The Jersey girl wants a mirrorball trophy

Look, I love Liv Morgan as much as the next guy who spent way too much money on a 'Watch Me' t-shirt during the pandemic. She has that weird, chaotic energy that makes you think she might either give you a hug or key your car, and frankly, that is exactly what professional wrestling needs. But after her recent appearance on the Ring The Belle podcast, where she basically begged for a spot on Dancing With The Stars, we need to have a serious talk about the 'Liv Morgan Revenge Tour' and where it is actually headed.

Liv is riding high right now. She just came off a massive WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas where she arguably had the most eyes on her since she decided to ruin Rhea Ripley's life a couple of years ago. According to Ringside News, she feels her performance at Allegiant Stadium unlocked a new level of confidence. She does not just want to be the champion of the women's division; she wants to be the champion of your mom's favorite Monday night reality show.

It is the classic WWE-to-Hollywood pipeline that we have seen a dozen times. You get a little bit of mainstream momentum, you realize that taking bumps on a cold mat in Des Moines sucks compared to wearing sequins in a Los Angeles studio, and suddenly you are practicing your foxtrot. Can you blame her? Probably not. But can we be annoyed by it? Absolutely.

The WrestleMania catalyst and the Vegas hangover

Let's look at the tape. WrestleMania 41 was supposed to be the coronation of the 'new' Liv Morgan. We saw her go out there in front of a massive crowd in Vegas and lean into the theatricality of the sport. She has always been better at the character work than the actual grappling—don't @ me, it is the truth—and that night was no different. Her entrance alone probably cost more than my first three cars combined.

The match itself was fine, but it was the 'performance' aspect she keeps talking about. She felt like a star. When you are standing under those lights at Allegiant Stadium, and you realize you can command a stadium without necessarily having to take a German Suplex into the turnbuckle, the gears start turning. She told Ring The Belle that the experience made her realize she is ready for a different kind of stage.

But here is the problem: the wrestling fans who stuck by her through the 'Cry About It' era and the endless stop-start pushes didn't do it so she could go hang out with Julianne Hough. They did it because they wanted to see her become the focal point of the division. If she is already looking for the exit door to go do a Samba, it feels like a bit of a slap in the face to the people who treated her like the underdog hero for five years.

History is not exactly on her side

We have seen WWE stars try the ballroom dance before, and it is a mixed bag of cringe and genuine talent. Stacy Keibler was the trailblazer back in 2006, and she basically used it to sprint away from wrestling and never look back. Chris Jericho did it in 2011 and looked like he was having a mid-life crisis in neon spandex. Then you have The Miz, who finished in **ninth place** back in 2021 and spent the next six months reminding us about it every single night on Raw.

The common thread? Most of these people were either at the end of their full-time careers or were looking for a way out. Liv Morgan is 31 years old. She should be in her absolute prime as an in-ring competitor. If she takes three months off to go do DWTS, she misses the entire summer build-up to SummerSlam. In a division that currently features a returning Charlotte Flair, a dominant Rhea Ripley, and the rise of the NXT class, three months away is an eternity.

WWE is currently in its 'mainstream or bust' era under TKO. They love this stuff. They want their stars on every red carpet and every reality show because it drives the stock price up. But for the guy sitting in the third row in a sweat-stained Kevin Owens shirt, it feels like the people we cheer for are constantly looking for a better job. It is hard to stay invested in a 'Revenge Tour' when the protagonist is busy worrying about her toe-point during a Rumba.

The harsh reality of the Liv Morgan work-rate

Now, let's get into the stuff that gets people mad on Twitter. Liv Morgan is a great 'personality.' She is a social media juggernaut with over **750,000** followers on some platforms who hang on her every word. But as a wrestler? She still has those moments where it looks like she is thinking three seconds ahead of her body. There is a clunkiness to her work that hasn't quite gone away, even after a decade in the system.

Her match at WrestleMania 41 went for about **14 minutes**, and while it was a spectacle, there were at least two spots where she and her opponent looked like they were trying to solve a Rubik's Cube in the middle of the ring. If she goes to DWTS, she isn't getting better at wrestling. She is getting better at being a celebrity. And maybe that is the goal. Maybe she knows her ceiling in the ring isn't as high as someone like Iyo Sky or Bayley, so she's pivoting to the 'famous for being famous' route.

I’ve watched Liv since the Riott Squad days. I remember when she was just the girl with the blue tongue who took crazy bumps for Sarah Logan and Ruby Soho. She has worked her tail off to get to this position. But there is a fine line between 'expanding your brand' and 'abandoning the ship.' If she gets the call for the next season of DWTS, WWE will frame it as a win for the company, but for the women's division, it’s just another hole in the roster that someone else has to fill.

I want to show people a different side of me. WrestleMania was just the beginning of what I can do as a performer.

That quote from the podcast is the classic 'I'm ready for Hollywood' starter pack. It’s the same thing we heard from John Cena and The Rock before they started filming movies where they play a tooth fairy or a guy who rescues people from skyscrapers. The only difference is those guys had already main-evented multiple WrestleManias and carried the company on their backs for a decade. Liv has had one solid year at the top.

Is the division better without her?

It’s a cynical question, but one that needs to be asked. If Liv goes off to be a B-list celebrity for a few months, does the Raw women's title scene actually suffer? Honestly, probably not. We are currently seeing a massive influx of talent from the Performance Center that can actually work circles around the current main roster. If Liv leaves, it just opens up a spot for someone who actually wants to be in the ring 300 days a year.

The 'Livies'—her hardcore fanbase—will follow her to ABC. They will vote for her every week, they will make TikTok edits of her dancing with some guy named Sasha or Valentin, and they will claim she is the greatest dancer in the history of the world. But back in the world of headlocks and high-spots, she will become an afterthought. Just ask Nikki Bella. She did the show, did a great job, and then realized the wrestling world had moved on without her.

WWE's schedule is more demanding than ever. Even with the reduced house show loop, the media obligations for a top star are insane. You can't be the champion on Monday and be in a rehearsal hall in Culver City on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. One of them has to give. And based on her comments, it sounds like Liv is more than happy to let the wrestling side of things take a backseat for a while.

The verdict from the sports bar

Look, if I’m Liv Morgan, I’m probably doing the same thing. My knees probably hurt, my neck probably clicks when I turn my head, and I’m tired of being told I’m 'not quite there yet' by the internet scouts. Why not go get paid to wear a shiny dress and have people tell you you’re brave for doing a split? It is the smart business move. It’s the logic of a management consultant, not a pro wrestler.

But as a fan, it’s disappointing. We are **13 days** away from AEW's Double or Nothing, and while that is a different company, the contrast is stark. Over there, you have people who would literally crawl through broken glass just to get five minutes on a Buy-In show. In WWE, the top stars are treating the ring like a stepping stone to a reality show competition. It’s the TKO era in a nutshell: everything is content, everyone is a brand, and the actual wrestling is just the stuff that happens between the commercials.

If Liv Morgan ends up on Dancing With The Stars, I hope she wins. I really do. She’s got the personality for it, and she’s certainly athletic enough to pull off the moves. But don’t expect us to be waiting with bated breath for her return to the ring. By the time she’s done with her last tango, the wrestling world will have found a new favorite underdog. That is the nature of the business. You either stay in the fight, or you dance your way out of the conversation.

So, here’s to Liv Morgan. May her scores be high, her spray tan be even, and her heels never break. Just don’t be surprised if, when she finally comes back to the arena, the fans have already moved on to someone who cares more about the three-count than the judges' table.