Q&A: Liv Morgan Is "Shook" Over New Doc
By Ryan Satin
Liv Morgan is the subject of a new documentary hitting WWE Network on Sunday called "Liv Forever."
Using a format unlike other WWE documentaries of recent memory, the 26-year-old Superstar tells her life story while also giving a unique look at her long absence from television.
For Morgan, real name Gionna Daddio, the impending release of the doc is an exciting, but nerve-wracking experience.
In her words, she’s a bit "shook."
And understandably so.
Liv not only opens up about her career in the documentary, but about her upbringing as well.
This includes growing up in a big family with a single mother, wanting to wrestle at a young age, dropping out of high school and being signed by WWE at 19 years old.
This week, after getting an early-look at the documentary, I spoke with Morgan over the phone to talk about some of the highlights of the film.
We also discussed her polarizing re-introduction angle, teaming with Ruby Riott again, Survivor Series and more.
RS: I literally just finished watching your documentary.
LIV: Oh, you watched it?
RS: Yes … and I gotta say, I loved it.
It’s very cool that this is a full blown documentary on your life, as opposed to an episode of 365 or Chronicle.
LIV: Yeah. The format is so different.
RS: That’s what I was going to say! It’s different than a lot of the other recent documentaries WWE has put out.
Mainly because they’ve got all of those cool recreations of your childhood with you as a narrator.
LIV: Yeah, they did so amazing with that stuff. I was so happy with it.
RS: You should be. You guys did a great job with this.
When you started filming eighteen months ago, was this the plan all along? To do a full documentary on your life and format things a bit differently. Or were you unsure what it would amount to when they started filming?
LIV: I had just gotten broken up from the Riott Squad in the Superstar Shakeup. I got moved to Smackdown. So, we knew that I was going to have a couple of weeks before I got put into the mix.
We just thought we were going to document my weeks leading up to my debut. Then two weeks turned into four weeks and four weeks turned into six weeks.
And before we knew it, I think I debuted, like, thirteen weeks later, maybe. Then we just kept having all these twists and turns that kept happening. So, we just kept the cameras rolling.
But, no. This was not the anticipated result, to have a full blown documentary. But, I’m so grateful that’s what it ended up becoming.
RS: It’s cool because you have so much footage in there. I also like that this almost has a reality show vibe to it.
In the beginning, it’s like, ‘I’m Liv Morgan, these are my friends,’ and then you learn who Liv Morgan the person is. Honestly, I’ve been a fan of yours since you were in NXT and even I learned a lot about you in this documentary.
LIV: Yay! That makes me so happy.
RS: I don’t think that I knew that you had a ring in your backyard as a child. That’s so cool that you wanted to be a WWE Superstar even that far back.
I feel like a lot of people don’t know that about you.
LIV: Yeah. It was literally since the first day that I turned on WWE. I just knew that that’s what I wanted to do.
I’m so lucky that’s what I gravitated towards. Because I needed something to gravitate towards. But, yeah, I fell in love with it as soon as I watched it. I was so obsessed.
RS: I know there’s an actor playing you as a kid in some of the recreations, but did you also have a made-up little Women’s Championship belt that you’d come out with when you’d wrestle in the backyard?
LIV: Oh, no. I never became champ. I’d always be Stephanie McMahon. So, I would literally just run up to the boys and just give them my best smack and then I’d run away.
But, no, I never became champion. No.
RS: I totally understand that. When I would wrestle my brother as a kid, I also wasn’t able to get over on him. I was the jobber that he would beat up. So, I’d get like one or two moves in there and the rest was him just beating me up.
LIV: Yeah, totally. I’d have to sneak ‘em in. I’d sneak ‘em in and leave. Let someone else get the finish.
RS: So your brothers are huge fans as well then, I take it?
LIV: Yeah.
RS: Did it trip them out to see what you’ve become in wrestling?
LIV: Yeah. I think it’s tripped us all out and it still trips me out, because it was a family thing.
We all loved it and we all sat down and watched it, and imitated it. It was like something larger than life on the television screen and it just sucked you in. I mean, you know. You’re a fan.
It sucks you in and it almost becomes your reality. You just become so invested. And that’s just how we were.
So, the fact that I got signed and I’m still working. We’re all just kinda like … "Wow." You know?
RS: Totally. Especially since, and I learned this in this doc as well, you dropped out of high school and got signed to WWE a few years later at 19 years old.
That is an impressive accomplishment. I can’t even imagine how proud your family is that you achieved your dream so quickly.
LIV: It could have gone either way. It could have gone tragically for me after that, or what could have happened is what happened.
I’m happy that what happened is I get to live the life that I’m currently living. But, there was definitely a testy time period where my life could have gone either direction.
RS: This documentary covers the considerable amount of time you were waiting to get back on TV after you had that match with Charlotte.
During that time away, you were pitching different character ideas.
One of those ideas was kind of dark, you said, and I remember at the time you were posting some dark looking stuff on social media that seemed to be leading in that direction.
Can you talk at all about what you were pitching at the time?
LIV: I basically wanted to use the experiences I’ve gone through, the struggles of my childhood and kind of use the character that I was trying to create as an outlet to express the darker feelings that I was feeling. The more sad emotions that I was feeling.
So, I wanted to use this character as an outlet to express, maybe, suppressed emotions, you know? I just wanted to use this character as an outlet to show an opposite spectrum of Liv, you know?
But, I’m very happy and bubbly and I just wanted the pitch for it to come on the opposite spectrum of that.
RS: There was one video specifically where you were sitting in a driveway crying in the rain or something like that. I remember thinking I was interested in seeing where you'd take that. So, I hope you do get to explore it again one day.
LIV: I’m going to have a long career here, Mr. Ryan Satin. So, I don’t think anything is counted out. I’ll be able to do it all and touch on it all. Whenever it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen.
RS: You definitely have plenty of time. Like I said, I think people underestimate how young you are.
LIV: No! I feel like an old fart.
RS: Well, you’re not.
LIV: I swear I’m like, "Oh, my gosh." I gotta stay young. What do I do to stay young? I feel like an old fart.
RS: Someone in this documentary as well who spoke highly of you was Paul Heyman. He said some really kind things about you. What was it like working with him on RAW?
LIV: It was great because I had someone that was in charge completely in my corner and wanted to see me succeed and was finding opportunities for me to show what I can do and show what range I had.
So, coming into work every week, I didn’t know what to expect. But, I knew that it was for my greater good, you know?
It was very cool. He’s one of the best ever.
To have him to talk to and to go to for advice, or just see something more clearly than I was understanding, it was great.
RS: He also praised the wedding segment that featured your re-introduction, which was something the fans were pretty mixed on at the time.
LIV: Totally.
RS: What were your thoughts as it was all happening?
LIV: It was crazy enough that I couldn’t say no.
You know, looking back, I’ve had mixed feelings on it, too.
But, looking back on it, I just think everything happens for a reason, you know? And what we wanted to accomplish was to re-debut Liv in the biggest way possible.
I definitely think that was accomplished. No one saw it coming. So, at the end of the day, I loved it and I’m grateful for it.
RS: I remember being on the positive side of things and enjoying it. Like you said, it was one of those moments where you were not expecting it.
LIV: Oh, totally, right? Did I get you? You did not think I was going to come down.
RS: I definitely wasn't expecting that.
After all this time, you’re back with Ruby Riott. Does it ultimately feel good to be teaming with her again?
LIV: Yeah. I’ve said this a bunch this week.
I feel like Ruby and I, we had tons of unfinished business to do when we got disbanded. But, now we have a second chance to recreate history kind of and do exactly what we wanted to do and are set on becoming, which is the WWE Women’s Tag Team champions.
So, I’m very grateful to be with Ruby again and to have this second chance to show that we’re the best tag team in the entire WWE.
Because I really believe that we are.
RS: You guys killed it at Survivor Series. I loved the match that you guys were in. I really feel like it did a great job of spotlighting everybody and giving everyone their moments.
LIV: Yeah. Everyone looked amazing.
RS: The qualifying match that you were in had an awkward situation around it when Chelsea Green got injured in the beginning. Did that make it hard to celebrate afterwards?
LIV: Yeah. It was definitely bittersweet. It’s tough to see anyone get hurt. Unfortunately, she did get hurt early on in her debut. So, all of our hearts went out to Chelsea. We all felt terrible.
But, the show had to continue. We had to adjust. I ended up pulling out the victory and so I ended up being on Survivor Series with Ruby and we are the best Survivor Series team ever.
I was so grateful to be on the team. I really was.
RS: Like I said, you guys killed it. This documentary was great. I’m glad that I got to watch it.
LIV: Did you like it for real?
RS: Dude, honestly.
LIV: Don’t lie. I don’t want fluff! I want to know.
RS: I swear to you. I also texted Giancarlo and I told him I felt like this was the best thing he’s made since he’s been working with WWE. I thought you guys did a really good job.
LIV: I’m so excited for everyone to see it. I’m so excited and I’m so nervous. I’m so shook!
RS: I can imagine. You definitely get into some deep stuff in this documentary.
But, honestly, I really felt like this film did a good job of standing out from others WWE has made.
It reminded me, and I know obviously you’re not John Cena, but it reminded me of one of those documentaries back in the day like that where you’d see their home roots, what they did and how badly they wanted to be a champion.
It definitely gave me those kinds of vibes.
So, I really did like it a lot.
LIV: Thank you so much and thank you for watching. I’m so excited.
"Liv Forever" premieres Sunday morning on WWE Network.
