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Johnny Wrestling has burst onto the main roster scene in recent weeks and whilst fans of NXT are already aware of exactly what the former North American Champion is capable of, many fans who don't tune into the WWE Network on a Wednesday night would have missed a lot of his exploits.
Gargano is another superstar who is highly experienced in the ring and has shown it throughout his time in NXT. Whilst the former Champion fell short of the NXT Championship numerous times, there were still flashes of the brilliance that awaits the main roster when Gargano gets in full swing.
For fans who haven't monitored Gargano's career over the past few years, here are some of the biggest facts about the star that every fan needs to know.
#5. Gargano has appeared on WWE's main roster before
Johnny Gargano has been around the wrestling business since he was a teenager so it's no surprise that the former North American Champion has already appeared on WWE TV numerous times before. Back in March 2007, Gargano appeared as "Champion of Liechtenstein", Cedrick Von Haussen, in a match against MVP on SmackDown Live, and of course, Gargano was quickly defeated by Montel Vontavious Porter.
Gargano later appeared on an episode of Superstars as part of another WWE tryout back in September 2011, this time he was known under the ring name Joey Grey and was easily defeated by The Funkasaurus Brodus Clay.
It wasn't until 2015 when Gargano was taken seriously by the company and given a chance to push himself in NXT that he was able to unlock his own potential and become the wrestler that he is today. That being said, Gargano would have probably seen his earlier matches as blessings that showed him that he needed to work harder to live his dream.
#4. Gargano first stepped in the ring when he was just 8 years old
At 31 years old it's hard to believe that Gargano is considered a veteran of the business. The former NXT star started wrestling training at the age of just 16 at Cleveland All–Pro Wrestling's school, but he actually first stepped foot in a ring more than eight years earlier.
Gargano was reportedly allowed to perform rolls in the ring when he was just 8 years old after CAPW owner J.T. Lightning allowed him to jump into the ring and perform a few tricks since the company held shows right behind his father's catering business.
Interestingly, Gargano then waited until he was old enough to train professionally and it was J.T Lightning's training school that he joined before he made his professional wrestling debut just two years later.
#3. Gargano and his wife have wrestled each other numerous times
Candice LeRae was someone that many of the WWE Universe believed they would never see in a WWE ring. LeRae made a name for herself all over the world as one of the toughest women in the business after stepping up to some of the biggest men in intergender matches.
LeRae even wrestled her own husband a number of times when the two stars were working together on the Independent Circuit and interestingly the couple always managed to put on a fantastic show.
Gargano was signed to WWE a number of years before his wife, but the couple didn't actually marry until 2016 when Gargano was already signed to WWE and Candice was well on her way to accepting a contract that had been offered to her by the same company.
#2. Best friends make the best enemies
Over the past few years, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have taken over NXT with their bitter feud that has main evented a number of NXT Takeover events in the past. Gargano and Ciampa began as partners in #DIY before Ciampa turned his back on his friend after they failed to recapture the NXT Tag Team Championships back at NXT Takeover: Chicago in 2017.
Gargano and Ciampa weren't just friends on-screen either, the duo lived together, traveled together and Ciampa was even an important part of Gargano's wedding and the amazing Lip Sync battle that followed.
The official video of the event was shared on Social Media back in 2016 showing just how close the two men once were, which added more heartbreak to their feud when Ciampa finally decided to turn heel merely months later.
#1. Five Star Match
Whilst Gargano and Ciampa's feud will be seen as the most memorable that Johnny Wrestling was part of in his NXT career, it was actually his shot at the NXT Championship in the main event of Takeover: Philadephia back in 2018 that gave him his first 5* rating from respected journalist Dave Meltzer.
These ratings have become important in WWE circles in recent years and Gargano's match with Almas became the first WWE bout to recieve such a rating in more than six years. This was also the match that saw Ciampa make his return to the company and attack his former friend once again to kick start their feud heading into WrestleMania season.
Ciampa and Gargano's return match in New Orleans at Takeover a few months later was another 5* rating from Meltzer.
