Backstage Details On If AEW Had Interest In Johnny Gargano [Report]
After spending more than eight months away from the squared circle, former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano made a surprise return to WWE on this week's episode of Raw.
Gargano's contract with WWE NXT expired in December of last year. He said goodbye to the fans on the Dec. 7 episode of NXT, which ran two days after the NXT WarGames pay-per-view. Gargano took time away from wrestling to focus on his family; he and Candice LeRae welcomed a son in February.
The NXT contract of Kyle O'Reilly, another top star on the brand, also expired in December. O'Reilly decided to leave for a new chapter in AEW, and there was speculation that Gargano would follow suit. Adam Cole, who was also a marquee star in NXT, had debuted for AEW three months earlier at All Out.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer reported that Gargano "strongly considered AEW." According to Meltzer, Gargano's "mentality" was to have fun and work quality matches, and the smaller working schedule made AEW the ideal fit.
But according to Meltzer, AEW simply "didn’t go after him," even though they had plenty of time to offer a contract. Meltzer added that some in the company were "interested" in Gargano, and that AEW had "interest in" LeRae as well.
RELATED: Details On Backstage WWE Morale Improving Under New Leadership [Report]
The 35-year-old superstar returned on this week's episode of Raw and hit Mr. Money in the Bank, Theory, with a Superkick after the latter offered a working partnership. He'll be working on the Raw brand going forward.
A Huge Break For WWE
WWE has watched a lot of former stars sign with the rival AEW promotion. WWE wanted to keep the likes Cole, O'Reilly and Bryan Danielson, but they didn't want to pass up on the opportunity to try something new. Fortunately for Triple H and company, AEW didn't end up reaching a deal with Gargano, who should be a mainstay on the main event roster long-term.
Triple H has brought back Gargano and several previously released talents since taking over as the Head of Talent Relations as well as WWE creative. There's simply no telling how many more he could bring back in the coming months.
TheSportster Podcast has returned! Check out the latest episodes of the show where Jim Parsons and Norman Quarrinton cover the latest news and events happening in the worlds of WWE, AEW and more!
