Will Johnny Gargano win the Undisputed WWE Championship? The Likelihood of Rebel Heart reaching the top of the mountain

WWE

Johnny Gargano’s WWE career has taken some odd turns over the past year, with the star put in an interesting position as we approach the end of 2026.

With Tommaso Ciampa leaving WWE in January, Gargano has been slumped over, planking backstage for most episodes of SmackDown since then.

Gargano had a rough time in the singles division following the split of DIY, losing to Oba Femi, Axiom, and Nathan Frazer on SmackDown, as well as then-NXT North American Champion Myles Borne in NXT.

Following the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in late-April, Gargano decided to hone his planking skills, not wrestling again until the August 28 SmackDown episode.

It was on this episode that Gargano’s entire direction changed, with the star standing for the first time in months to challenge for CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship.

Gargano has remained in the WWE Title picture since then, attempting to interfere in every televised Undisputed Championship match which has taken place since then.

With Johnny Gargano going from losing every match on SmackDown to being in most Undisputed WWE Championship segments, this has led many to question, will Johnny Gargano actually win WWE’s top prize?

Nobody will do it for you

While Johnny Gargano – the wrestler – is still as talented as ever, fans of “Black & Gold” NXT know what this star is truly capable of when given the right presentation.

To explain in WWE main roster terms, NXT-Gargano had the underdog heart of Daniel Bryan, the drive to finish his story of Cody Rhodes, and the kick-out ability of 2010s John Cena.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, however, with Gargano first wrestling for NXT in the summer of 2015, and it taking just under four years for him to win the developmental brand’s biggest prize, at TakeOver: New York in April 2019.

Gargano ultimately achieved a lot of success in NXT, becoming the brand’s first Triple Crown Champion, and showcasing his natural ability to get crowds behind him.

Garga-no main roster wins this year

Johnny Gargano hasn’t had the same level of singles success on the main roster, following his return to the company under the Triple H regime in 2022.

The NXT Triple Crown Champion has yet to win any singles gold on the main roster, with his only title reigns since returning being in the tag-team division alongside Tommaso Ciampa.

Even following Ciampa’s exit, Gargano hasn’t won a single match on SmackDown, with his only victory in 2026 so far coming as part of a Gauntlet Eliminator match on the March 24 NXT episode, during which Gargano didn’t hit a single move and won by flopping onto Shiloh Hill, following a lot of interference.

If you look at Gargano’s record, he doesn’t look like a future world champion, but in other matches…

The Rebel Heart of the WWE Championship scene

Johnny Gargano showed flashes of the Rebel Heart of old when challenging for CM Punk’s WWE Title on the September 4 SmackDown episode.

Sami Zayn won the Undisputed WWE Championship the following week, with Johnny Gargano attempting to cost CM Punk the match, but Kevin Owens’ interference actually playing a definitive role in the title change.

Gargano also attempted to interfere in Sami Zayn’s title defense against Kevin Owens on September 18, keeping Zayn in the match ahead of CM Punk costing Owens the bout.

Johnny Gargano keeps helping Sami Zayn to retain the title because Zayn previously agreed to defend the gold against Gargano if he was to become champion.

Following Sami Zayn’s title win, Nick Aldis reminded the duo that Sami couldn’t decide his own title matches by himself, which has led to a situation where Gargano wants Zayn to keep the title for an eventual match.

Interestingly, Johnny Gargano came up short in his Money in the Bank qualifying match on October 2, with Kevin Owens picking up a victory in a match also featuring Cody Rhodes.

While Gargano was presented as a top contender during this match and even interfered in a major Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton spot, he is still no closer to the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Johnny Gargano feels like he’s in a similar position to Finn Balor, with the duo being presented as potential challengers for the Undisputed WWE Championship, but with the company not pulling the trigger and giving either star a title reign.

With his current storyline, the pay-off almost demands for Gargano’s eventual title match to be significant, whether that’s with him walking out as champion, or challenging for the gold on a big premium live event stage.

Johnny Gargano has talked about how it’s his lifelong dream to hold the WWE Championship, with that being one of the reasons he returned to the company in 2022 after previously letting his contract expire.

While Gargano has yet to win a match on SmackDown this year, the combination of his current storyline, WWE crowning a first-time world champion in Sami Zayn earlier this year, and there already having been five WWE Title changes in 2026 all give fans a lot of hope surrounding the possibility of Johnny Wrestling reaching the top of the WWE mountain.

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

• wwe
• johnny gargano

Share this article with friends