Liv Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder injury on the June 16th edition of Monday Night and underwent surgery for the same shortly afterwards. While she’s been absent since then, the possibility of her appearing as an on-screen character has been revealed.
Sean Ross Sapp was asked in the Fightful Q&A if Liv Morgan could return as an on-screen character even though she isn’t cleared to wrestle. He explained that while she could, WWE usually avoids doing that.
According to Sapp, WWE prefers to wait until talent is fully cleared so their return gets the biggest reaction and can be used effectively and another major reason is contracts. In most cases unless negotiated otherwise, WWE contracts are frozen when a wrestler is out with an injury, allowing the company to extend the deal by however long they’re sidelined.
But if the wrestler is used on-screen during that time, the contract clock continues to run and WWE loses the option to freeze it. Sapp added that this has happened with some wrestlers in the past who worked on-screen while injured, and their contracts were not frozen.
“In our Fightful Q&A this week, a reader asked Sean Ross Sapp if it was possible that Liv Morgan could come back and work as an on-screen character while she isn’t cleared. Sapp answered that she very well could, but explained why WWE hasn’t been keen on doing that in the past. Beyond just wanting returns, pops and the talent being back whenever they’re cleared so they can maximize usage, much of it has to do with contracts.
Many times – unless negotiated otherwise – WWE contracts freeze when a wrestler is sidelined with an injury. WWE is able to extend contracts based on that amount of time out. However, if WWE has them working on-screen as a performer, that clock keeps ticking and they can’t freeze the deal. That has happened with a few wrestlers in the past who continued doing on-screen work for WWE, and weren’t subject to freezes.”
This comes after we had previously reported that many within WWE expect Liv Morgan to make her return by early 2026, as long as her recovery progress goes according to plan.
Fans may want to see Liv Morgan back on TV in any role, but WWE’s careful approach suggests they’re saving her for the right moment. With both storyline momentum and contract factors in play, the company looks to be setting up her return for the biggest reaction possible.
Do you think WWE should bring Liv Morgan back as an on-screen character while she recovers, or should they save her return for when she’s fully cleared to wrestle? Sound off in the comments.