CLEVELAND -- When Cleveland native Johnny Gargano first saw professional wrestling as an eight-year old child, he was mesmerized by the athleticism and larger-than-life personas carried out by the performers.
And for the last 12 years, Gargano has put his athleticism on display in “the squared circle” for his passionate legion of fans, first in more than a decade on the independent circuit, and most recently, with the developmental brand of World Wrestling Entertainment, NXT.
“The minute I saw a guy like Shawn Michaels, who is a smaller guy, but he has so much charisma, so much athleticism, when I saw what he could do in the ring, I immediately fell in love with it, and I knew that’s what I wanted to be one day,” Gargano recalled in an exclusive interview with WKYC.com.
“Unfortunately, in real life, I can’t be a Power Ranger and I can’t be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but I can be a professional wrestler. It’s something that I am truly passionate about. I’ve done this since I was eight years old, basically. I started very young, and I’m 30 now, so going on almost 22 years of being around wrestling. It’s something that I love very much and that I care very deeply for.”
Before making it to NXT in 2015, where he later rose to the ranks of Tag Team Champion and the No. 1 contender for the men’s singles championship, Gargano spent more than a decade on the independent scene and quickly found his way to the top of the card at most shows.
Gargano was the Absolute Intense Wrestling “Absolute” Champion once, the Intense Division titlist twice and the Cleveland All-Pro Junior Heavyweight Champion on one occasion.
Gargano went on to hold championships in several other organizations, and was recognized on an international level for his talents as Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him No. 51 on its list of the "Top 500 singles wrestlers of 2013."
Gargano ranked No. 62 in 2014.
“It’s unbelievable because in my mind, I’m still just a little chubby eight-year old kid from Cleveland, Ohio,” Gargano said. “In my head, I’m not doing anything crazy. I’m not doing anything that’s better than anyone else, but I’ve just been extraordinarily lucky, and very thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given.”
On the wrong end of the decision in an NXT Championship vs. Career match against Andrade “Cien” Almas three weeks ago, Gargano is finishing up his last obligations for the company through the very region he started his career in, the Midwest.
Following Friday’s show at the legendary Agora Theatre in Cleveland, Gargano has events in Detroit and Indianapolis to close out his NXT run. And while the ending of this chapter in his career is difficult, Gargano will take with him fond memories of NXT onto the next stop in his career.
“It’s been a crazy ride, a lot of ups and a lot of downs,” Gargano said.
“The atmosphere, the electricity at NXT Live events is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and for me, just to be a small part of something like that is one of the things that no matter where I go, no matter what I do, being a part of NXT in this time period and the things I’ve been able to accomplish is going to be one of the things I’m most proud of.”
