From Anger to Elation, Liv Morgan Has Earned Her Spotlight at WrestleMania 42 (Exclusive)

It took all of 10 seconds in speaking with Liv Morgan to realize that the former Women's World Champion is genuinely LIV-ing her best life right now.

After nine consecutive attempts, Morgan tossed the returning Tiffany Stratton to the floor last Saturday afternoon in Saudi Arabia to win her first Women's Royal Rumble Match. It's a moment she's been trying to manifest since the women's version of the over-the-top rope challenge was first introduced nearly a decade ago.

Liv was so elated when the bell rang that she initially forgot to point at the WrestleMania sign, and when Morgan spoke to The Takedown on SI earlier this week, she was still on cloud nine.

WHAT A MATCH!@YaOnlyLivvOnce just punched her ticket to WrestleMania! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/45veUot7KA
— WWE (@WWE) January 31, 2026

"I'm still on it and I'm staying there," Morgan said with a massive smile on her face. "I'm very much staying present in the moment."

While Morgan is all smiles now, that wasn't the case for much of the latter half of 2025. Just weeks before SummerSlam, which was taking place roughly a half hour from where she grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, Liv underwent shoulder surgery that would keep her on the sidelines until the end of November.

It was a familiar rehab process as she suffered a similar injury during the summer of 2023. Morgan used her time away from the ring that year to find a new sense of purpose and launched her highly successful revenge tour during the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble Match.

While the circumstances of both injuries did mirror each other quite a bit, this latest setback for Morgan felt very different.

"I was mad the whole entire time," Morgan said. "I got injured in a moment [when] I had multiple things going on for me. I was really enjoying and loving what I was doing. So to have all that taken away from me for an extended period of time, I was angry. I was quite literally angry the whole entire time that I was recovering. So, I feel like I came back with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder just because I felt like my career was taken from me, and I did not appreciate that."

Morgan is a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, but she had a hard time finding the purpose behind her injury this time around. She's now been able to settle on having to endure this latest comeback attempt, so it could lead to her Royal Rumble victory.

Growing up a lifelong John Cena fan, Morgan had the good fortune of making her return in a major spot along his road to retirement. She provided her 'Daddy' Dominik Mysterio a massive assist that allowed him to regain his Men's Intercontinental Championship from the 'Greatest of All-Time' at Survivor Series: WarGames.

With Cena now retired, Liv Morgan may be the new face of the 'Never Give Up' campaign. Nearly 12 years into her WWE career, firmly nestled in the deepest and most talented women's division in WWE history, Morgan is just weeks away from her first WrestleMania singles match since 2020, and her first ever on the main show. Also, potentially her first WrestleMania main event.

"You know, I'll take that title," Morgan said. "I'll take that title, because you never know how your success is going to go in this business. You can only hope for the best and sometimes your success doesn't happen on the timeline that you want it to, but all you can do is just keep pushing."

Keep pushing no matter the obstacles, of which there have been many throughout Liv's career, but she's learned over the years to enjoy all the ups and downs of her journey, because no performer ever truly knows when theirs will come to an end. Although we'd like to think that Liv has many, many more years ahead of her.

Morgan signed her first WWE contract when she was just 20-years-old. She's now an accomplished veteran at the still young age of 31, and some would argue that she hasn't even reached her prime yet. We attempted to make that argument, but the greatest Women's Royal Rumble winner of all-time disagreed with our assessment.

"I don't believe in a prime. A prime to me means like you've capped. That means you stopped getting better. I will never stop getting better. I'll never stop growing. I'm not gonna hit a prime... This is only the best version of me so far." Morgan said emphatically. "I've had a good couple years, but there's so much left to accomplish."

Who will Liv Morgan face at WrestleMania 42?

Liv Morgan now has a very important decision to make. Does she want to challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship at this year's 'Showcase of the Immortals' or does she want to face Stephanie Vaquer for the Women's World Championship?

She may make her decision during Friday night's episode of WWE SmackDown in Charlotte, North Carolina. Morgan will make a rare appearance on the Blue Brand to scout out Cargill, who is someone she's crossed paths with before in the past.

"The first thing you notice is like damn, this is bitch is big! And she's strong and she has muscles popping out of everywhere. Like, ooh, she's about to kick my ass. But that's where the experience comes in. Jade has not been doing this as long as I have. Jade has never beaten me before. I've eliminated Jade from Royal Rumble, and so as physically strong and impressive as she is, I just have the experience on my side."

On the other side of the coin, there's Stephanie Vaquer. Morgan has never had the chance to face La Primera one-on-one, and she's yet to earn a victory over her in any of their other encounters.

"I'm really impressed with her versatility. I feel like she's really solid in the ring. I know she has a lot of heart. I know she has a lot of drive and passion... I think she's making a swell champion so far."

Regardless of whom she ultimately chooses, Morgan has reached the point in her career where she is confident in her ability to generate greatest on the grandest stage. After 11 long years, she has more than earned the massive spotlight she'll be under this April inside Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. Love her or hate her, we're all going to watch her at WrestleMania 42.

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