Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano

Personal Information

Full Name John Anthony Nicholas Gargano
Date of Birth August 14, 1987
Nationality American
Birth Place Cleveland suburb, Lakewood, Ohio
Height 5ft 10in
Weight 199 lb (90 kg)
Current Team(s)
DIY
Theme Song Rebel Heart
Debut October 2, 2005
Nickname The Heart and Soul of NXT
Family Candice LeRae (m. 2016)

Johnny Gargano News

Motor City Machine Guns make surprising announcement about their next Tag Team Title defense on SmackDown Motor City Machine Guns make surprising announcement about their next Tag Team Title defense on SmackDown
Motor City Machine Guns make surprising announcement about their next Tag Team Title defense on SmackDown
2h
27-year-old WWE Superstar to save Johnny Gargano from Tommaso Ciampa tonight on SmackDown? Exploring the possibility 27-year-old WWE Superstar to save Johnny Gargano from Tommaso Ciampa tonight on SmackDown? Exploring the possibility
27-year-old WWE Superstar to save Johnny Gargano from Tommaso Ciampa tonight on SmackDown? Exploring the possibility
11h
Six-time WWE champion to turn heel after 1131 days on SmackDown for one major reason? Potential twist explored Six-time WWE champion to turn heel after 1131 days on SmackDown for one major reason? Potential twist explored
Six-time WWE champion to turn heel after 1131 days on SmackDown for one major reason? Potential twist explored
19h
Tommaso Ciampa pulls out championship for heartwarming public appearance Tommaso Ciampa pulls out championship for heartwarming public appearance
Tommaso Ciampa pulls out championship for heartwarming public appearance
WWE Superstar shares update after major heel turn and apparent split with his partner on SmackDown WWE Superstar shares update after major heel turn and apparent split with his partner on SmackDown
WWE Superstar shares update after major heel turn and apparent split with his partner on SmackDown

Johnny Gargano Videos

Johnny Gargano reacts to his initial WWE NXT Championship run, Samoa Joe's return, and more
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14:42
Johnny Gargano reacts to his initial WWE NXT Championship run, Samoa Joe's return, and more
Bronson Reed talks about his WWE NXT North American Championship win, Triple H's reaction & more
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14:00
Bronson Reed talks about his WWE NXT North American Championship win, Triple H's reaction & more
Johnny Gargano talks his alliance with Austin Theory, wrestling Pat McAfee & more
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9:00
Johnny Gargano talks his alliance with Austin Theory, wrestling Pat McAfee & more
Johnny Gargano reveals the one thing left for him to accomplish in WWE NXT
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8:40
Johnny Gargano reveals the one thing left for him to accomplish in WWE NXT
WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Results and Recap - New Champion crowned; Surprising return
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7:24
WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Results and Recap - New Champion crowned; Surprising return

Johnny Gargano: A Brief Biography

John Anthony Nicholas Gargano is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in WWE and on the independent circuit as Johnny Gargano. He is a former NXT, North American, and Tag Team Champion.

  1. Professional Wrestling Debut
  2. Championships and Accomplishments

Personal Life

John Anthony Nicholas Gargano aka Johnny Gargano was born on 14th of August, 1987 in Cleveland. Gargano was wrestling in the ring since eight. While studying in St. Edward High School, Johnny used to wrestler at the back of his father's catering buisness.

Johnny Gargano is married to Candice LeRae since 2016. Both teamed numerous times during their NXT run.

Professional Wrestling Debut

Independent Circuit (2005-2015)

In 2005, Gargano made his professional wrestling debut at CAPW. Gargano has wrestled as an enhancement talent for the first few years of his career. He rose to claim when he was featured on Chikara, Dragon Gate, and Evolve. Gargano has wrestled for over half a dozen wrestling promotions on the independent circuit and won several championships. During his time on the independent circuit, he has had major feuds with Adam Cole, Akira Tozawa, The Young Bucks, Roderick Strong, and many more.

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WWE (2016-2022)

DIY, Ciampa, and NXT Champion (2016-2019)

In 2016, they signed Gargano with WWE and, while working for NXT, he worked a few matches on the independent circuit. In June, he entered the CWC and lost in the second round. At TakeOver Brooklyn II, Gargano and Ciampa lost to The Revival. The matches and chemistry between the two teams made them quite popular. At TakeOver Toronto, DIY defeated The Revival to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.

In 2017, the team spent their time trying to recapture the titles from AOP. In May, Ciampa was injured but competed in a ladder match with Gargano for the titles. After the match, Ciampa turned on Gargano and took some time off. Gargano began working as a singles wrestler where he faced Andrade and lost.

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In 2018, he faced Andrade for the NXT Championship at TakeOver Philadelphia and lost. The match received 5 stars from Dave Meltzer. After Ciampa's return, Gargano and Ciampa continued their feud. At TakeOver New Orleans, Gargano defeated Ciampa and At TakeOver Chicago II, Ciampa defeated Gargano. The last match of the year took place at TakeOver Brooklyn IV, where Ciampa retained his NXT Championship by defeating Gargano.

In 2019, Ciampa was injured and vacated the NXT Championship. They teased a partnership between the two as Gargano won the North American Championship and they teamed up on the main roster. At TakeOver New York, Gargano defeated Cole to win the NXT Championship. At TakeOver XXV, Gargano lost the title to Adam Cole. Gargano failed to win the championship at TakeOver Toronto.

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Finn Balor, and The Way (2019-2022)

After Toronto, Gargano continued his feud with The Undisputed Era with the help of Tommaso Ciampa. In October, Finn Balor returned to NXT and attacked Gargano. Balor took Gargano out for a few months before they finally faced each other. At TakeOver Portland, Gargano faced Balor and lost.

In 2020, Gargano turned heel and attacked Ciampa during his NXT Championship match at TakeOver Portland. The two began feuding and faced each other in a cinematic match, which Gargano won. Gargano spent the first half of the year feuding with Ciampa and challenged Keith Lee for the North American Championship.

In October, he defeated Damien Priest to win the North American Championship with the help of Austin Theory. He formed a new stable called The Way, which had Candice LeRae, Indie Hartwell, and Austin Theory. Gargano won his third North American Championship by defeating Damien Priest and Leon Ruff at TakeOver WarGames.

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In 2021, he defended the championship on TakeOver events and onLive tv. In May, he lost the title to Bronson Reed. After losing to Karrion Kross, Gargano began feuding with Dexter Lumis. In the end, Gargano gave Lumis and Hartwell his blessing during their love storyline.

After the rebirth of NXT 2.0, Gargano faced several young talents such as Carmello Hayes, Tony D'Angelo, Bron Breakker, and Grayson Waller. In 2022, he was attacked by Waller and written off television as he chose not to resign with the company.

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On 22nd August, Johnny Gargano made his return to the promotion.

Championships and Accomplishments

ChampionshipNumber of Times
AIW Absolute Championship1
AIW Intense Championship2
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas2
CAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship1
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship1
Evolve Tag Team Championship1
IWC Super Indy Championship1
IWC Tag Team Championship1
NXT Championship1
NXT North American Championship3
NXT Tag Team Championship1