Johnny Gargano WWE In-Ring Future Update After SmackDown

WWE

An update has emerged regarding Johnny Gargano’s WWE in-ring future after his return match against CM Punk on SmackDown.

The Friday, September 4 edition of WWE SmackDown saw Johnny Gargano emerge from his depressive state at long last; and all it took was CM Punk offering him a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship in his hometown of Cleveland, OH.

While Gargano has spent much of the past six months lying flat on a crate backstage rather than competing in the ring, there were no signs of ring rust from ‘Johnny Wrestling’ whatsoever when he stepped in the ring with the ‘Best in the World.’

Sespite Sami Zayn’s best efforts to steer the result in Gargano’s favor, it was Punk who retained his gold much to the disappointment of most of the fans inside Rocket Arena.

Thankfully, it appears as if his hometown faithful, as well as the rest of the WWE universe will have more to look forward to in the future, as Gargano has stated that last night was just the beginning for him inside the ring.

Posting to Twitter, Gargano thanked his fans for supporting him over the past eight months and looked ahead to the future:

Last night was for the people who never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself.

I went toe to toe with the @WWE Champion in the main event of Smackdown in the arena where I first fell in love with professional wrestling as a child.

Cleveland, I love you.. you had my back against the best in the world, and all I’ve ever wanted to do was be your guy and make you proud.

For an indie kid like me.. it was an absolute honor, and dream to finally get in there with @CMPunk (who was the very first indie merch shirt I ever bought in High School)

I’d love to tell you I was at my best, but that’d be a lie. After laying around feeling sorry for myself for 8 months.. Mentally and physically.. I’m a work in progress.. But I guess we all are.

No more laying down. Last night was the beginning.. not the end. It’s time to stand up, be myself and put in the work to become the man I was always meant to be.

For you. For me. For those who still believe in Johnny Wrestling.

Prior to his match on last night’s SmackDown, Gargano had not wrestled since his brief appearance in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal back on April 17. His last singles match before that came at NXT Stand & Deliver 2026 when he challenged Myles Borne for the NXT North American Championship.

In other news from WWE SmackDown, a new superstar made their in-ring debut – click here for full details.

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• johnny gargano
• wwe
• Smackdown

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