featured women on the roster. Deville has shown that she can go between the ropes and Rose is continuing to improve in that area.
While their mean-girl like characters are paint by numbers booking for women, they are capable of more. Therefore, they are recommended as an initial feud with Liv Morgan to show what all three ladies can do as characters and in the ring.
Mandy Rose has taken the forefront in the pairing with Deville, but a focused feud with Morgan creates a chance for Deville to get featured more prevalently. Perhaps the angle is built around the idea of Morgan looking for a new partner in Deville and driving a wedge between the two. Morgan could also be booked as a partner for whomever Rose and Deville target next, building a longer-term feud from there.
Whatever the move that is made to get these three women together in a storyline, this is the type of content that could be used to feature all three at a time where there’s a need for women’s personalities beyond Flair, Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans. A long-term feud between Morgan with Deville and Rose helps all three individuals involved.