Liv Morgan's Time Working With Triple H's Trainer Helped Her Secure A WWE Tryout
Liv Morgan has had a phenomenal 2022, starting off the year by challenging for the "WWE Raw" Women's Championship at the Day 1 premium live event and wrapping up her first reign as "WWE SmackDown" Women's Champion in July. She has become a main fixture in WWE, which is somewhat of a surprise considering her humble beginnings.
Morgan, real name Gionna Daddio, has been a lifelong wrestling fan and wrestled in her backyard with her brothers when she was young. The WWE star emphasizes that she always knew she would be a pro wrestler and refused to give up on her dream, which she achieved in 2015, debuting on "NXT," and later going on to feature prominently on the main roster.
That is where fate came into play. Not long after graduating high school, Morgan was working her weekly job at the restaurant chain Hooters, when former WWE star Enzo Amore walked in.
Meeting Triple H's personal trainer
A co-worker learned that future WWE star Enzo Amore was training to be a pro wrestler, inspiring the server to call Liv Morgan over and introduce them to each other. It wasn't long before Morgan brought up her desire to step inside the squared circle, which didn't seem to impress Enzo.
Morgan was introduced to Joe DeFranco, a personal trainer known for working with pro wrestlers, NFL players, college football stars, and UFC fighters. While appearing on DeFranco's podcast, Morgan revealed that Enzo was hesitant to let her wrestle.
"He didn't dismiss me; he just dismissed the thought of me wanting to wrestle. We kept in touch, he left, and then I met him again, and I told him the same thing, 'Dude, I want to wrestle,'" said Morgan to DeFranco. "And he [Enzo] was training with you at the time, and he told me, 'Like, alright, well, he personally trains Triple H. He has a good standing with the company.'"
The challenges of a WWE tryout
Liv Morgan stood out like a sore thumb amongst the pack of professional athletes, with Joe DeFranco noting that a small, blond waitress looked odd in a lineup of well-built NFL stars. "I was probably like 110 [lbs]," Liv said with a laugh. Before DeFranco could guarantee Morgan a future WWE tryout, he kept an extra eye on her performance to see if she was keeping up with the rest of the pack. "[Liv] surprised the hell out of me," DeFranco noted. "I wanted it," she said.
Over the course of six months, DeFranco recalls Liv transforming right before his eyes, noting that she became a different person. "Oh, 100%," Liv agreed. The strong bond that grew between DeFranco and Morgan over those six months became more apparent than ever when her tryout date finally arrived. DeFranco noted that he had butterflies in his stomach and was waiting on the edge of his seat for any update.
"I remember on the third day, I texted you, and I was like, 'Honestly, I'm done. Like, if I have to do anything physical today, I don't know if I'll be able to do it.' My body was just physically ... it was the hardest two days I've ever [experienced]. Like, [I] haven't felt that sore since when I first started training with you. Luckily, that was promo day and it was the wrap-up of the tryout."
Morgan secured the contract she had set her sights on since she was young, and though it took her nearly a decade, she is now positioned as one of the top women in WWE.