The WWE will need to make major storyline adjustments due to an injury to one of its biggest stars. Last week on Raw, Liv Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder, essentially five seconds into her match with Kairi Sane. After countering a boot from Liv, Sane proceeded to take Morgan to the ground. She used her arms to brace for the impact, and after landing, she immediately grabbed her right arm and rolled out of the ring.
Although the exact timetable for a return is not known yet, Morgan will need surgery and will probably miss a significant amount of action. There will need to be changes surrounding plans for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship and possibly even The Judgement Day. Here are three potential storylines that may result from Liv’s injury.
Raquel Rodriguez would possibly agree to team up with Roxanne Perez so that Raw General Manager Adam Pearce would not have to vacate the titles. Surely, Raquel would be reluctant in the beginning, but it would at least keep her from having to relinquish a championship without losing it. That is the solution the WWE used after the Jade Cargill attack when Naomi (later revealed as the attacker) stepped in and teamed with Bianca Belair.
That scenario, however, could cause more tension within The Judgement Day, especially if Finn Balor were the one to present the idea. There have been issues with the mere presence of Roxanne around the faction, in particular by Raquel and WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. Having Roxanne take Liv’s place could be taken as Finn attempting to replace her in general.
The tension between Dominik and Finn, which dates back to the end of last year, has continued to grow over the past handful of weeks. They have let bygones be bygones so far, but the above scenario could take Dominik to his boiling point. He is already dealing with the devastation of Liv’s injury. Finn suggesting a replacement for her, especially with it being Roxanne, could be enough to send Dominik over the edge.
There has been an ongoing power struggle and many differences in opinion surrounding Judgement Day leadership. Additionally, events such as J.D. McDonough’s injury, Dominik winning the Intercontinental Championship, and Dominik inadvertently costing Finn the Money In The Bank qualifying match have led to more tension, jealousy, and misunderstandings. It now looks more like a matter of when, rather than if, a rivalry will ensue.
Raquel and Roxanne may not find common ground. In that case, the best solution may be to vacate the titles and have a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament. That would also be a great pathway toward pushing new, and perhaps former, women’s tag teams. Although this would not be the ideal way to accomplish it, as it would be due to brutal injury, this at least forces the WWE to highlight other teams in the division.
WWE Evolution is a little over three weeks away, so there is still plenty of time to put together a tag team tournament on upcoming episodes of Raw and SmackDown. There are only a few established women’s tag teams on the main roster, such as The Secret Hervice and Michin & B-Fab, so the WWE will need to act fast to put together more teams. Some new alliances have already been formed (Natalya and Maxxine Dupri), and with recent returns to action, the opportunity to reconnect former alliances also exists.
You never know what may happen on a given night during a WWE event. Stories are planned months in advance, and in literally a matter of seconds, everything could change. I’m sure I can speak for most when I say: ‘Get well soon, Liv.’ The next handful of months won’t be the same.
The WWE is no stranger to adjusting in the face of misfortune and tragedy. That will not be an easy feat as Liv was not only one of the biggest stars on Raw but the company overall. The show must go on, however, and we will have to wait and see which route the company takes.
Out of each possibility, the Roxanne and Raquel tag team angle could offer the most long-term intrigue. The reasoning is that it could set the stage for a Liv versus Roxanne rivalry upon Liv’s return. There was already enough fuel there before her injury. Now, if Roxanne having her title and seemingly taking her place in The Judgement Day became part of the equation, that could make Liv completely, well, livid. Only time will tell if that comes to fruition.
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