Johnny Gargano Names His Favourite NXT Match & His Breakout Moment
During a recent interview, NXT Grandslam Champion, Johnny Gargano named his legendary TakeOver: Philidelphia clash with Andrande as both his breakout moment and the number one NXT TakeOver match in his career.
Speaking with Brandon F. Walker, the former NXT Champion would discuss a range of topics including NXT’s shift to Tuesday nights, scouting new NXT arrivals and the proudest moments in his NXT career thus far.
Ahead of NXT’s upcoming TakeOver: In Your House event, Gargano was asked about his prior experiences on NXT TakeOver events and what stands out to him most across all 22 of his NXT TakeOver appearances.
Responding to the question from Brandon, Gargano would state:
“Obviously DIY vs. The Revival holds a special place in my heart,” reflected Gargano. “That was really our foot in the door [in the WWE] in getting able to show the world what we are capable of doing on the big stage. But my match with Andrade, people went into it with tempered expectations. They knew it was good, they knew I was good, but I don’t know if they knew that I could hit that main event level. I really wanted that opportunity.”
The leader of ‘The Way’ would continue, stating:
“I always kind of tell myself, ‘Okay, this is where you want to be. You want to be in the main event, you want that spotlight. This is just another step to get there.’ And my match with Andrade, that night was just magic from the Philadelphia crowd, to the atmosphere, to just Andrade in general, just the story behind it, everything kind of worked in our favor that night. And Candice LeRae and Zelina Vega obviously. That match will forever hold a special place in my heart, and this is coming from someone who hates all his own matches.”
Brandon F. Walker would take the opportunity to ask the Ohio native about his prior TakeOver matches and which of the now 22 matches he has featured in under the NXT TakeOver name stands out the most to him.
Gargano named a selection of matches that he holds dear to his hard but named his NXT TakeOver Phillidelphia clash as his number one of all time as well as his breakout moment in NXT.
“My match with Andrade, obviously, is my number one and was really my breakout moment,” recalled Gargano. “For story reasons, my match with Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver New Orleans. I don’t think I will ever be part of an atmosphere like that, like ever. Just because I have never heard another crowd react to Tommaso, or a crowd react to another wrestler, like they reacted to Tommaso that night. Everyone in the building, literally everyone, from the front row to the tippy tippy top, everyone hated that man that night.
“During that era it was insane. I remember sitting in gorilla and watching his entrance and being like, ‘Oh my god, I have never experienced something like this before.’ So that is up there for me, and my match with Adam Cole at TakeOver New York in a 2 Out of 3 Falls is another one for me. So those three are always my go-tos.”
At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Gargano will compete in his 23rd NXT TakeOver match as he looks to regain the NXT Championship taking on Karrion Kross, Pete Dunne, Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole in the shows main event.
More information on NXT TakeOver: In Your House, including when and where to watch, is available here on ITRWrestling.com