Matt Hardy Calls Liv Morgan’s Lack of Title Defenses ‘Neglect,’ Picks IYO SKY for Queen of the Ring

Matt Hardy has some pointed criticism for WWE regarding how it has handled Liv Morgan’s Women’s World Championship reign, arguing the promotion has let the title’s prestige slip by not putting it on the line often enough.

Speaking on his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, ahead of WWE Night of Champions, Hardy took direct aim at the situation surrounding Morgan, who captured the title back in April. In his view, a championship only means something when it is defended regularly.

“There has to be regular title defenses once someone becomes champion. That’s the whole idea behind holding a championship,” Hardy said. “If a champion isn’t defending the belt, it starts to lose its prestige and value.”

He didn’t mince words when zeroing in on Morgan specifically. “If she won the title back in April and hasn’t defended it until now, that’s simply too long. That’s neglect. She should have been defending that championship during that period.”

Hardy also offered his predictions for the King and Queen of the Ring tournament finals, recorded before the show took place. On the men’s side, he backed Oba Femi to defeat Jey Uso, making the case that WWE should keep investing in the rising powerhouse. “You have to keep the Oba Femi train rolling,” he said. “Oba has the opportunity to become a massive star, and winning King of the Ring while looking dominant is the perfect next step for him.”

For the Queen of the Ring final, Hardy predicted IYO SKY would come out on top over Morgan, calling it the smarter long-term play. “IYO is someone who is very, very good and really has stood out to people. I almost feel like the smart move is to go with IYO and have her win,” he said. He added that a SKY victory could set up a natural rematch, with the new Queen of the Ring selecting Morgan as her championship opponent — a built-in story heading into the title match.

Whether WWE followed Hardy’s preferred booking is another matter, but his broader point about championship value and the importance of consistent title defenses is a debate that never really goes away in professional wrestling.