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Backstage reports on Johnny Gargano's WWE main roster status after his surprise return on RAW have now come to the fore.
The former NXT Champion shocked the WWE Universe when he made his return to the company during last night's edition of RAW. He appeared shortly after his former tag teammate turned bitter rival in NXT, Ciampa and The Miz's match against AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley.
He made his way to the ring to a tremendous reaction from the crowd at the Scotiabank Arena last night in Toronto, Canada. The 35-year-old delivered a promo and thanked the fans for their warm reaction.
In a new report from PWInsider, Johnny Wrestling has officially been added to the RAW roster. The report noted that Gargano was flown into Toronto on the company's private jet to avoid being spotted by fans.
His name was also left off the run sheets before the show, and most talents were unaware of his presence until he showed up in gorilla position before his entrance.
Vince Russo was critical of Johnny Gargano's return to WWE
While most wrestling fans were overjoyed to see Gargano return to the company, former WWE head writer Vince Russo wasn't too pleased with the segment.
On last night's edition of Sportskeeda's Legion of RAW show, he claimed that the show came off as being written for the fans in attendance. He stated that little attention is paid to the viewers at home.
Russo added that the segment lacked the star power to maintain the attention of casual fans. With a lot more at stake financially on RAW and SmackDown than in NXT, he pointed out that the company can't afford to take any risks on the talent they push.
"If nobody cares about numbers anymore; if eyeballs and customers don't mean anything anymore, then, bro, you're doing a banger of a job because the marks that attend this show are going to love the show. [...] Johnny Gargano? Are you kidding me? Bro, I'm sitting here, primetime Monday night, and I'm looking at Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory in the ring, and I'm like, why would I watch this?" [3:05 - 3:44]
Gargano's promo ended when Theory's music hit. The 24-year-old interrupted his former partner in The Way, but the former NXT Champion hit him with a superkick to end the segment.
What did you think of Johnny Gargano's return to WWE on RAW? Sound off in the comments section below.
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