Johnny Gargano And Tommaso Ciampa Talk Moving From Indies To NXT, If They Are Free Agents

WWE's website spoke with indie stars Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa about being entered into the WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. WWE notes that they are still free agents. They also talked about going to NXT from the independent scene.

"Right now, I feel that NXT is the hottest thing in wrestling," Gargano said. "There's no doubt about that. The guys that they're utilizing are some of the best talent in the world. I know a lot of those guys. I've been in the ring with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens numerous times. You look at a guy like me, I'm not 6-foot-8, 300 pounds, but from what I've been able to do with my talent around the world, I can come to NXT and show the world what I have. Based on the past, that wouldn't happen. NXT gives guys like me that opportunity, to do what we love to do and show the world what we're capable of."

Ciampa added, "It has an indie, underground vibe to it, but the production value and expertise of WWE leading it. It's the best of both worlds. From the first live special they did, I think that was the first time that the masses saw that this was something special and the place to be. From that point on, seeing things like Sami Zayn and Cesaro's 2-out-of-3 Falls Match, seeing Kevin Owens do so well, it's seeing guys who were the top of the independent world going to NXT and getting a bigger platform to show themselves on. Seeing how well they're doing gives you this drive to want to be a part of it. I just watched TakeOver: Brooklyn a couple days ago. When Triple H was in the ring introducing the show and it was dark, all you could hear was his voice. When he says, 'You told us the future is now!' and throws his arms up and the cameras go wide [to show the crowd], you could feel this energy. I told my wife, 'I want that. I need to be a part of that.'"

You can check out the full interview at WWE.com by clicking here.