How William Regal Convinced Johnny Gargano He Would Make It To WWE

Johnny Gargano has achieved just about everything there is to achieve on WWE's "NXT" brand, and William Regal is a big reason for that. Gargano was the first-ever Triple Crown Champion in "NXT" history and has won multiple awards for his work during the 2010s. Had it not been for some wise words from Regal, who knows where Johnny Wrestling might be?

During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on his "Insight" podcast, Gargano gave Regal credit for getting him to WWE, with one conversation at a PWG event in 2013 being particularly important. 

"I literally wrestled Kevin Owens at a PWG show before Kevin got his WWE try-out, and Regal told me after that match, 'Look, you'll be in WWE one day, but not yet, you still need more time.'" Gargano said. "'When the time's right, you'll be there, trust me.'"

Gargano attended a try-out shortly afterward with several other independent stars at the time but was turned down. However, there was one thing that came from the try-out that would change Gargano's career forever — being paired up with Tommaso Ciampa. The two men grew very close, ultimately leading to #DIY being brought in for the first-ever Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2015. 

According to Gargano, this was Regal's way of getting the foot in the door for independent stars, and fortunately for him, he and Ciampa were both offered WWE contracts. Gargano also explained that he always believed he would end up in WWE one day, although he wasn't sure when, but had it not been for Regal's words of encouragement, the legacy of Johnny Gargano in NXT would have never been forged.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.