What’s a Johnny Gargano & Why Should I Care?

What’s a Johnny Gargano & Why Should I Care?

Two weeks ago things got interesting around here as the news broke that WWE and WWNLive could be “working together”. The news had been out there for weeks before it was “reported,” and of course the terms of the proposed deal are all of over the place because nothing is confirmed. Will it be something WWE supported like OVW/ECW with WWE getting to send talent there and cherry pick when they needed in return for some cash? Will WWNlive become part of the WWE Universe and their developmental system? Will WWE developmental talents start to appear on Evolve and or FIP iPPVs? Could SHINE be completely raided? The imaginations of the wrestling fan started to run wild, because that’s what we do. I won’t lie, I did the same because it’s not only fun, but it’s not a crazy idea. This of course has led to more speculation about the future of WWE developmental and the independent scene a whole. Does WWE want more control of the independent scene? Sometime last year, Steve Cook and I did a podcast and were discussing ways to expand WWE developmental and make it even more effective. My stance was that if I had the money and resources that WWE does, I would look into buying an ROH and or WWNLive and run them as is. Keep the contracted performers, evaluate them, allow the Indy veterans to get a chance and also help your younger and more inexperienced talent. I got laughed at and had it explained to me that this would never happen because it was the stupidest idea ever. But here we are, there have been talks and it could happen. It’s not so silly now it is.

And then on Thursday night, Johnny Gargano showed up at the NXT TV Tapings working a dark match against Uhaa Nation. WWNLive sent out a statement regarding the appearance, but it has led to a lot of speculation about the rumored relationship and of course the future of Gargano himself. Gargano is till a “WWNLive contracted talent,” but what does that mean these days? The reaction online has been mixed, not because of people questioning Gargano (the ones that know him are excited) but for the fact that a lot of people don’t have a clue who the guy is because they don’t follow the independent scene. I have seen the question, “what’s a Johnny Gargano and why should I care?” I’ll try to answer that today…

Right now, I want to take a look at some of the top matches from Mr. Gargano from the past few years. These are based on what I have personally watched and or reviewed. For me, this is a small sample of the stellar work Gargano has done in the ring for WWNLive (DGUSA and Evolve)…

* From DGUSA’s Freedom Fight 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet vs. Akira Tozawa vs. AR Fox [****½]
* From DGUSA – Open the Ultimate Gate 2014: Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet [****½]
* From Dragon Gate USA Open The Ultimate Gate 2013 iPPV – Johnny Gargano vs. Shingo [****½]

* From Dragon Gate USA Mercury Rising iPPV – CIMA, EITA & Tomahawk TT vs. Johnny Gargano, Rich Swann & Ricochet [****¼]
* From EVOLVE 22: Open the Freedom Gate Title Match: Johnny Gargano © vs. Samuray Del Sol [****¼]
* From DGUSA’s Enter The Dragon 2013 iPPV – Johnny Gargano vs. Akira Tozawa [****¼]
* From DGUSA’s Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – I QUIT Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor [****¼]

* From DGUSA’s Untouchable 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Akira Tozowa [****]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Open the United Gate Tag Title Match: Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet and Masato Yoshino [****]
* From EVOLVE 18 iPPV – Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Sami Callihan [****]
* From EVOLVE 23: Rich Swann & Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano & Trent Baretta [****]
* From DGUSA’s Freedom Fight 2013: Johnny Gargano vs. Chris Hero via submission [****]
* From DGUSA Way of The Ronin – Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong [****]
* From EVOLVE 33 – Rich Swann vs. Johnny Gargano [****]

Along with a listing of matches just below the four star mark (***¾) that is easily three times as long as the above, Gargano has put forth a portfolio (just in terms of WWNLine) that any wrestler would be proud of. He became a cornerstone of the promotion, headlining numerous shows and really becoming the first “star” of the WWNlive family. Yes others had moved on and got to the big stage first, but the “WWNLive Universe” revolved around Gargano during his crazy 800+ day long Open the Freedom Gate title run. Gargano became the face of the promotion and came from the very bottom to do so, and we’ll talk about that below. The thing is that for me, I am judging him mostly on his WWNlive stuff. Do not forget that he’s a mainstay in AIW, he works PWG and had a run in CHIKARA; the guy has really worked all of the major places he could while under a contract to WWNLive, and proved himself to be a top guy. And he was never supposed to be “the guy”…

The evolution of Johnny Gargano over the last several years has been quite amazing. I first saw him in CHIKARA teaming with Icarus and Taylor as part of FIST. I thought that he was a perfectly fine pro wrestler, doing some comedy and having good tag team matches. He was serviceable and had upside, but I would be lying if I said I thought he’d be a top guy of any kind. And that’s how WWNLive saw him, as he was a guy that had to fight his way into the promotion via a pre-event FRAY match to prove that he could be part of the shows. He had to fight for the respect of the office, the respect of the “name Japanese performers” that thought little of him, and he finally did that. Between 2010 and 2012, Gargano was a guy that had improved tremendously, going from a guy most thought was just a comedy guy to an excellent tag team performer. But in 2012, he really blossomed as a singles worker, and the top act for EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA. Whether it was in a tag team match in CHIKARA, a multiple man match (vs. Ricochet vs. Akira Tozawa vs. AR Fox), an I Quit match against Chuck Taylor or singles matches with Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino, AR Fox or Sami Callihan; 2012 was the year of Gargano.

Gargano quickly became everything you wanted in the top guy. He held the Open the Freedom Gate Championship for 873 days, in a title run that never felt boring or labored. He was the babyface that overcame the odds to become the champion, and then the hated heel when he snapped and decided he would do anything to keep his title and the top spot. In the EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA universe, the fans bought him as the top guy, he was booked well as the top guy, and he had previously grabbed the attention of WWE in the past. But I feel the most important thing is not just the quality of the matches that Gargano had, but I want to stress the fact that he grew so much as a singles performer. That is the key for every wrestler trying to make it, you can be good, but if you don’t evolve (for lack of a better term) you die. He proved that he could thrive as a major player; he just needed the chance and he got it. Watching Gargano transform himself from a friend in similar tights to a top guy who constantly delivered was a complete joy for me. We often tend to dwell on watching guys fail, but for the last three years I have done nothing but write about and praise the evolution of Gargano.

Over the past four years or so, people constantly ask me about people that WWE should sign. I watch so much wrestling and get to see a lot of great performers and feel I have a good grasp on what works and what doesn’t. A few years ago El Generico had an amazing year and was easily the best performer on iPPV/PPV in the world in terms of match quality. I said he should be signed by WWE, and that if they invested in him and that if he was willing to adapt that it would work. It’s 2015 and now Sami Zayn has morphed into one of the best babyfaces in the business and did so without his mask.

After a great run of singles battles against Generico and then an excellent run of tag matches teaming with Generico, Samuray Del Sol became a fast favorite of mine. Del Sol stood out as a guy that could work the North American Style as well as work the lucha style. I told people that WWE needed to give the young man a chance because Rey wouldn’t be around forever, and they needed to try and make a new Latino star. I was told that it would never happen, and here we are in 2015 and he’s not only signed but on the main roster as Kalisto. I don’t know if he’ll actually get the chance to, for lack of a better phrase “to take Rey’s spot,” but they signed him and he got the chance.

Uhaa Nation had a great showcase in the WWNLive universe and he that parlayed into multiple tours of Dragon Gate proper in Japan. Nation is a large and muscular man with power who has the agility and moves of a cruiserweight. He grew as a performer and started to become a complete package, and I said that he was a guy that needed to be on the WWE’s radar. People told me that Nation wasn’t needed “because WWE already has Big E Langston”. Forget that they are two completely different performers, but on no level does that make sense. Uhaa Nation has been signed and is in WWE developmental now.

The point I am trying to make (and it is not that I told you so) is this; I don’t run around and claim that every independent guy needs to be signed by the WWE. That’s false, not everyone is ready and not everyone should be on the big stage. Usually at the end of the year I make a recommendation of who I would sign based on the work I have seen from them during the year and I have a pretty good track record with these things.

So what’s a Johnny Gargano and why should you care? Johnny Gargano is an excellent pro wrestler. He’s a small guy that can play the sympathetic babyface extremely well, and turn around and play the little weasel heel that you can hate equally as much. Johnny Gargano would be an asset to the WWE developmental program as a seasoned performer, as a man that has worked with great talent, as a man that can add depth to an NXT brand that wants to tour and as a man who has wrestled for 10-years that can help the next generation of talents. Will he make the main roster and find success? That I don’t know, but I do know that he has all of the tools to do so.

What’s a Johnny Gargano and why should you care? He’s a damn fine pro wrestler that has been one of the very best on the independent scene for the past three years and someone who i feel has earned a chance to show that he can make it in the big time. I wish him all of the luck in the world.