Major Update on a Former NXT Champion Returning to WWE
Johnny Gargano's potential return to WWE has been a widely-debated topic ever since he departed from the company last December. The former NXT Champion has consistently kept his options open about what he'll do next, telling fans during his Starrcast panel during SummerSlam weekend, "What's next for me is I'm going to go home and change a diaper. If people thought I was going to come here and be like, 'I'm going to show up then,' I'm not going to say that because I don't have an answer yet. I haven't made up my mind or made a decision yet. We're lucky as wrestlers and wrestling fans that we are living in a world where there are options and choices out there.
"There is talent all over the world and both places that I haven't wrestled yet, that I want to wrestle," Gargano continued. "I'm all about right place, right time, right opportunity. My favorite time period as a wrestling fan was the Attitude Era where people would show up. You never knew. The internet wasn't like, 'This person is showing then and here.' It's all about surprises. That's the fun thing about being a wrestling fan. Being surprised. Whatever I can do to add that element of surprise and protect my surprise, I'm going to keep protecting it."
There appears to finally be an update on that front. According to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam, Gargano is now "open to return" to WWE now that Paul "Triple H" Levesque is overseeing WWE Creative. Gargano worked directly with Levesque during his NXT run and became one of the most decorated stars in the history of the brand.
Haynes quoted a source saying, "overarching factor for him walking away was dissatisfaction with his position/direction with no set plan for how he'd be used." He then added that Gargano has also been in talks with AEW.
Where do you think Gargano will land? Could he reach the same heights on Raw or SmackDown that he found back in NXT now that Levesque is calling the shots? Or is his ceiling still hire in a new company? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments!