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WWE Confirms Raw Star is Out With Injury
WWE announced on this week’s Monday Night Raw that Johnny Gargano is out of action due to a Grade 2 AC Joint Sprain in his shoulder. The former NXT Champion hasn’t wrestled since Dec. 30, and it’s unclear how long he’ll be out of action. Candice LeRae, Gargano’s wife, offered some words of encouragement on his recovery before getting confronted backstage by Rhea Ripley.
Gargano allowed his WWE contract to expire in December 2021 but decided to return to the promotion in August. He explained in interviews afterward that his decision became incredibly easy once Paul Levesque stepped in as WWE’s new booker. “Johnny Wrestling” has since spent the last few months involved in a program with Dexter Lumis and The Miz.
Johnny Gargano Explains Why He Returned to WWE
“There were conversations, for sure. We’d be dumb not to have those conversations, right? Especially given everything that was going on, the uncertainty around everything, who knows what could happen. That’s the crazy thing about the wrestling business. Literally, everything can change in the blink of an eye The fact that I was able to be incredibly patient and be in no rush to do everything, that’s the big gain I had in all this. I could sit back and survey the landscape and make my decision on a timely basis. I didn’t have to be like, ‘I need a job right now, where am I going to go?’ I believe everything happens for a reason,” Gargano said on the Out of Character Podcast in September.
“The fact that I was able to have my contract expire in December, have the baby in February, and spend as much time with him as possible and not being in a rush to do things and reach out or say, ‘I need to come back now.’ From December (2021) to December (2022), I was fine not doing anything. Totally fulfilled not doing anything,” he continued. “Luckily, I have people around me to have conversations, so I didn’t have to think about business or wrestling, they can talk about that stuff, and all I can worry about is dad life. I watch everything, I’m a fan of wrestling, and for me, I want to go to the place that not only could utilize me best, but a place where I already have a relationship with Hunter and a lot of people backstage. That was a big thing for me, I’m all about relationships and familiarity. As soon as the change happened, there was only one option in my head.”
