Unfortunately, it looks like Liv Morgan is about to turn heel

The Aug. 5 episode of SmackDown gave WWE fans a chance to see if the company’s newfound focus on the in-ring product that it flashed on the Aug. 1 Raw. They also wanted to see how it would navigate booking the star-bereft SmackDown Women’s division and its champion, Liv Morgan.

In terms of the latter, it was a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, Triple H and company showcased all of the women (save fornMorgan,  the “suspended” Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair) in a lengthy match with stakes: a gauntlet match to determine who challenges Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Clash at the Castle in September. At the same time, it was a mostly heatless affair that laid bare the booking mistakes of the previous regime.

That brings us to Morgan. Fresh off of retaining her title over Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam in controversial fashion — Morgan pinned Rousey, but Morgan tapped out to Rousey’s armbar before the 3-count — all WWE needed to do was have Morgan concede that she got lucky and that she wanted another chance to prove that she could beat Rousey.

Instead, we saw signs of a far more foolish decision on WWE’s part.

Based on the events of SummerSlam and the Aug. 5 episode of SmackDown, it appears as though WWE is planning a Liv Morgan heel turn.

To be fair, Morgan tried her best to quell the loud reminders that she tapped out at SummerSlam, but having her explain that she only tapped because she thought the referee had already administered the 3-count (which wasn’t what happened) further wounded a babyface character that had taken its share of hits over the last few months, even after winning the title in July.

Unquestionably, WWE booked itself into a corner with that finish to the Rousey/Morgan match, and this promo Morgan cut on SmackDown — which included her saying that she “survived” Rousey’s armbar (she didn’t; she tapped out) made her sound more like a flukey, oblivious heel than a valiant, take-on-all-comers babyface.

Perhaps that’s the point.

It would certainly explain the promo she cut on Friday, as well as her insistence that she “will do whatever it takes” to remain champion — typically an antagonistic refrain — and the rumor that Rousey is still listed as a babyface — the TOP babyface, in fact — in the company’s internal depth chart. And let’s not pretend that WWE couldn’t script a scenario where Morgan milks her arm injury (she came out wearing an elbow brace) to get out of facing other wrestlers for the title.

Hopefully, this doesn’t happen. Morgan, in spite of how WWE has often booked her, is affable and well-liked by the fans and Rousey seems more comfortable playing the heel role. Why not lean into that and attempt to give Morgan a real chance to establish herself as a lead babyface attraction rather than recontextualizing her as a chicken**** heel for a few weeks before Rousey beats her and sends her back to the midcard?

Though this is used far too much for WWE booking, we’ll have to see how things play out over the next few weeks. This upcoming program with Shayna Baszler — who thankfully won the gauntlet match to earn a title shot against Morgan — should give up a better idea of the direction WWE wants to take with Morgan.

And who knows, maybe WWE will forget about all of this and move forward with plucky babyface Morgan facing menacing heel Baszler. That’s far preferable to a heel turn, even if the heel turn feels far more probable than it should.