Johnny Gargano made his surprising return to WWE on this week’s edition of RAW.
He appeared during the final hour of RAW, just a few moments after The Miz was kidnapped by another returning NXT star, Dexter Lumis. Johnny Wrestling made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the Toronto crowd and delivered a promo on he decided to return to the company after nine months away.
The 35-year-old stated that he wanted to become the Intercontinental Champion, the United States Champion, the WWE Champion, and perform at WrestleMania. He added that he wanted to teach his newborn son to chase after his dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. Money in the Bank winner Theory then interrupted and Johnny hit him with a Superkick to the face to end the segment.
In a new report from Fightful Select, Johnny’s name did not appear on any rundowns before the show as WWE wanted to keep the return a secret. Most of the talent was unaware Johnny was in the Scotiabank Arena until a few minutes before he made his way to the ring.
Fightful added that WWE was patient and respected Gargano’s wishes for time off. Johnny’s wife, former NXT Superstar Candice LeRae, gave birth to their son six months ago. WWE felt they had a significantly higher chance of bringing Johnny back to the promotion after Vince McMahon departed the company and Triple H took over creative.
There were no “advanced conversations” between Johnny and All Elite Wrestling during his free agency, despite several people pushing for the promotion to sign him. IMPACT Wrestling was reportedly never seriously considered as a potential landing spot for Gargano.
