NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano has shared his thoughts on WWE’s recent cinematic matchups during an interview with Mirror. He also brought up his interest in facing Seth Rollins and how he’s been staving off boredom during the coronavirus pandemic.

WrestleMania 36 featured two cinematic matches in the Boneyard Match and Firefly Fun House matchup. Gargano was a fan of both, calling them “awesome.”

The Firefly Fun House match, in particular, resonated with him. He noted how people could call him weird, but “as a deep dive fan the match was genius. There were so many little deep dives and easter eggs throughout that you can go back and think ‘that was awesome’. They were so different and so cool.”

Johnny Gargano Wants Seth Rollins

Gargano revealed how he had heard Seth Rollins’ promo on RAW, claiming that there wouldn’t be an NXT or Johnny Gargano without him. His words were something Gargano has taken issue with. He admitted he was going to “shoot for the moon” with his challenge, but would love to see Rollins return to NXT and for them to feud.

“So if Seth Rollins is free on any Wednesday and wants to come by, feel free Seth, come on by. I heard his promo from Raw where he said that there wouldn’t be an NXT or Johnny Gargano without him. If he feels that way, he can feel free to come by on Wednesday, anytime.”

Combating Boredom

In an effort to maintain his fitness and combat boredom during self-isolation, Gargano revealed that he now owns a Peloton bike and has become “one of those guys now.”

It’s a purchase made in an effort to adapt to the current self-isolation the world continues to experience. He stressed how you have to “make the best of what you got.” He shared how people are generally good at adapting and that “you just gotta make the best of things.”

Alongside the Peloton, he and his wife Candice LeRae, now own a dog. He explained how they’ve both been wanting a dog for a while but weren’t at home enough as they would want to be. The coronavirus has changed that, allowing them time to train the dog and spend time together.

NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano hates it when people refer to WWE’s black-and-gold brand as developmental. Speaking with Sporting News, Gargano explained why he considers those who do to be wrong and disrespectful. 

Gargano argued how the belief that NXT is still WWE’s developmental brand “devalues everything we’re doing in NXT.”

He noted how this mindset immediately puts NXT Superstars a step below those on RAW and SmackDown. Gargano then stressed how how he considers this to be “wrong” before calling it “BS to do that.” 

“I believe everything is developmental when you want to look at it that way. I think if you’re going to consider NXT developmental than RAW and SmackDown are developmental as well,” Gargano said. “I believe we are all learning. We’re all growing. I don’t think just because you’re in a certain brand that doesn’t mean you’re progressing or growing any more than any other brand.”

As far as Johnny Gargano is concerned, people should be looking at NXT as WWE’s third brand. He believes their track record and talent pool proves his point. He argued how WWE could put any NXT Superstar on RAW or SmackDown, or have a Superstar come to NXT—much in the way Charlotte Flair has done. He explained how the three brands are “very much intertwined.”

Johnny Gargano stated how “If you’re still using the term developmental to evaluate NXT in any way, shape, or form, I think you need to get over yourself.” He then talked about wrestling should be fun and that people should enjoy it without devaluing people’s hard work and sacrifice. 

NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano has previously shared his intentions to stay on NXT. For many, he is synonymous with WWE’s black-and-yellow brand. He has recently spoken about his annoyance at people calling NXT the “minor leagues.” Despite his evident passion for the third brand, however, he did spend some time on WWE’s main roster. Catching up with Corey Grave on WWE’s podcast, After The Bell, Gargano reflected on his brief time as a part of the main roster.

Johnny Gargano Breaks Down The Differences

When Graves described his time on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown as “a cup of coffee,” Gargano joked how “I don’t know if that was a cup of coffee. I mobile ordered, but I didn’t pick it up.”

Looking back at his experience on the main roster, Johnny Gargano confessed that it’s very different to what he knows in NXT. 

“Maybe it’s because I’m so entrenched with the NXT system, and I’ve known our writing staff, our creative team, all the camera guys and everyone who works backstage plus it’s at Full Sail every week and that’s 10 minutes from my apartment in Orlando so that’s nice.”

He continued, “The travel schedule isn’t as hectic as RAW and Smackdown, but there is that same sense of urgency that is also on RAW and Smackdown. It’s just different. I feel like it’s a lot more stressful on RAW and Smackdown for some strange reason, but in NXT, it feels like home. It feels like I’m very very comfortable, so I think that’s the biggest difference for me.”

Johnny Gargano explained how on the main roster, there are “literally a million people.” Whenever he was backstage at RAW or SmackDown, he would meet new people all the time. At NXT, because of the smaller environment and familiar faces, it has created a family environment that he enjoys. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

While NXT has been moved to Live TV from the WWE Network, many people still consider it to be not in par with WWE’s other prominent shows, namely Raw and SmackDown.

Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano was recently interviewed by TMZ Sports where he talked about a number of things and also responded to the people who still consider the show as the ‘minor leagues’.

Gargano claimed that this thinking is complete garbage and it’s something he and the other NXT talents have worked to dispel for a very long time:

“That’s BS, that is complete garbage and it is something that me and a lot of guys have worked to dispel for a very long time. Anyone out there that uses the words ‘main roster’ when talking about RAW and SmackDown, how about you watch the show on Wednesday nights and you’ll see the real ‘main roster.'”

Also Read: WWE Making Changes To Big WrestleMania Matches

Johnny continued by saying that in NXT, you see the best wrestling show and the best locker room on planet which is led by him. According to the former Champion, you are stupid if you still use words like ‘developmental’ and ‘main roster’.

Apart from this, Johnny Gargano also talked about his attack on Tommaso Ciampa during Takeover: Portland and responded to fans saying that he is a changed man after the attack. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Johnny Gargano is back as he made his return to WWE NXT. 

He did so in the opening match on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

Adam Cole retained the NXT Title over Finn Balor in the first contest of the night. 

At the end of the match, Gargano walked out to distract Balor and led to Cole getting the win. After the match, Gargano went after Balor.

Johnny Gargano Has History With Finn Balor

Johnny Gargano was last seen on NXT television last month by being attacked by Balor, who hit a brainbuster on the rampway. He had been dealing with a neck injury, which is why he had been on the sidelines. 

Originally, Balor was expected to wrestle Gargano at the WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event. Once Gargano went down with the injury then plans had to be changed. 

Riddle was slated to be part of the Men’s WarGames Match at TakeOver. Riddle was replaced by Donovan Dijak in the contest. Balor beat Riddle in his first match back under the NXT banner in over three years at the show. 

Future

NXT TakeOver: Portland will take place on February 16, 2020 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. It’s possible that WWE books a match between these two at the show. 

• WWE NXT Results & Live Coverage (12/18)

NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano has shared a post on social media highlighting the influence he has taken from Alex Shelley. The message stated how, over the course of 13 years, Shelley has been instrumental in helping Gargano become the wrestler he is today. For him, Shelley’s fingerprints aren’t only present in his in-ring style, but his entire generations.

Gargano uploaded a photo with the post that showcased how long the two have known each other. The top is a blurry photo from years past, while the bottom photo sees the two wrestlers posing together in front of a WWE Performance Center banner.

“2006 to 2019 I can safely say that I wouldn’t be the wrestler I am today if it wasn’t for this guy.. Alex Shelley’s fingerprints are all over the style of my generation.. He’s inspired a large number guys you watch on TV every week. Great to see him at the @WWEPC last month!”

As noted in Gargano’s tweet, Shelley recently did a guest coaching stint at the WWE PC last month. When it comes to in-ring competition, Shelley wrestled for Ring of Honor earlier in the year. He competed against Matt Taven in a ROH World Championship match at ROH’s Summer Supercard event.

Johnny Gargano is dealing with a neck injury and will not be cleared in time for Takeover: War Games later this month. Gargano was last seen on NXT television being attacked by Finn Balor and management had hoped the two would wrestle on the upcoming event scheduled for November 23rd in Chicago.

Gargano’s injury was first revealed on WWE Backstage last night on FS1 by Ryan Satin. “The severity of the injury is unclear at this time,” Pro Wrestling Sheet’s report reads. No timetable for his return is currently available.

NXT Takeover: War Games

Just the two matches have been scheduled for War Games thus far. Those matches are as follows:

• Women’s Division War Games
  Shayna Bazler & Bianca Belair & Io Shirai & TBD vs Rhea Ripley & Mia Yim & Tegan Nox & Candice LeRae
• Men’s Division War Games
  Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, & Bobby Fish (Undisputed Era) vs Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle & TBD

NXT Tonight

• WWE NXT Preview: Ladder Match, Lio Rush Defends Cruiserweight Title

Just two matches are officially confirmed for tonight’s episode of NXT. The match between Io Shirai and Mia Yim will determine which team gets the advantage in the upcoming War Games match.

• NXT Cruiserweight Championship
  Lio Rush (c) vs Angel Garza
• Ladder Match
  Io Shirai vs Mia Yim

Following a notable episode of NXT this week, WWE published an episode of “WWE Now” with injury updates on several wrestlers from the brand. NXT has been releasing these storyline injury reports since debuting on the USA Network.

According to this week’s report, Johnny Gargano was transported out of Full Sail following this week’s NXT and taken to a “local medical facility” for further testing. He underwent a CT scan to rule out head trauma or spinal injuries as a result of Finn Balor’s attack. He’s currently not medically cleared to compete.

Cameron Grimes is listed as day-to-day coming out of his loss to Matt Riddle this week. Grimes is said to have suffered a left hip-pointer in the match. NXT officials are confident Grimes will be ready to compete come next Wednesday, however. He’s been scheduled to face Tyler Bate on the show.

The full episode of WWE Now can be viewed in the player below:

NXT Next Week

The following matches are scheduled for NXT next week:

• Candice LeRae vs Io Shirai
• Tyler Bate vs Cameron Grimes
• WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
  The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox

Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox earned their title shot against the Kabuki Warriors by defeating Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir this week.

• 5 Takeaways From WWE NXT (10/23)

Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano is considered one of the best wrestlers of the current era and he has delivered a number of 5 Star matches in the past few years while being part of the NXT brand.

However, while talking to former WWE ring announcer Lillian Garcia on her Chasing Glory podcast, the NXT star revealed that he doesn’t like to watch his own matches.

Gargano said that he watches GIF’s of his bout on Twitter if he feels good about it but he hates watching his matches in full and he will maybe watch it once:

“I hate watching them, I watch them, maybe if I feel good about it, I’ll watch GIF’s on twitter and think, okay, that looked pretty good, but watching a full match, maybe I’ll watch it once. “

Johnny also talked about his interest outside of wrestling. He revealed that he loves Disney’s and Marvel’s stuff and he is a fan of many sports outside of wrestling as well.

The former NXT Champion went on to claim that he has a passion for acting too. He recalled taking acting classes while he was in high school and said that eventually he would like to go into that direction.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

At one point in time, NXT’s beloved Johnny Gargano struggled to be a part of the WWE roster. Before his rise through the ranks and reign as NXT Champion, Gargano portrayed an Elf on WWE television in a match against MVP.

In a recent episode of Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory, Gargano reflected on his WWE journey.

Johnny Elf

“I was an extra almost every time they came to Cleveland,” Gargano said. “I had my first extra role when I was 19 or 20 years old and I was Cedrick Von Haussen where I faced MVP; you can find that clip on YouTube.”

He recalled having to get changed into an Elf costume and be approved by Vince McMahon. Their meeting was “like a movie” as Vince sat in a “villain chair with his back turned.” During his match as Cedrick Von Haussen, Gargano would suffer a bloody nose courtesy of MVP.

Rebel Heart Destiny

Despite his early tryouts and rejections, Gargano firmly believed that WWE was his destiny:

“I always believed in my heart I would end up in WWE,” Gargano explained. “Gabe Sapolsky gave me great advice that he once told Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. He said being on the indies is like being a doctor. You can’t just start operating on people and be successful at it. You need to go to school, you need to learn, which is how the indies are. I wanted to do as much as I could do.”

He continued,” Being told no made me work harder, being told no made me want it more. They [WWE] would only sign a certain amount of guys at a certain time. At my tryout, it was me, Tommaso Ciampa, Oney Lorcan, Ember Moon, TM61, Chuck Taylor and Drew Gulak, so it was a pretty indie-heavy. Matt Riddle was there but he wasn’t even an indie guy, he was a random guy from UFC, and they brought him in. They brought us in to do this tryout, but they said they could only sign one of us.”

He was told that if he were 6’7″ then it would be a no-brainer. Gargano, however, didn’t fit into that mold. He recalled that “The stigma was still alive in 2015 where I was too small and didn’t have what it took to be here, I was directly told that there wasn’t a spot for me in NXT. I wasn’t good enough to be in NXT. I was told that there might be a spot for me here and there, now and then, but there isn’t a set spot. I still have my ‘no’ rejection email.”

Cruiserweight Classic

His opportunity finally came during WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic. Gargano attributed that tournament as playing a significant role in changing NXT. He also believes that he and Tommaso Ciampa were instrumental in shifting attitudes towards smaller, indie workers.

Later, the two Superstars would be told they would be teaming together for the Dusty Rhodes Classic. He credited William Regal for doing all he could to help them be seen by management and the WWE Universe. When asked what he thought changed people’s mindsets towards himself, Ciampa, and indie wrestlers, Gargano points to their matchup with The Revival.

“I think we got that shot against The Revival where we blew it out of the park,” Gargano said. “I think that was where people were like, oh, these indie guys can go. I think that really opened the door to what NXT has become now. It has become a part of an all-star roster mindset to tear it up and NXT has really grown from there.”

Reflecting on his legacy in NXT, Gargano is aware that he hasn’t been around since day one. With NXT’s new incarnation, however, he feels like Superstars like himself and Ciampa are “The Godfathers” of NXT.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Former WWE NXT Champion Johnny Gargano isn’t going anywhere as he’ll stay in WWE NXT. 

WWE aired a segment on Wednesday’s episode of NXT TV on the WWE Network where he stated that he plans to stay with the brand instead of being moved to RAW or SmackDown Live. 

The segment also featured Shane Thorne interrupting Gargano, which led to a brawl. It appears that is the next program for Gargano. 

Gargano released a statement on Twitter explaining his decision to remain with WWE NXT after this announcement. He wrote the following: 

“I made my choice. I poured my heart and soul into this brand for YEARS. You think I’m gonna leave now that everything I helped work towards is finally happening? Not a chance! The phrase going “up” is dead. We’re THE Main Roster now. #WeAreNXT and when you’re NXT.. you’re NXT.”

Gargano was last seen in action when he lost to NXT Champion Adam Cole at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto II event in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena ina 2 of 3 Falls Rubber Match. 

WWE has yet to announce what Gargano will do on the first episode of NXT on the USA Network. 

This show, as well as the episode following this week, will be live from 8 PM – 9 PM Eastern on the USA Network while the second hour of those episodes will air live on the WWE Network.

WWE’s Performance Center YouTube channel has debuted a new digital web series entitled WWE Fandom. 

The first episode followed WWE NXT Superstars Johnny Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae. They were joined by WWE Host Vic Joseph as they visited the Cleveland Browns’ Training Center in Berea, Ohio. 

During the video, the Superstars got a first look at the 2019 Cleveland Browns NFL team. They also had the opportunity to interact with fans as well as to meet and interview NFL Quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

At the end of the video, Joseph encouraged the WWE Universe to comment with their favorite sports team, teasing that “down the line on WWE Fandom, we’ll be able to take your favorite WWE Superstar to talk about your favorite team.”

From Superstar To Fan

The show introduces WWE Superstars to their favorite sports team, granting them unique access as they get to embrace the role of being a fan.

It’s not clear, however, whether the show is exclusively centered around American Football or if the show will open up to other sports or fandoms entirely.

It’s worth noting that Vic Joseph introduced the video with the following:

“We’re getting ready to step on the gridiron as so many fans from across America are getting ready for their favorite football team.”

Although not confirmed, Joseph’s words indicate that the series will be focused purely around American Football.

Current NXT Champion Adam Cole recently defended his title against Johnny Gargano in a competitive Two-Out-Of-Three Falls matchup. The two competed for the gold at WWE’s recent NXT TakeOver: Toronto event over SummerSlam weekend.

In an interview with Lilian Garcia for her podcast, Chasing Glory, Adam Cole spoke about the matchup, and what the backstage reaction was once their bout had concluded.

“This Feud Started Like A Replacement To Tommaso Ciampa”

“I’m definitely incredibly sore from that one,” Cole admitted. “I don’t know how many of those I have in me. This trilogy with Johnny was so important to me and him. We’ve known each other for 10 years. So we had talked forever about getting the chance to maybe wrestle on a really big stage like NXT.”

“This kind of – this feud started, almost, like a replacement to Tomasso Ciampa, ‘cause Johnny and Tommaso were in the middle of their big feud,” he said. “So then, they needed a big main event for WrestleMania weekend, and were like, ‘Okay, let’s do Adam and Johnny.’ And then it turned into this crazy trilogy that had its punctuation mark last night and ended all in that wrestling street fight and crazy steel cage match. It was a lot of fun. Painful, but a lot of fun. And Toronto was great. I love wrestling in Toronto.”

When he came back behind the curtain, Cole described how “everyone was applauding”, and he was greeted with hugs and handshakes. Despite the praise, he shared that he still looks for flaws in his performance.

“I look for it, yeah,” he confessed. “I obsess on – to me, I’ve never had, I know everyone feels this way, but I’ve never had and will never have the perfect match. But I’m going to try so hard to get it. I’ll find 10 different things that I’m like, ‘Oh I didn’t like this, or this could’ve been a little bit better,’ I’m proud of it, for sure. And I’m happy with it. But I definitely don’t think I’ve ever had a match that, start to finish, it was exactly what I wanted. But sometimes that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.”

Adam Cole was the only member of Undisputed Era to leave NXT TakeOver: Toronto with a championship, as the stable continue their attempts to drape themselves with gold.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

Adam Cole will stay at the top champion under the WWE NXT banner. 

Cole successfully retained the NXT Title over Johnny Gargano in a 2 of 3 Falls Rubber Match in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Toronto II event in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena that aired on their streaming service. 

Just last month on the July 24th episode of NXT’s weekly TV show, Gargano and Cole chose their stipulations. Gargano chose a Street Fight, while Cole chose a singles match. NXT General Manager William Regal ended up choosing the third fall, which was Steel Cage with weapons.

Cole beat Gargano to become the champion in the main event of WWE NXT TakeOver: XXV event in Bridgeport, CT on June 1st. 

This was the third match between them as Gargano beat Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match to win the vacant title during the NXT TakeOver: New York event on WrestleMania 35 weekend.

It will be interesting to see where Cole and Gargano go from here as this was likely the blowoff match for their program. Those answers will be revealed this coming Thursday when WWE tapes upcoming episodes of NXT TV. 

• NXT TakeOver: Toronto II Results & Live Coverage

What are your thoughts on Adam Cole beating Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

This past Saturday, Adam Cole defeated Johnny Gargano in the main event of TakeOver XXV. This victory would see Cole become crowned the new NXT Champion.

Post-TakeOver, Triple H took part in a Facebook Live discussion with Cathy Kelly to discuss the event itself, the bout between Cole and Gargano, and what Cole’s victory means for NXT.

“I think the crowd said it best when they were chanting, ‘fight forever.’ This is one of those things you could see them do this over and over and over again and never get bored with it, never feel like you’ve seen it,” Triple H said.

“They just [have] amazing chemistry. […] Then again, who does Gargano have bad chemistry with? In some ways, you can call him Johnny TakeOver. Almost every time you can make the argument that he’s match of the night. Amazing performance. He walks out of here without a championship, […] but I don’t necessarily think that he lost, I don’t think that he lost any respect from anybody. I think he earned even more tonight.”

“He Is One Of The Hardest Workers Here”

Turning the conversation to the new champion, Triple H said “It was an awesome moment, I’m happy for him. You can say what you want about Adam Cole, he is one of the hardest workers here, much like Gargano, much like so many people here, he puts his heart and soul into everything about this. I’m happy for him.”

Triple H then addressed Gargano’s status after the matchup, revealing that he was seen “hobbling” out of the arena before teasing a potential rubber match between the two NXT Superstars.

“[…] if my math is correct now they’re 2-2 in falls. We’ll see where this goes now. I saw Johnny hobbling out of here. I’m hoping he’s alright. But we will see where this goes, but for now there’s a new champ in town, and his name is Adam Cole.”

TakeOver

NXT isn’t slowing down, and WWE is making efforts to push NXT UK in a similar way.

The company recently announced their NXT UK TakeOver event, which will take place on August 31st from Cardiff, Wales. This date happens to coincide with NJPW’s Royal Quest event in London, as well as All Elite Wrestling’s show, All Out.

Johnny Gargano will no longer stay at the top champion under the WWE NXT banner.

Gargano did not successfully retain the NXT Title over Adam Cole but rather Cole upset the champion in the main event of WWE NXT TakeOver: XXV event in Bridgeport, CT at the Webster Bank Arena that aired on their streaming service.

It was a good back and forth contest between two of the top stars in WWE’s developmental brand.

This was a rematch between them as Gargano beat Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match to win the vacant title during the NXT TakeOver: New York event from the Barclays Center on WrestleMania 35 weekend. The title became vacant once NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa underwent neck surgery in early March.

WWE holds NXT TV tapings on Wednesday, June 12th in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University where WWE will have the fallout from this event as well as this match.

It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for Cole but it appears that the third match between these two stars is coming up in a few months.

What are your thoughts on Adam Cole beating Johnny Gargano to win the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

It’s been reported that current NXT Champion, Johnny Gargano, has been dealing with a knee injury.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this is why Gargano has seen minimal in-ring action in recent weeks.

Further details are unknown at this time, but it is speculated that the injury could have been sustained back in March.

Although he has appeared for NXT TV tapings, Gargano was used sparingly, minimizing the amount of time actively grappling.

These precautionary measures have been taken to allow Gargano an opportunity to rest and heal. He is scheduled for a matchup with Adam Cole. The two will clash for the NXT Championship at NXT’s upcoming TakeOver XXV event.

#JohnnyProducing

In recent weeks, Johnny Gargano has been working as a producer at NXT, learning a different side of the product.

In a recent tweet, he highlighted the importance of not becoming complacent. He called it “The #1 killer of success” before signing off with the hashtag “JohnnyProducing.”

“The #1 killer of success is complacency. Especially when it comes to this job.. there’s just so many different sides and intricacies to it, you can always get better and learn something new. I get the chance to wear a different hat this weekend! @WWENXT #JohnnyProducing?”

NXT TakeOver XXV takes place on June 1st from the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Don’t tell Johnny Gargano that NXT isn’t the main roster. The new NXT Champion spoke with reporter Chris Van Vliet this weekend and made clear his belief that NXT is the main roster.

“I get the question a lot of when are you going to the main roster and I absolutely hate that question, I hate it so much,” Gargano said. “I get tweeted that a lot and people say ‘I can’t wait to see you on the main roster’ and I tell them you are seeing me on the main roster. NXT is the main roster.”

Gargano defeated Adam Cole Friday night inside Barclay’s Center at Takeover: New York. “Johnny Champion” t-shirts quickly sold out inside the venue after his victory.

“I do believe that Raw, Smackdown and NXT are the three brands and I think that people can come from Raw or Smackdown to NXT and I think that people from NXT can go to Raw or Smackdown. It’s very interchangeable.”

• Johnny Gargano Wins Vacant WWE NXT Title At TakeOver: New York

Johnny Gargano Interview Highlights

Gargano noted that he sees the NXT Championship as his main roster title.

“This is my main roster title,” he continued. “This is my main roster moment. NXT to me is the hottest thing going not just in WWE but all across professional wrestling.”

The NXT champion also noted that he feels Takeover events are about as good as it gets.

“I think NXT is the hottest brand in sports entertainment and I’m not just saying that because I am biased, I’m not just saying that because I’m me, I’m saying that because I was at TakeOver. I watched the show. I’d put TakeOvers up against anything in the world.”

Gargano also discusses Shawn Michaels influence, celebrating his victory with Candice LeRae and more. The full interview with Chris Van Vliet can be viewed in the player below:

Think WrestleMania would be more fun if you could hear Ric Flair’s thoughts about it live in real-time? WWE will present “Watch Along” tomorrow night live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter during WrestleMania 35.

The show will be hosted by Pat McAfee and include guests such as Ric Flair, the Big Show, Candice LeRae and the newly crowned NXT Champion, Johnny Gargano.

“Ever wanted to watch WrestleMania with Ric Flair?” A WWE press release for the show reads. “You’ll get the chance on Sunday night when WWE Watch Along streams live on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter during WrestleMania 35!”

• WWE WrestleMania Stage Set Up (Photos)

WrestleMania 35 Watch Along

Considering his daughter is in the main event, Ric Flair might even give his live thoughts as Charlotte Flair takes on Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey.

Watch Along debuted last month for the Fastlane PPV. Guests for that episode of Watch Along featured Alexa Bliss, The New Day, Mustafa Ali, The IIconics, Natalya, Beth Phoenix, Christian and Cathy Kelley. 

“WWE Watch Along invites you to watch WrestleMania with host Pat McAfee and a revolving door of Superstars and celebrities,” WWE’s press release continues. “In addition to The Nature Boy, guests announced so far include Big Show, newly crowned NXT Champion Johnny Gargano, NXT Superstar Candice LeRae, the holder of a WrestleMania undefeated streak Maria Menounos and the stars of truTv’s Impractical Jokers”

WrestleMania 35 will stream tomorrow night on the WWE Network live from Metlife Stadium.

There is a new WWE NXT Champion and that’s Johnny Gargano.

He beat Adam Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match to win the vacant title during the NXT TakeOver: New York event from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was a good back and forth contest between two of the top stars in WWE’s developmental brand.

The title became vacant once NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa underwent neck surgery in early March. He will be out of action for an extended time and the company had to take the strap off of him.

Cole earned this opportunity once he won a 5-way match featuring Ricochet, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, and Matt Riddle on an episode of NXT TV back in March.

The belief was that Ciampa was slated to make his next title defense against Gargano at the NXT TakeOver: New York event to complete their storyline. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

WWE holds NXT TV tapings on Wednesday, in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University where WWE will have the fallout from this event as well as this match. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction.

Johnny Gargano took part in a Q&A with Reddit with fans in order to promote the NXT TakeOver: New York event takes place on Friday, April 5, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.

At this show, Gargano is slated to take on Adam Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the vacant NXT Title, which will likely headline the show. During the Q&A, Gargano talked about comparisons between the WWE main roster – Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live – and NXT.

Gargano made his main roster debut on the February 18, 2019 episode of RAW that saw he and Tommaso Ciampa defeat former rivals The Revival. He has since been pulled from television on the main roster once Ciampa went down with a neck injury that required surgery.

“I get asked the question a lot of when I’m going up to the main roster, and I got a taste of that with Raw and SmackDown, and obviously you get into wrestling, your dream is to wrestle at WrestleMania and one day I hope to make that happen. But for me, I feel like in my heart, NXT is my main roster. It’s everything I ever wanted out of professional wrestling and my goal with NXT is to make people forget the question “When are you going up to the main roster?” NXT is a viable brand on its own. We sold out Barclays Center again. I put our locker room up against any locker room in the world, and tomorrow night at TakeOver, we’re gonna set the bar for WrestleMania weekend.”

Gargano also shared two stories involving Triple H, who oversees the running and creative of the NXT brand. He talked about one time being used to show security guards how to hold people and the other was about sending Triple H a get well soon card.

“The craziest thing for me, since I’m a huge wrestling nerd at heart, I remember we were going through an area where security was going to hold me back, and Triple H had to show security guards how to hold people back properly. At one point Shawn Michaels got involved too. So at one point, Triple H is holding my waist, and HBK is holding my arms. I couldn’t fathom in my wildest dreams where D-Generation X would be pretending be security guards with me at the center. Another great story is after Triple H tore his bicep, I Photoshopped a special “get well soon” card with me and Tommaso’s faces on the card and texted it to him.”

Johnny Gargano is set to headline the upcoming NXT TakeOver: New York event in a two-out-of-three falls match against Adam Cole for the currently vacant NXT Championship.

Gargano talked about this match and revealed how important it is for him personally and for his career, and also gave his opinion on his opponent Adam Cole.

Gargano told WWE.com that the pinnacle of his time on the yellow brand will be to capture the NXT Championship.

“You can’t call yourself Mr. TakeOver and not deliver something special, right? One thing I’ve learned this past month is you can’t control the future. You can only control the now. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? So, for me and the NXT Championship, it’s now or never. I believe it is my destiny to be NXT Champion. I know it’s not going to be easy. It’s a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match against Adam Cole in a building where I’m 0 for 3. Plus, we all know that when you fight one member of Undisputed ERA, you’re essentially fighting all of Undisputed ERA, so this could essentially be four-on-one. The odds aren’t in my favor. But I’ve been an underdog my whole life – I wouldn’t have it any different!”

“This has been building for a very long time, and to return to the Barclays Center, which is the site of my very first TakeOver, with the whole world watching during the biggest wrestling weekend of the year, with my friends and family in the crowd, it’s shaping up to be the biggest match of my life. This has the potential to be the biggest night of my life. I’ve been dreaming of this night since I was a kid and the only thing I can guarantee, the only thing I can promise, is I’m going to give everything I have on April 5. I know it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere, but to the people riding with me in the Barclays Center, I won’t let you down.”

Gargano, while speaking on his opponent Adam Cole, said that he has an immense amount of respect for him and believes that he is one of the best in the business.

“I have nothing but respect for Adam Cole. I’ve known him for a very long time and he’s one of the best in the world. He not only has my respect, but he also has the fans’ respect, as he should. Cole’s earned that. Everywhere he’s been, he’s been successful, and he’s been a champion. Cole expects to be NXT Champion, and he has expected to be champion since the moment he debuted in the Barclays Center and held the title above his head. Adam Cole always felt like it was a matter of time. I never expected any of this. None of this was ever supposed to happen for me. Our paths here were vastly different, but destiny has brought us together for this match.”

NXT TakeOver: New York is to take place on April 5, 2019, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. You can check out the full card of the event here.

WWE might have spoiled the result of the NXT Title match at TakeOver: New York next month. It was recently confirmed that Johnny Gargano will face Adam Cole for the vacant title in a 2 of 3 Falls match. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa was forced to vacate the title due to injury.

Local advertisements for NXT live events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota are advertising a Champion vs. Champion match between Adam Cole and The Velveteen Dream. The events are scheduled for Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, respectively. Dream is the current NXT North American Champion. As for Cole, he is without a title as of this writing. Perhaps Cole is the man slated to leave New York with the NXT Championship on WrestleMania weekend?

Cole defeated Ricochet, Aleister Black, Matt Riddle, and Dream in a Fatal Five-Way match to earn his way into the NXT Title bout at TakeOver: New York. Gargano was initially slated to face Ciampa, however, his neck injury forced those plans to change.

NXT TakeOver: New York takes place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, April 5, 2019. Check out the updated TakeOver: New York card below:

• Two Of Three Falls match for vacant NXT Championship: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole
• WWE NXT UK Championship: (C) Pete Dunne vs. WALTER
• NXT North American Championship: (C) The Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle
• Fatal Four-Way for NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane
• NXT Tag Team Championship: (C) War Raiders vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet

Do you think Cole will leave TakeOver as NXT Champion?

NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano recently made his WWE main roster debut alongside Aleister Black, Ricochet and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. The NBC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio recently spoke to hometown hero Gargano. Johnny Wrestling made some interesting comments regarding his main roster call up.

• Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano Talk About RAW Debut

Gargano stated that he was “actually in Cleveland when I got the call that I was going to be on Raw and SmackDown. I was at my mom’s house and it was in the morning. They said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be on Raw and SmackDown in a couple days,’ which is pretty crazy.”

Johnny elaborated further, saying that “it seems like all of my biggest life events happen when I’m actually at home in Cleveland, around my family. I was there for my dad’s 77th birthday party, so I got to go to his party later that night and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be on Raw and SmackDown in a couple days.’ It’s super cool, man. I know I’ve used the word, ‘cool’ a lot, but I’m still just a kid from Cleveland, and life is just cool.”

There are reports that Gargano, Black, Ciampa and Ricochet will be working RAW, Smackdown and NXT going forward. There’s also a good chance that this changes post-WrestleMania, but is not confirmed at this point.

Last night saw the main roster debuts for a number of NXT’s top Superstars including Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black.

Ciampa and Gargano — officially teaming up again for the first time since their initial split as DIY — would wrestle and defeat the current RAW tag team champions, The Revival. This was a non-title matchup.

NXT Superstars coming in and beating main roster champions may have surprised a number of the WWE Universe. It didn’t, however, surprise Ciampa.

Catching up with Cathy Kelley backstage, the two discussed their main roster debut, with Ciampa claiming that the fans will “remember us forever.”

“I don’t know, it’s a weird feeling,” Gargano admitted. “I don’t know really how to feel [about debuting]. I don’t think any of it has set in yet. I’m one of those types of people that kind of takes things as they come. This has all been such a whirlwind — I don’t know, I’m numb right now. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’m incredibly numb. Yeah, I don’t know…”

Ciampa then took the reigns and stated that “This is not a surprise. We’re the two best performers in all of WWE. We turned NXT into the A-Show. We walked into Monday Night RAW and we beat the tag team champions on our first night. This isn’t happenstance. I’m the greatest sports entertainer of all time. He’s Johnny Wrestling. Whether you call us DIY or not doesn’t matter. You will call us champions, you will call us legends, you will remember us forever.”

Do you agree? What’s next for the NXT champions? Will they become a mainstay on the red brand?