Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, it was very common to see some no name wrestler go up against a proven star of a promotion. Whether that be from the WWF, NWA/WCW, AWA or elsewhere, these nomads of professional wrestling were there to make the stars look great. They were known as enhancement talent, preliminary wrestlers or as many fans have come to know them…”jobbers.” While fans were clamoring to see big time match ups, these “squash matches” served a very important purpose. While perhaps not appreciated at the time, they were just as important as the stars themselves.
Johnny Gargano grew up a big wrestling fan citing wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho as a couple of his favorites. His father ran a restaurant and catering business which provided food for an indie promotion in the Cleveland, Ohio area. As a kid, Gargano tagged along with his father and got to meet and “wrestle” some of the local talent. He didn’t officially start training until he was 16 years old. Gargano made his pro debut in 2005.
After two years as a pro, Gargano made his WWE debut against MVP under the gimmick ‘Cedrick Von Haussen’ aka “Champion of Liechtenstein” in a losing effort. The appearance was a one shot deal and Gargano continued wrestling on the independents. He would return to WWE in September of 2011 under the name of ‘Joey Gray’ and would lose to Brodus Clay on an episode of WWE Superstars.
After which, Johnny Gargano wrestled for various indie promotions including Chikara and did a couple of tours of Japan. Gargano was finally signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2016 and was assigned to NXT. Gargano would become the “Heart and Soul” of NXT winning all of the brand’s major titles and becoming the first ever NXT triple crown champion.
Johnny Gargano left NXT and WWE altogether as a free agent in 2021. He cited that he wanted to take some time off to raise his son with wife and fellow wrestler Candice LeRae.