Her WWE starting salary meant a pay cut
Summary
– Liv Morgan said she earned more at Hooters before joining WWE
– Rent, transportation, and gear left her with little money during her first NXT year
– Undertaker praised the toughness reflected in her performances
Liv Morgan’s first year in NXT brought financial difficulties she hadn’t expected. Speaking on the Six Feet Under podcast, she recalled taking a pay cut to join WWE and sometimes having only a few dollars left after expenses.
Morgan said she had been earning good money at Hooters before signing. However, the chance to pursue her wrestling dream mattered more than the paycheck.
“I would’ve signed for free. You wouldn’t have had to pay me a cent,” Morgan said.
Within her first few months at the Performance Center, she realized her previous job had paid more than her developmental contract. Rent, Uber trips to and from work, and wrestling gear quickly consumed her earnings.
Morgan described weeks when she had roughly $6 remaining and relied on inexpensive food from 7-Eleven.
“I’d go to 7-Eleven and get, like, a Big Gulp and a hot dog,” she recalled. “And that was, like, dinner.”
Although she stressed that she meant no disrespect toward WWE, Morgan said the starting NXT salary at the time was difficult to live on.
Undertaker suggested those experiences helped shape the determination she now shows in the ring. He said working through adversity can give wrestlers a toughness that carries into their performances.
“I think your presentation in the ring, it exudes that kind of grit,” he told Morgan.
Morgan agreed with his assessment, acknowledging that grit had never been something she lacked.
Her account offers a look at the sacrifices behind her WWE career. Before championship success, Morgan was balancing the costs of training and daily life while trying to make her opportunity work.
