Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Liv Morgan, MJF and More

What is going on with Liv Morgan and the Women's World Championship over on WWE Raw?

It is a question fans have asked since she won the gold back at WrestleMania 42 and, thanks to the ever-churning pro wrestling rumor mill, we have some answers.

Dive into that report and more, including an update on MJF's injured knee, with this collection of insider reports.

Update on SmackDown Runtime

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Dave Meltzer reported for Wrestling Observer Radio that SmackDown will revert to two hours following the Night of Champions premium live event and stay that way through the end of the year.

He noted that, while it is unknown whether this structure is part of the TV rights agreement with USA Network, SmackDown is expected to run three hours from January to June and two hours from July through December into 2027.

SmackDown has been a hit-and-miss show in the three-hour format, with segments and matches running longer than necessary to eat up television time. The more compact two-hour format has always produced a more focused show and will be welcomed in July.

When Will Liv Morgan Defend Her Title?

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During a Q&A session on Fightful Select, WrestleVotes noted there are no plans for Liv Morgan to defend her Women's World Championship anytime soon, and it may not happen until SummerSlam on August 1-2.

Morgan captured the title at WrestleMania 42, defeating Stephanie Vaquer for the belt. She has yet to put the gold on the line in a championship match.

Part of that can be attributed to Vaquer being sidelined by a shoulder injury, likely halting WWE Creative's plans for the championship. It also highlights an inability or unwillingness to adapt plans and devise something else for Morgan to do until La Primera is cleared to compete.

We have seen seeds planted for Roxanne Perez's seemingly inevitable departure from The Judgment Day and a feud with Morgan of late. Perhaps that is fast-tracked depending on how long it takes to get Vaquer back in the picture.

Whatever the case, it reflects poorly on the writing team that Morgan was such a prominent part of Raw following her women's Royal Rumble win, captured the title after a grand WrestleMania entrance, and has done nothing with it since.

Update on MJF's Health

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Dave Meltzer reported in the June 8 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that, although he was banged up following his AEW World Championship defense against Rush on June 3, MJF will be good to go for Forbidden Door on June 28.

In a reel posted to his official Instagram account, MJF revealed he has considerable inflammation in his hyperextended knee but does not expect to miss any time as a result.

That is a big win for both MJF and AEW, and the last thing anyone wanted to see was another of his world title reigns ending prematurely due to injury.

It was revealed on Wednesday's Dynamite that MJF will find five partners to battle Mark Briscoe and five others in a 6-on-6 Steel Cage match.

If Briscoe's team wins, he gets a guaranteed title opportunity.