"I loved it" - Johnny Gargano comments on his heel turn in NXT
Johnny Gargano is the heart and soul of NXT. He is one of the top stars on Tuesday Nights and has cemented his position as a valuable player on the black and gold brand.
For a long time, Gargano was recognized as the main babyface in NXT. But currently, his character has been flourishing as a heel.
In early 2020, Johnny Wrestling turned to the dark side after attacking his long-time friend and arch-rival, Tommaso Ciampa. This time, Gargano was fully committed to his heel character in NXT and after he was done with Ciampa, he formed a new faction called The Way.
Speaking to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Gargano discussed his heel turn and what went into it. Johnny Wrestling revealed that he loved the change in his character and was eagerly waiting for it.
"I loved it [the heel turn]. Honestly, l could not wait for it. I felt like I was stagnant for a little bit. I think if you do anything for so long, you get bored after a while and I just felt like there's another side of me I haven't had a chance to show yet and I was kinda keeping it inside," Gargano continued. "People don't remember I was a heel on the indies forever. That was the main thing I did. So to have this underdog babyface role, that was new for me."
"I remember back when [the heel turn] was being talked about, I wrote up email documents like 'this is what I'm gonna dress as, this is what the music is gonna sound like, here's different stories we could do'. I had a huge long email that I sent to Hunter and the writers. I could not wait to have this different incarnation of me and show the world this side of me. Honestly, I'm having the time of my life doing it," said Johnny Gargano.
Gargano is currently leading the heel faction, The Way, in NXT alongside Candice LeRae, Austin Theory, and Indi Hartwell.
Johnny Gargano is currently the NXT North American Champion
Gargano is currently on his third run as the NXT North American Champion, being the only person to ever win the title three times.
Ever since winning the Championship, Gargano has produced some great title defenses against the likes of Kushida and Bronson Reed.
He is set to defend the NXT North American Championship on this week's NXT against The Colossal One in a steel cage match.
Please credit Fightful and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.