Before she became a household name as Liv Morgan, the WWE Superstar navigated a chaotic and humorous development process that almost resulted in her performing under the name “Oprah.” During her conversation with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story?, Morgan shared the origin story of her WWE persona, from her discovery at a restaurant to the naming mishaps in NXT that nearly derailed her branding before it began.
Morgan confirmed the long-standing story that she was discovered by strength and conditioning coach Joe DeFranco while working at a Hooters restaurant in New Jersey. DeFranco, who famously trained Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, saw something in Morgan’s personality and invited her to train at his gym. Morgan described showing up to a gym full of NFL athletes completely unprepared for the physical demands. “I showed up in like, sweatpants and like a training bra… and just jump in,” she said. Despite having no prior athletic background—she had dropped out of high school and was studying paralegal work—her heart and determination impressed DeFranco enough to recommend her for a WWE tryout.
Once signed to WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, Morgan faced the challenge of selecting a ring name. She revealed that the process was far from smooth. She submitted multiple lists of potential names, wanting something that sounded like a character rather than a “government name.” However, all of her initial suggestions were rejected by the legal department. In a moment of frustration and cheekiness, she added “Oprah” to the bottom of one list as a joke, assuming it would be ignored. “For some reason the Oprah stuck and like, no one ever let me live it down,” she laughed. She noted that veteran trainers like Norman Smiley still jokingly refer to her by the name, reminding her of her rookie mistake.
Morgan also disclosed that she initially wanted to be named “Marley” as a tribute to her dog. She was so committed to the name that she even wrestled a match under it. However, due to a communication breakdown regarding legal clearances, the name was pulled at the last minute. As a result, when her match finally aired on television, the on-screen graphic simply identified her as “Local Competitor” because no approved name was available in time. “I was like, Marley for one episode on NXT… So by the time it aired, I was just ‘local competitor,'” Morgan explained, laughing at the memory of her less-than-glamorous debut.
The final decision on her name came down to a binary choice presented to her moments before walking into the venue for a show. WWE officials offered her two options: Liv Morgan or Liv Gallo. “They were like, all right, you’re either Liv Morgan or Liv Gallo, like pick,” she remembered. She ultimately chose Morgan to avoid confusion with established WWE wrestler Luke Gallows, rejecting “Liv Gallo” to ensure she had her own distinct identity. Although she didn’t initially love the name “Morgan,” she admitted she knew “Liv” had potential for puns (like her catchphrase “Liv Forever”), and the name eventually grew on her.
Additionally, Morgan touched on her childhood motivation, explaining that despite a chaotic home life with six siblings and the loss of her father before she was born, she always believed she would make it to WWE to “save” her family. “I had such, like, a clear sense of, like, this is what I’m gonna do, and I’m gonna, like, save my family,” she said, describing the conviction she held as early as five years old. This drive transformed the “Local Competitor” into one of the industry’s top stars.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Whats Your Story? With Steph McMahon with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
