There’s so much to tell between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. Just like Morgan said herself, there was a moment when Ripley took everything from her, so it would make sense that Morgan would some sort of revenge. Where fans are frustrated is that “revenge” revolves around Dominick Mysterio, rather than Morgan simply wanting to dominate Ripley in every fashion. She should not only want to take the title from Ripley, but she should want to beat her in every fashion possible. But the only fashion that WWE seems intent on presenting is that Morgan is dead set on proving that she’s a better lover to Mysterio than Ripley was. That’s the problem with the male gaze in this angle.

Let’s compare this angle to that of “Hangman” Adam Page versus Swerve Strickland or Drew McIntyre versus CM Punk. In the eyes of many, either one of those angles will be the top feud of the year. At one point or another, a championship moment was involved in both angles, but the hatred of those involved broiled much deeper than that. That hatred that was delivered through promos and video segments made every moment more intense. In a fashion that hadn’t been seen in a while in wrestling. WWE could do the same with Rhea Ripley versus Liv Morgan but is failing to tap into that narrative. Instead, falling for tired tropes.

Think about it. Morgan and Ripley have years’ worth of history together. In 2022 she and Ripley began teaming together and would challenge for the women’s tag titles. After losing to Naomi and Mercedes Mone, that is where the animosity kicks off, with Ripley attacking Morgan. That led to a six-person tag match at Hell in a Cell where she, AJ Styles, and Finn Balor would lose to the first iteration of The Judgment Day.

Fast forward to the Royal Rumble in 2023. Ripley entered number one and Morgan number two. They would last the entire match with Morgan being tossed out by Ripley to win. Ripley would then cost Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez the tag team championship multiple times, eventually putting Morgan on the shelf as she recovered from a shoulder injury. That led to Morgan’s return at the 2024 Royal Rumble and since being the biggest thorn in Ripley’s side.