Bespectacled, Gionna Daddio, could have easily passed off as a college student when she joined us over a Zoom call from Manhattan, New York, on Monday evening. The glistening SmackDown Women’s Championship belt, however, reminded us that we were chatting with the WWE superstar and the current SmackDown women’s champion Liv Morgan (her ‘ring name’). The sweet Liv told us how much the SmackDown Women’s Championship meant to her and her strategy ahead of the WWE SummerSlam 2022.
Is your SmackDown Women’s Championship title the best accessory?
Yeah, I take it everywhere with me… never lose my sight.
The win must be special...
I feel incredible winning this championship. I am still soaking it all in, but I can’t complain for one second. I am the happiest I have ever been.
How did you celebrate?
Honestly, I didn’t do much. I just spend some time with myself. I was overwhelmed with it all. Just cashing in Money in the Bank felt enough for me. To cash in the same night and be crowned the SmackDown Women’s champion, I was just like ‘wow’! I literally went back to my hotel room and I just stared at the ceiling… my title draped across me... I just replayed the night over and over in my head. I thought I was going to go out and celebrate but I finally had some time for myself and I wanted to kind of remember it as best as I could.
You would soon complete a decade in this profession. We read you would fight with your siblings as child…
Almost. About eight years now. Yeah (laughs)… I don’t recommend… don’t fight with your siblings. But yeah, as soon as I saw WWE for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. The characters, the entertainment, the pyro, the music, the lights… it completely captivated me. I knew right then and there that this is what I wanted to do and I have been lucky and blessed enough to be able to do that and to be a SmackDown women’s champion.
Have your parents always supported you?
I got very lucky. My mom is very supportive with pretty much everything I did, especially WWE because she knew how much I loved it. I would come back from school, take a nap and if my mom didn’t wake me up for wrestling, I would literally cry. So, she knew how much I have always been in love with WWE. So, she is still kind of in awe about everything.
What kind of battles have you had to fight within though?
I guess a lot of times, feeling like may be I am not good enough or maybe I’ll never be a champion or maybe they’ll never notice me or the kind of potential I had. A lot of times struggling with self-doubt, but at the same time, never losing faith or hope that this was always meant for me.
Who were your icons?
I have always loved Lita. I grew up with older brothers and we went roughhouse and played sport and loved watching WWE together. So, when I saw Lita and she would fight with the boys and wore baggy pants and sneakers… I have always considered myself to be a tomboy and when I saw her on TV, I immediately related to her and thought she can be my friend. That’s what I hope to give my fans that are watching me… hope that they can see me and feel I am their friend.
You’ll be facing Ronda Rousey again after the SmackDown Women’s Championship…
I know SummerSlam, facing Ronda Rousey is going to be the absolute fight of my life. I love this championship more than anything I have in my entire life. So, I am willing to do everything to defend it, protect it and keep it. I am just preparing myself.
Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE SummerSlam 2022 on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) channels on July 31 from 5.30am (IST)
