"You cannot pay someone to love wrestling" - Johnny Gargano explains his love for indie wrestlers

Johnny Gargano is a former WWE NXT Champion
Johnny Gargano is a former WWE NXT Champion

Former WWE Superstar Johnny Gargano has revealed why he is fond of wrestlers from the independent circuit.

Gargano plied his trade on the independent circuit before signing with WWE in 2015. The athlete went on to appear on NXT and then made his main roster debut on RAW in 2019. During his impressive run on the developmental brand, Gargano also managed to win the NXT Championship after defeating Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver.

Speaking on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, the wrestler stated that he has an inclination towards athletes from the independent circuit because that's where he came from.

“I am always going to go more towards the indie wrestling route because that’s where I’m from. That’s my background. That’s what I believe in. I believe in my heart. That’s why I kind of lean towards the more Indie Hartwell, Cora Jades of the world. Again, that’s not taking anything away from those guys, but I firmly believe that you can pay someone to learn a headlock, you can pay someone to learn a wrist lock. You cannot pay someone to love this.'' (H/T - SEScoops)

The 34-year-old stated that indie wrestlers possess an extraordinary amount of love for wrestling.

''You cannot pay someone to love wrestling. When you’re an indie wrestler, and you had to pay to train, you had to travel all over and take $5, you have to love this. Because if you don’t love this, you ain’t gonna be doing it. So I’m always gonna lean towards more, giving those people opportunities that I feel like they just want it. I relate to them so much. “ (H/T - SEScoops)

Johnny Gargano announces first appearance after WWE exit

Johnny Gargano will be appearing at this year's at this year's WrestleCon as confirmed by the wrestler himself.

Gargano parted ways with WWE in 2021 when his contract expired. He decided against renewing his deal. As far as WrestleCon is concerned, Gargano posted the news on social media and seemed quite pumped up to meet the fans.

''Doing signings at Axxess was one of my favorite parts of Wrestlemania weekend (so much so that I would always ask to do extra sessions if someone couldn't do it) Believe it or not.. I've never done a @wrestlecon! So it felt like a good time.. Excited to see all of you in Dallas!''

The appearance at WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend will be Johnny Gargano's first since leaving WWE.

Would you like to see Gargano wrestle in a major promotion again? Sound off below!

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