WWE spotlight: Watching the growth of Liv Morgan through the years

When watching Liv Morgan perform today in WWE, there is no question she is at her absolute best as a performer. It’s even more nostalgic for us when there is a recollection of how far she has come over the years since her debut as a wrestler.

Liv Morgan’s journey and growth in WWE

The first notable time getting to know Liv Morgan was in 2016 during an episode of NXT as she introduced herself to the world before a battle royal for a shot at the NXT women’s championship. Bayley was champion at the time, there were a lot of eyes on that battle royal.

She came across as a very nice person who is on the journey to just make her people and her home. During that promo, it was clear that Liv was looking to stand out and show why she is different than anyone else.

She came up short in the battle royal as she stood no match against the veterans at the time. Liv showed fearlessness despite her inexperience and that was enough for fans to realize there is something there with her.

Liv would go on to win some and lose some on NXT. The focus was clearly on her development as a superstar. As time went by, Liv looked more comfortable in the ring and became bolder with a slight edge.

That edge was enough for her to get on the bad side of the two biggest attitudes of the black and gold brand at the time the IIconics. Morgan came up short, but she continued to be a thorn in the IIconic’s side until she eventually gained a victory later on via a six-person tag match.

Liv didn’t win any titles, but she showed tremendous growth while also showing herself to be a capable tag team partner. That was obviously enough to catch WWE’s attention as she moved on to the next phase in her career.

In 2017, Liv made her debut on the WWE Smackdown alongside Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan with a team that would be known as the Riott Squad. They made an immediate impact as they interfered during a Charlotte and Natalya match and sent a clear message.

Much like her time in NXT where gaining championship gold was not the endgame, the same can be said about her run with the Riott Squad. At that time, there was no women’s tag team championship just yet as they gained victories over the likes of Naomi, Charlotte, and Natalya.

Liv made her first appearance in the Royal Rumble and came up short. She would go on to come up short in Wrestlemania 34 for the women’s battle royal, which was also her Wrestlemania debut.

It mirrored her time in NXT where the more experienced competitors were able to overcome her on a stage where a title match or general accolade was at stake. It has now become a trend where Liv would come up short under certain stipulations.

The Riott Squad changed scenery together as they were drafted to RAW in the 2018 superstar shake-up. The chaos on RAW started in a similar fashion as their Smackdown debut, interrupting a match between two top stars Bayley and Sasha Banks.

The chaos followed them during WWE’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view known as Evolution. The Riott Squad went against Natalya, Bayley, and Sasha Banks and came up short, but they showed why they were still a threat to the women’s division.

It was the first-ever all women’s pay-per-view, and it was very hard to imagine it without the Riott Squad on the card. By this point, Riott Squad became favorites to most fans for all of their antics in and out of the ring.

That same year, the women’s tag team titles were introduced and Liv went after it primarily with Sarah Logan, but they came up short. The journey of the Riott Squad slowly came to an end for the time being, but little did fans know, it was just the beginning for Liv.

Liv Morgan’s major evolution in WWE.

There came a point when Liv was tossed between brands with her seemingly lost in the shuffle. She was without her sisters and fans were anticipating more for the unique superstar. It seemed like she wasn’t given the opportunity to show herself.

However, Liv was given the perfect chance to make it all happen. Liv’s personality changed in ways never imagined and her in-ring performance evolved along with it in harmony. It has brought great change that is still ongoing today.

The most notable aspect was her reunion with the Riott Squad that came after she evolved. She became a completely different person in the ring and it made her and Ruby Riott legitimate contenders for the tag titles.

Ruby Riott was eventually released, but the true difference was Liv Morgan after the release of both of her sisters. She remained strong on her own two feet and challenged women’s titles, which is a sharp contrast to the first time the Riott Squad was disbanded.

Even though Liv Morgan came up short against Becky Lynch during the pursuit of her first taste of championship gold in WWE, she still has remained a favorite for all the work she has put in to make it to this point.

She has gone from one finding herself to where she is now as a consistent contender for the women’s title no matter which brand she is on. She is at her absolute best today as a competitor and even with her story being very interesting up to this point, her story is just beginning.

No matter what happens next, she has already built something special, fans will just have to wait for the rest of this story to unfold for Liv Morgan as she looks to bring it all together and achieve what has alluded her for years in WWE.