by By Jim Varsallone
CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL INTERVIEW WITH LIV MORGAN – https://youtu.be/sr5JyrVBqgM?si=CyAZ4HWPndz3znqn
Liv Morgan’s journey is inspiring. Hard work, perseverance, timing, and a little luck all played a role in her climbing that pro wrestling ladder to achieve greatness as the top women’s wrestler on the Raw roster and one of the top in the company.
Her name Liv comes from positivity, living life to the fullest, and she is proving that, too.
We’re talking World Wrestling Entertainment, the biggest and most lucrative pro wrestling company in the world. She is a big fish in the biggest pond.
WWE Champ Liv Morgan can be seen weekly on WWE Monday Night Raw at 8 p.m. on USA Network. Here is my 1-on-1 interview with the talented WWE superstar, where she discusses the Green Bay Packers, Boston Red Sox, SummerSlam Cleveland, Mr. Hero Subs, School, Cheerleading, Hooters, Florida and more.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Morgan held the WWE SmackDown women’s title and now the WWE Raw women’s title. Her TV persona becoming a little on edge these days, a little more angry, a little more feisty, a little more cunning, she reached a new level, connecting more with fans.
Some injuries and rest to other top talent also helped give her this latest opportunity to take the ball on Raw, and she’s been running well with it. Rest by others, yes; it’s rare in this profession. There is no off-season in WWE. The publicly-traded company under the TKO Group Holdings banner with MMA power UFC is extremely lucrative — successful nationally & internationally — and fan friendly.
Brand ambassador
Morgan is also an ambassador for WWE. Whether it’s putting smiles on kids’ faces at children’s hospitals or talking to youngsters about WWE’s be a STAR anti-bullying program at Boys & Girls Clubs or repping WWE at various sports events, she does whatever is asked and enjoys it.
BTW, Morgan, who owns a Cheesehead, is now a big Green Bay Packers football fan, after being invited to one of their games in 2023. As a WWE superstar, she gifted running back Aaron Jones a cool Packers WWE legacy title belt the day before the big game on his birthday (Dec. 2).
The next day (Dec. 3) she led the Frozen Tundra faithful in a rendition of “Beer Barrel Polka/Roll Out The Barrel” on the historic Lambeau Field at that Packers game, a nationally-televised Sunday night win over Kansas City. She met U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who is married to Packers safety Jonathan Owens, and also posed for a photo with TV star and Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub (“Wings,” “Monk”).
https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2023/12/03/green-bay-packers-running-back-aaron-jones-gets-wwe-legacy-title-belt-liv-morgan-lambeau-field/71794318007/
As a WWE Raw Champ, while wearing the WWE title, she threw out the first pitch at another historic venue, Fenway Park, for a Boston Red Sox game.
Her Jersey Roots
Morgan, 30, is not from Green Bay nor Boston. She is a Jersey girl.
Born in Morristown, Gionna Jene Daddio grew up in Elmwood Park. After her father died, she and her siblings were raised by a single mom. One of six kids (four older brothers and one sister), Morgan, a tomboy, wrestled with her brothers in the backyard. They loved to wrestle outside and watch WWE on the TV inside — her favorite, Lita. She took powerbombs and pedigrees from her older siblings and dreamed of becoming a WWE superstar, like Lita.
Speaking of pedigrees, her WWE boss Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who was noted for using the pedigree as his finisher during his wrestling career, shares something in common with Morgan. Levesque hired famed trainer Joe DeFranco as his personal trainer. Morgan worked out at a Joe DeFranco gym in Wyckoff. The DeFranco connection helped Morgan receive an opportunity with WWE in 2014 at age 20.
DeFranco was impressed with her endurance and strength for someone her size (5-foot-3, 115 pounds) and passed along her info to Triple H and Canyon Ceman, the then senior director of talent development for WWE. That led to a tryout at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and within this six-month process, she inked a WWE developmental deal.
Assigned to the WWE Performance Center, Morgan learned how to wrestle professionally and become a WWE superstar. The WWE PC, Levesque’s baby, is an outstanding facility with outstanding coaches, including former pro wrestlers Matt Bloom, Sara Amato, Norman Smiley, Robbie Brookeside, HBK Shawn Michaels and Terry Taylor.
The WWE PC previously graduated another developmental talent to the main roster (for WWE’s signature weekly prime-time TV shows Raw and SmackDown) from the competitive cheerleading world, the 5-foot-1 Alexa Bliss. Morgan had her sights set on the main roster, too, and with Bliss paving the way for cheerleaders, the dream now seemed even more like a reality.
Morgan began wrestling for WWE’s developmental brand NXT on the Florida Citrus Circuit/Coconut Loop. With her look, improving skills, cool hats, and Jordans, she connected with fans. She could talk, too, on mic, a very important character trait for a pro wrestler.
A local cheerleader and local Hooters girl
While growing up, Morgan was cheerleading at the Elmwood Park Rec Center. She became a competitive cheerleader (more to be part of something) while at Becton Regional High School. A flyer, she enjoyed it, but she missed many days of school because of life/family situations.
Instead of having to repeat her sophomore year (as requested by the school), she opted to drop out of that East Rutherford school. Six months later, she passed a test for her GED and then attended Bergen Community College. She also landed a job with Hooters in Paramus and entered beauty pageants, before receiving that tryout with WWE.
Moving to Central Florida, Morgan made her pro wrestling debut with NXT in 2015. On the November 21, 2017, episode of “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” on Fox, Morgan made her main roster debut alongside Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, attacking Becky Lynch and Naomi to establish themselves as heels. On the same night, they interrupted a match between SmackDown Champ Charlotte Flair and Natalya and proceeded to attack both. The following week on SmackDown, the trio, now called “The Riott Squad”, made their in-ring debuts for the brand, defeating Flair, Naomi and Natalya in a six-woman tag team match.
After breaking away from the successful trio, Morgan began to find herself again as a singles talent. Morgan won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship twice with Raquel Rodriguez and was a 2022 WWE Money in the Bank winner, before reaching the top of the WWE mountain twice.
NOTE: ESPN ranked her No.6 of the Top 10 Women Wrestlers in 2024. In a recent study conducted by 1337 Games, Morgan is identified as the most attractive WWE superstar.
Some WWE upcoming shows
WWE Champ Damian Priest Live – Aug. 2 – The Agora – Cleveland
WWE SmackDown – Aug. 2 – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland (Fox)
WWE IC Champ Sami Zayn & Friends Do Cleveland – Aug. 2
WWE SummerSlam Superstar Brunch – Session 1- Aug. 3 – Cleveland
WWE SummerSlam Superstar Brunch – Session 2- Aug. 3 – Cleveland
WWE HOF Undertaker 1deadMan Show – Aug. 3 – The Agora – Cleveland
WWE SummerSlam – Aug. 3 – Cleveland Browns Stadium (Peacock)
WWE Tickets:
https://www.wwe.com/events/results/all-events/all-dates/38.570/-121.470/sacramento,%20CA,%20USA/US
