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When Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick announced on commentary that Johnny Gargano, aka Johnny Wrestling, was out for the foreseeable future with an injury, it left fans of WWE very confused indeed. While the production kicked it back to the back, where the “Poison Pixie,” Candice LeRae, spoke on her husband, Husband Wrestling, and his injury, that segment was quickly interrupted by none other than Rhea Ripley, who took issues with anyone claiming another wrestler will win the women's Royal Rumble at the late-January event.
What gives? Will Gargano be stuck at home, watching Bluey with Baby Wrestling indefinitely? Or does he have a timeline in mind for a return in the not-too-distant future? Fortunately, Gargano stopped by The Bump, a show he's on so often he should practically be the host – his words – to speak with Kayla Braxton and company about his immediate future.
“I tweeted out that I injured my shoulder at a live event in Toronto, which is ironic because I came back in Toronto,” Gargano said via Fightful. “That’s where I injured my shoulder. I got rammed into the steel steps, and I sprained my AC joint. Doctors say originally about five-to-six weeks. I’m going to do everything in my power to cut that time down, and that’s the most transparent I can be there. We’re gonna see what can happen, and I’m gonna work very, very hard to come back as soon as possible. [There’s] a lot of things I still want to accomplish, a lot of things I still want to do. I am far from happy with how things have gone for me recently, and I want to right those wrongs and show everyone out there; that believe in me, what Johnny Wrestling is truly capable of doing.”
After taking an extended leave of absence from the right between December of 2021 and September of 2022 – call it an extended paternity leave – Gargano has been a workhorse for WWE, working 19 matches split between RAW, SmackDown, and house shows while also serving as something of an investigative reporter in his efforts to help his Kayfabe son-in-law, Dexter Lumis, secure a full-time contract. While it will be disappointing to be without Johnny G for the foreseeable future, he does have an idea in mind for his return that should make WWE fans very excited indeed.
.@JohnnyGargano gives an update on his shoulder injury.#WWETheBump pic.twitter.com/qalwJ79nrt
— WWE (@WWE) January 11, 2023
Johnny Gargano wants to make his WWE return on a “Premium Live Event.”
Elsewhere in his appearance on The Bump, peppered between segments with Lumis and about his favorite RAW memory, was a question about his path through WWE and his desired return date. After initially running through his opponents in The Fed, Johnny Wrestling gave his optimistic expectation for his in-ring return.
“It feels that way. A lot of big guys as well,” Gargano said. “Baron Corbin, big dude. Otis, big dude. Omos, the biggest dude. But I’ve also had matches against Chad Gable, matches against Austin Theory, so I’ve had kind of a cornucopia of different sizes and shapes and whatnot. But I am very excited to be able to get back in that ring and really show everyone what I’m capable of. I know there’s a lot of people out there that still believe in Johnny Wrestling, still believe in what I’m capable of, and I’m gonna prove all of them right, I promise you that. It’s Rumble season, and I know a guy like me, I pride myself on my tenacity [and] my heart. If I can get cleared for that Rumble, I’ll be super pumped. I don’t know. My doctor said five or six weeks, so I don’t know what that means. But I am very lucky that we do have a medical team that’s gonna protect me from myself. If it was up to me, I’d be out there right now, and I’d be in a whole bunch of pain [laughs]. I think that things have gone pretty well, but I’m excited to take things to the next level”
Would Gargano be a good participant in the Royal Rumble? In a word, yes; Johnny Wrestling can basically work any match style against any opponent, can play up or down his size depending on the individual foe, and even has a devilishly sneaky streak that could lead to some pretty interesting elimination in a match designed around huge, meme-able moments. Pair him up with Lumis in the ring, bring back Tomasso Ciampa for a mini-angle that reunites or further splits up #DIY; whatever you do, Gargano will deliver, as he is Johnny Wrestling, after all.
