Johnny Gargano, a name synonymous with WWE NXT. The man who has come to be known as Johnny Wrestling. The former NXT champion debuted in WWE in 2015 and received a full-time contract a year later. Gargano is one of the most decorated names in NXT history. He is the first NXT Triple Crown Champion, the only man to hold the NXT North American Championship three times, a nine-time NXT TakeOver main eventer (10 if you count the 2021 WarGames event), and a five-time NXT Year-End Awards winner.
Johnny Wrestling left WWE in December 2021, in what has been described as incredibly amicable. He bid farewell to WWE Universe on the December 7th episode of NXT.
Gargano recently sat down with Comicbook to discuss his decision of leaving WWE, “So I’ve just been going constantly. If you look at my NXT run, especially, I was on television pretty consistently for like six years. And I’m very lucky to say that. But as far as now having time to step out of the bubble and reassess things, and especially now with the baby on the way, it felt like the perfect time to be able to give me not just a physical break, but also a mental break on all of this stuff and just kind of dip my toes in other things as well.”
Where is Johnny Gargano now?
Days after his WWE contract expired, Mr. NXT announced on Twitter that he was relaunching his Pro-Wrestling Tees shop. Gargano also added that he is starting his own Twitch Channel and YouTube Channel, “But wait.. there’s more! Change is scary (especially with a baby on the way) but I’m excited to be able to take this time to dip my toes in some new ventures as well..I’ve been promising new content for a while! @Twitch @YouTube.”
But wait.. there’s more! Change is scary (especially with a baby on the way) but I’m excited to be able to take this time to dip my toes in some new ventures as well..
I’ve been promising new content for a while! @Twitch @YouTubehttps://t.co/DbL6plptWfhttps://t.co/muwNuRUWjE
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) December 10, 2021
As for his wrestling career, we still don’t know when we will see Johnny Wrestling again. In an interview with Comicbook Gargano said, “I’m always a ‘never say never guy’ because you never know, but I don’t plan on it. I planned on having this break and then I planned on having time with the baby, On the other side of that, I’m 34 years old and still in my prime. I’m hoping that this break give me more clarity on things, but I just want time away. I’ve been doing this for 16 years and I’ve never really been out of the bubble. Different people are contacting me all the time. You never know which opportunity is going to be the right one.”
The first-ever NXT Triple Crown champion recently tweeted, “You know when I start working out to wrestling theme songs… the itch is coming back.”
You know when I start working out to wrestling theme songs.. the itch is slowly starting to come back..
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) January 11, 2022
Could we see Johnny Gargano back in the ring sooner rather than later? Will it be at this year’s Royal Rumble or perhaps AEW?
