WWE: Johnny Gargano reveals his farewell gift to Shawn Michaels before his final NXT match

When telling the story of NXT, few performers are as tied to the promotion, especially since Shawn Michaels took over creative, as Johnny Gargano.

An NXT Triple Crown Champion who found incredible success in his tag team with Tommaso Ciampa, #DIY, a loving faction in his familial The Way, and even legendary status as HBK's chosen champion in his feud against Grayson Waller, few men have accomplished as much as Gargano in Orlando, and as a result, few men are as worthy of the title Mr. NXT.

Discussing his final match on the brand in an Insight interview with Chris Van Vliet, Gargano revealed that he had a very interesting gift he bestowed upon his long-time mentor in a moment that felt like a culmination of his entire time on the brand.

“And a story I think I’ve only told maybe once before, but I have such a great relationship, and I’m very lucky, and it’s crazy to say with Shawn Michaels. He was my hero growing up, and I spent a lot of time with him. And I made the shadow boxes for people that are really special to me in that building. I made a shadow box for Shawn, I made a shadow box for Coach Bloom,” Johnny Gargano told Chris Van Vleet via WrestleZone.

“And I made, I gave cards to all the coaches, everything I’ve learned, spent seven years with Terry Taylor, Steve Corino, I gave them special cards and stuff. I have pictures of us together. Because it was my last night did feel like it was like a goodbye for a while. It was funny I say goodbye for a while but I was literally still going to Performance Center with Candace. We brought the baby to the PC like literally two months later, or maybe three months later or whatever.

“But I had that gift for Shawn. It’s a shadow box, it had my headband from a TakeOver. He’s the only person other than me that has a piece of my TakeOver gear. I did it for In Your House where it was like kind of my Shawn Michaels gear. So I had that put in a shadow box. Again, I’m luckily I have a great wife that helps me with these things, by the way, because I’m not making shadow boxes by myself. The headband with a picture of me and Shawn, from when I was in high school and a picture of me and Shawn in that year from that TakeOver.”

Wow, pretty cool, right? But wait, it gets even better, as Gargano decided to give Mr. Michaels the gift in a way that maximized both men's mentions heading into the match.

Johnny Gargano gave Shawn Michaels a gift he will never forget.

Continuing his story, Johnny Gargano revealed how he used his gift for Shawn Michaels as a way to supercharge his final match in the promotion, using HBK's reaction as fuel to put on one final banger on his way out the door.

“And I wrote a really nice note on the back. Shawn actually has it hanging up in his office, if you see any interviews he does, where he’s at his desk, it’s actually behind him, which is cool. So I bought this gift to him. And I said, I’m gonna give you this gift, but there’s a catch. You can’t open it until I’m getting ready to go through the curtain. Because I want to be emotional out there. And you’re going to be the one that’s going to give me that emotion. Like I’m going to see how this affects you. And it’s going to transfer to me. And I’m going to go through the current right when that happens. And literally, I give him the gift.

“And Road Dogg is counting down the time. He’s like, okay, Johnny, given the gift. And literally, like we’re in a commercial break, and wrote, I was like, okay, 30 29. And Shawn opens it up. And Shawn looks at it. And he starts getting really emotional. And he hugs me. And of course, like I get emotional, then my music starts playing. So when I walk through that curtain, you’re seeing literally the direct reaction of me feeling that moment, but also giving that gift to Shawn and seeing how it affected him. And just that that’s me walking through the curtain for my last time at NXT for then, and then you know, you got it.”

Could Gargano eventually return to NXT once more? Totally; assuming he remains a member of the WWE Universe, it's hard to imagine a world where he doesn't make a televised return to the PC for one reason or another. Still, until that day comes, it's safe to say this is a memory that will remain incredibly special for both men long-term.