Liv Morgan sets high goals as a singles competitor in WWE; Done with tag teams? (Exclusive)

Liv Morgan has a major opportunity ahead of her this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Morgan will battle Carmella in a one-on-one match that has yet to be assigned a stipulation. This will be the second time in her young career that Liv Morgan has had a one-on-one match on a pay-per-view and the first time since she defeated Natalya on the WrestleMania 36 pre-show.

Liv Morgan and Carmella have been butting heads since the weeks prior to the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Morgan defeated the "Most Beautiful Woman in All of WWE" twice but somehow did not earn her way into the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match. It seemed as though a major conflict was brewing between Morgan and WWE official Sonya Deville before a devastating injury to Bayley caused a massive ripple effect.

When Bayley went down, Carmella was chosen as the "Role Model's" replacement to challenge Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship. After a heated confrontation with Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan finally found herself in the ladder match as Carmella's replacement. Whatever beef that existed between talent and management, as well as potential future storylines, was suddenly gone.

One thing that did not disappear was the love and support of a passionate Liv Morgan fanbase. Money in the Bank was the first pay-per-view post-ThunderDome era and those first live crowds were clearly behind Morgan, giving her some of the loudest pops of the weekend. Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling ahead of Extreme Rules, she called the reception unexpected and overwhelming.

"As much as I try and as much as I try to give them everything, there's some things that are just out of my control, so sometimes I feel like I don't give them enough to even want to support me. Or even want to cheer for me, but luckily for some reason, that kind of made it (fan support) even stronger. I just hope that I can make them proud," said Liv Morgan.

If anyone understands the concept of "plans change pal," it's Liv Morgan. She has the drive, the talent, and the support to be a main event star in Vince McMahon's company, but the ever-changing landscape that is WWE creative has kept her from really finding her footing thus far in her career.

However, Morgan feels like the ground beneath her is finally starting to solidify.

"I feel like the past two years of my career, I've had moments where I feel like I've had so much momentum and I'm just about to break through and then I don't," Liv Morgan admitted. "I do feel this time is different. I like to think positively and I'm very glass half full. So when I look back, I'm like, maybe I wasn't as ready as I thought. And that's why I didn't break through. You know? Even though I wanted it just the same, maybe I just wasn't ready as a performer. But now I feel so much more like, I guess, well-rounded, that I'm just ready. I'm ready for that top spot. I'm ready to be that girl. And so I definitely feel like after Money in the Bank, I'm just gonna keep the momentum going until I'm SmackDown Women's Champion."

Morgan nearly became the No. 1 Contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship a few weeks back but lost out to Bianca Belair in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination match.

While a title opportunity could be in her future, right now, she finds herself in the crosshairs of Carmella and Zelina Vega. That has prompted her to find some back-up in SmackDown newcomer Toni Storm, but if Morgan has it her way, she'll remain a solo act.

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Liv Morgan does not want to tag with anyone else

No disrespect meant to Toni Storm or any other woman in the SmackDown locker room, but after years of primarily being a tag team competitor, Liv Morgan tells Sportskeeda Wrestling she's ready to stand on her own.

"I definitely want to focus on being a singles competitor right now. I feel like, just me personally in my career, I feel like that's just where I am mentally at," Morgan said. "I want to be in the same conversation as Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and Bayley. That's my goal."

The goal Liv Morgan has set for herself could not be any higher. The Four Horsewomen are some of the most accomplished superstars in all of WWE history, let alone the women's division.

As Becky Lynch was leaving the company last year to have her first child, The Man told Liv Morgan that she would be the champion upon her return. That did not turn out to be the case, but it was a comment that Morgan often thinks about, which continues to motivate her as she pushes forward with her quest to capture gold for the first time.

Over a year after The Man's proclamation, just the thought of rewarding Lynch's faith in her while simultaneously taking the SmackDown Women's Championship from her is enough to give Liv Morgan goosebumps.

"Not that I'm disappointing Becky, but just to know that was an expectation and I didn't meet it. But I know I will meet it, eventually." Morgan continued, "I'd love to prove her right and to prove her wrong. And I'd love to take the title from Becky."

If Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch are both victorious Sunday at Extreme Rules, they could very well find themselves on a collision course sooner rather than later.

First things first, Morgan has to take care of Zelina Vega tonight on SmackDown and then Carmella on Sunday at Extreme Rules. Then there's the other caveat - the possibility that this new friendship with Toni Storm could turn into something more.

While the former Riott Squad member made it quite clear that she has no intention of partnering up with anyone else, Liv Morgan said if anyone could change her mind, it would be Storm.

"I've been a little bit sour on tag teams ever since the Riott Squad, and I told myself I would not be in another tag team. But if I had to team with anyone, I'd pick Toni Storm. So I'm only open to tag teaming with Toni Storm," Morgan proclaimed. "I think she's just an incredible competitor. I watched Toni work way before she even got to WWE. I'm a big fan of her work. I just like her work rate. I know she goes out there every single time and tries to have the best match that she could possibly have. And so I just appreciate that quality of her. Also, you know, our hair kinda looks alike. So aesthetically we look cool (laughs). I just think Toni's great."

While it's a long shot that Toni Storm and Liv Morgan will ever become an official tag team, the latter says she's all about having friends and being there for one another.

With Zelina Vega not far behind Carmella these days, Liv Morgan might need a friend to even the odds at Extreme Rules. She also told Sportskeeda Wrestling that she would like to face Carmella in a street fight.

Extreme Rules gets underway this Sunday night at 8 ET/5 PT on Peacock.

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