Johnny Gargano Addresses Whether He Spoke With Other Promotions Before WWE Return

Johnny Gargano recently returned to WWE following months of taking time off to spend the first few months of Quill's, he and Candice LeRae's child, life taking care of him. Gargano was in "NXT" from 2015 until 2021, last competing on December 5th, 2021, prior to making his return on August 22nd, 2022, when he cut a promo and laid out Austin Theory. While Gargano did eventually return to WWE, the former NXT Champion addressed whether or not he had spoken to other pro wrestling promotions prior to signing back.

"There were conversations for sure," Gargano said appearing on "Out of Character with Ryan Satin." "We'd be dumb not to have those conversations, right? Especially with everything that was going on and the uncertainty around everything ... I could sit back and kind of survey the landscape and make my decision on a timely basis ... From December to December, I was fine with not doing anything. Totally fulfilled not doing anything and luckily I had people around me who cnc have the conversations, so I don't have to think about anything."

Gargano recently wrestled his first match back on the September 12th edition of "Raw" against Chad Gable, a match won by Gargano after nailing Gable with his One Final Beat DDT. While he defeated Gable on the night, Gargano still has Theory on his plate as the Mr. Money in the Bank will be looking for revenge following Gargano nailing Theory with a Superkick the night he made his return. The two have never gone one-on-one and, while in "NXT" were in a faction known as The Way with LeRae and Indi Hartwell.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Out of Character with Ryan Satin" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.