Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Liv Morgan, Orange Cassidy and More

Credit: WWE.com

Liv Morgan was the recipient of a beatdown by Rhea Ripley that left her writhing in pain Monday on WWE Raw, and she may have been written off of television for the foreseeable future, thanks to an injury.

Her status headlines a collection of wrestling rumors that also includes the latest on the SummerSlam status of the United States Championship, as well as updates on Orange Cassidy and what was left out of the Blood & Guts match on last week's Dynamite.

Liv Morgan appeared to have been written off of television on Monday's Raw with an arm injury following an attack by women's world champion Rhea Ripley.

And Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported the former tag team champion is still dealing with a shoulder injury.

It's a disappointing development for Morgan, who returned from a six-week injury layoff on the June 23 edition of SmackDown. She went on to capture the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Raquel Rodriguez, only to drop them in short order to Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville before returning to the injured list.

One of the most popular women on the roster, the 29-year-old has filled the role of unpredictable underdog well. She has evolved as a worker and earned the opportunities she has received the hard way.

Given the current landscape of the main roster and how loaded each women's division is at the top, she will likely return to the tag team ranks. If her connection with audiences can be helped to elevate that portion of the roster and add credibility to titles that have been traded back and forth like a hot potato, then it's a good spot for her.

If the intent is to continue utilizing the titles as more of a prop than a prize, Morgan should move on to something of more significance.

Orange Cassidy has been on fire for All Elite Wrestling in 2023, competing in more Dynamite matches than any other star on the roster and establishing the International Championship as the workman's title in the company.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that Freshly Squeezed has added another title in front of his name: backstage producer.

"Fightful Select has learned that Orange Cassidy has also picked up work as a producer/agent in All Elite Wrestling," Sapp said. "We've specifically learned that he produced recent matches between Infantry vs. Kingdom and Big Bill & Brian Cage vs. Matt Sydal & Trent."

It speaks to the quality of his work over the last year, as well as his relationship with Tony Khan and the trust the booker has in him, that Cassidy has taken on a greater role beyond the squared circle.

While the 39-year-old may portray a slacker on screen, he is an in-ring veteran, having competed in Chikara as Fire Ant before donning the denim so closely associated with his current persona.

Cassidy brings experience and an understanding of what works in today's wrestling world to the position and what he does is over with the fans—and likely would be in any promotion because of its entertainment element.

If he can provide some of that insight and his understanding of timing behind the scenes, he can be an asset for the company both in and out of the ring.

While talent hit most of the notes expected of them at Blood & Guts on the July 19 episode of AEW Dynamite, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported there were two key spots that were nixed due to timing issues.

"A big moment for ["Hangman" Adam] Page was scratched because of the lack of time, but all of the other key points were hit, with the notable exception being the postmatch interview from [Kenny] Omega," he wrote.

The Omega interview and a handshake between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club would have put an official end to their rivalry while the details of Page's moment-that-wasn't were not made available.

The match was a wildly chaotic one that featured the AEW debut of Kota Ibushi, the use of glass, thumbtacks and a bed of nails, and ended in a win for Omega and Co.

Opinions of the bout likely depend on your appetite for the deathmatch style, and it can be argued that after the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing, it felt almost excessive. Still, it seemed like a suitable conclusion to a feud that had gone on for months.

While it is unknown what the Page spot would have entailed, the handshake between The Elite and BCC seems important enough that it's surprising AEW did not air the footage of it on the following week's show.

Creative freedom is a trademark of AEW, but there are times when Tony Khan and his production team could tighten up the timing of Dynamite, specifically so that everything on the show has the opportunity to breathe and hit all of its notes.

Little things like that would help make the show more fluid and less crammed, especially in the latter half-hour of the broadcast.

For the last two weeks, WWE Superstars have been competing for the right to advance in the United States Championship Invitational for a shot at Austin Theory's title.

The LWO's Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar have survived Fatal 4-Way matches and will compete against each other on Friday's SmackDown, with the winner set to challenge the champion.

But when?

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the match is likely to take place on the SmackDown before SummerSlam rather than the pay-per-view itself.

It is not particularly surprising given the recent tendencies around the big stadium shows.

For example, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus blew off their rivalry in a Good Old-Fashioned Donnybrook on the show prior to SummerSlam last year.

It adds a high-profile match to what has traditionally been a nothing-happening go-home broadcast full of hype videos and promo segments while also freeing up time on the premium live event for more significant matches to have greater time.

Mysterio or Escobar vs. Theory is a quality match on paper and likely will be in execution, too, but is it one that should take away from Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso or even a potential Match of the Year candidate in McIntyre vs. Gunther? No.

Placing it on SmackDown, where it can be hyped and presented with time equal to that of a PPV match would be better for the talent involved and help set the tone for the weekend's events.