There seem to be two reactions to the brief clips we’ve gotten on Raw the past couple weeks teasing Liv Morgan’s re-packaging (the latest of which is embedded above):
- Oh boy, here we go again with another Eva Marie/Emmalina/Mandy Rose gimmick.
- Calm down, we don’t know that that’s where it’s going. They’re definitely teasing something darker.
While I’ll never tell anyone to blindly trust WWE, there’s merit to the “wait and see” approach here. For a variety of reasons, first impressions don’t guarantee final results with new characters. Sometimes it takes a while to fully present a concept (think Bray Wyatt & Firefly Fun House). Sometimes an idea is tweaked & revamped before our eyes en route to becoming something great (a la The New Day).
It would be weird if the endgame with Morgan was to turn her into a blonde beauty queen-type, because they’re already showing her to us as a blonde beauty queen-type. Combined with her narration and the music, they’re definitely implying there’s a swerve coming. Are those elements misdirection and she will just be a vain model character? Could be, but it’s also worth seeing how they execute that reveal - and how Liv plays that kind of character.
The big issue I have with the teasers so far is that Morgan’s previous gimmick never felt like something that was forced on her, or that she did seeking approval from others. Pink-hair, blue-tongue Liv seemed at ease playing a whirling dervish member of The Riott Squad. Even her promo delivery in these clips comes across more as something she’s being told to say, not her becoming her true “not typical” self.
But that could be by design, and setting us up for when she does something drastic like cutting off all her hair right before her debut.
Probably the biggest reason I don’t want to write this off yet is because Raw definitely needs more female characters, and Morgan always been a charismatic performer. She’s also one that was improving in the ring with each appearance... until she faded into the background after Ruby Riott’s injury and the April 2019 Superstar Shake-up.
Let us know what you think, Cagesiders. Is this a rehash of schtick we’ve seen too many times before, or just set-up for a swerve? What are your theories about Liv’s final form?