6 WWE Stars Who Got In SERIOUS Trouble With The Law
Liv Morgan, Rob Van Dam and the biggest WWE stars that found themselves on the wrong side of the law
There's always a bit in a documentary about a famous pro wrestler where they explain what Steve Austin called the "come to Jesus" moment about the industry and realise that - by hook or by crook - is going to be the job for them. They see a match or a moment or a wrestler on television, or they attend a show with friends, or they get smartened up by another worker while working at a gym or as a bouncer - the stories change but the end destination is the same. They go beyond considering this prosperous career, and actually follow up on it.
All this, despite just as many disclaimers about the dangers, the risks, inevitable physical decline and likelihood of failure. It's very possibly what separates them from the millions of people that never make it. A particular strain of desire that can see and hear every single possible negative and still value the prospect of appearing on an edition of WWE Monday Night Raw as reason to do it anyway. Rewarding as it might be on the biggest nights, it's anything but an easy life, and it's little wonder so many of them find themselves in legal hot water when trying to re-engage with the real world as opposed to the one they inhabit at work.
This doesn't justify the shoot committing of shoot crimes, but you can see why countless wrestlers have gotten themselves in trouble trouble...
6. Liv Morgan
Wrestling gets accused by many of being too polished for its own good in the 2020s, and there examples of why every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night if you watch either of the American majors.
WWE under TKO has become the most corporate version of itself ever, and truly think of the ground that covers. There's advertising to the point of mass alienation, a botch frequency so alarming that - more than any other period in the organisation's complicated history - the bell-to-bell action is reaching an all-time low, and the gloss and sheen applied to the market leader simply doesn't marry up with the reckless and unashamed money-hungry thirst that ostensibly dominates every decision.
All Elite Wrestling sits in strong opposition to the above in that it attempts to operate on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. But an over-abundance of electrifying pro wrestling has resulted in the pro wrestling simply becoming a little less electrifying. There's banger fatigue, a sense that the stuff happening between the ropes isn't in service of a fictional story but of baiting preeminent voices and critics to loudly praise it. There's also so much of it that it becomes harder to value stars and stories the way Tony Khan and his team may wish.
But what does Liv Morgan getting arrested have to do with any of this?
By 2023 - when her arrest (for possession of a synthetic cannabinoid and possession of marijuana) occurred - Liv Morgan was becoming the antidote to some of those specific ills. She was perfectly imperfect when the bell rang, building on years of experiencing in some doldrum WWE years to become one of the most real-feeling brawlers the women's division had to offer. Furthermore, her persona pierced any veneer wrestling could build; her bubbling blood feud with ex-partner Rhea Ripley hadn't yet simmered to the boil, and in fact the arrest came during time off for an injury that ended with her returning to inflict similar damage on 'The Eradicator' and keep their programme going.
She was ready for the spot and real enough to make the most of it, which perhaps also explains how she found herself at something she later referred to as being like a "meet and greet" when police twigged who they were dealing with.
Speaking about the incident to Stephanie McMahon on her What's Your Story podcast, she noted; "...then they find a pay stub in my car from WWE...they're like, 'Oh, wait'....then they find my trading card, and then right away the whole tone changes, because I did not pull the WWE card. Now they're apologising to me. But it's already too far into the process. They have to arrest me."
The vape pen that contained the offending synthetic cannabinoid oil allegedly belonged to one of Morgan's friends, but still resulted in a felony charge for the star that was eventually dropped when law boffins couldn't conclusively prove that the substance was synthetic. Morgan pled no contest to a misdemeanour charge and paid a fine, but nothing about her eventual "revenge tour" suffered any kind of derailment as a result.
The same couldn't be said for...