5 Superstars who worked in WWE without a contract

#4 Johnny Gargano

There's no place like home.. September 23rd, 2016. Cleveland, OH. My last independent wrestling match. pic.twitter.com/5iWDLfO2xh

— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) July 21, 2016

Johnny Gargano is one of the top Superstars in NXT history. Interestingly, during his initial appearances for WWE in 2015 on NXT and the Dusty Road Tag Team Classic tournament, he did not officially sign with WWE. It was announced in April 2016 that he officially signed with WWE.

While his initial contract with WWE was a "Tier 2" contract where he was allowed to work on the independent circuit alongside his NXT dates, WWE soon signed him to an exclusive full-time contract in July of that year.

Johnny Gargano in WWE NXT

Johnny Gargano initially competed in NXT as a tag-team with Tommaso Ciampa as DIY. The two gained a lot of popularity and fan-support and continuously delivered amazing feuds and matches. They won the NXT Tag Team Championships in November 2016. After Ciampa turned on Gargano, the two started one of the best feuds on NXT, leading to some insane matches.

Here’s a Johnny Gargano appreciation tweet cause his been getting a lot of unnecessary hate today. Like he just wants you to enjoy 4 top class wrestlers put on a show that’s it. pic.twitter.com/rNws0zS7so

— A.W V2💎 (@AWV23) September 1, 2020

Johnny Gargano is one of the most accomplished Superstars on NXT. He became the first NXT Triple Crown Champion, winning all the top titles on the brand. He still continues to compete for the brand but it might not be long before WWE moves him to the main roster.