My solution was to completely deactivate verizon message+, clear all its cache and memory.
For whatever reason I could not get the OEM LG text app to sync with the moto 360. I still keep it just in case.
Now I use google messenger and it works great. I am pretty sure this is the OEM texting app for the google pixel phones. Smooth, compact, efficient, and the voice-recognition texting works WAY better than verizon message+