Johnny Gargano and top NXT star set for dark match at WWE SmackDown tonight
WWE NXT stars Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly will be featured in a dark match during tonight's WWE SmackDown broadcast.
The news was first reported by John Pollock, who tweeted that the two NXT stars are scheduled for a dark match at the SmackDown tapings:
"Per sources - Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly are scheduled for a dark match tonight in Evansville at the Smackdown tapings," read John Pollock's tweet.
Per sources - Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly are scheduled for a dark match tonight in Evansville at the Smackdown tapings
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful would go on to confirm that Gargano and KOR will be at Evansville, IN, where SmackDown will take place tonight:
"We've confirmed @iamjohnpollock's news that Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly will be at the location of tonight's Smackdown," tweeted Sean Ross Sapp.
We've confirmed @iamjohnpollock's news that Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly will be at the location of tonight's Smackdown.
Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly have had stellar NXT careers
Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano are two performers that have had some of the most success in NXT. Prior to joining WWE, Gargano was one of the most sought after wrestlers on the independent scene. O'Reilly is best known for his time as one half of the tag team ReDragon with his Undisputed ERA partner, Bobby Fish.
Gargano himself has had some time on the main roster already. In 2019, he was a surprise entrant in that year's Royal Rumble match, and then debuted on Raw as part of a team with then NXT champion Tomasso Ciampa (Gargano was also North American champion at the time). He returned to the former black and gold brand, however, following an injury to Ciampa that forced him to vacate his title.
Kyle O'Reilly was instrumental in the Undisputed ERA's domination of the NXT championship scene, holding the NXT Tag Titles with Bobby Fish. Following the group's dissolution, O'Reilly would have an incredible series of matches against the ERA's former leader Adam Cole. As of this writing, KOR is still on the NXT roster.
It's yet to be seen if this match is the beginning of a main roster run (or, in Gargano's case, another run), or the beginnings of an attempt to keep the two from signing elsewhere. O'Reilly's contract, for example, is set to expire in December.