Free agent Johnny Gargano has made his first pro wrestling TV appearance since announcing his WWE NXT 2.0 departure on the December 7, 2021 episode.
Tonight’s Impact Wrestling episode featured a video package to hype up Alex Shelley and discuss his legacy as he prepares to challenge Impact World Champion Josh Alexander at Emergence on August 12. Gargano was one of the featured wrestlers as he has been friends with The Motor City Machine Gun for several years, and once credited Shelley for inspiring him to be the pro wrestler he is today.
This marks Gargano’s first-ever appearance on a TNA or Impact broadcast. This was likely a one-off special appearance as he has not been rumored or expected to join Impact. There was no tease of Gargano coming to Impact with tonight’s appearance in the Shelley video.
Gargano remains one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling, and has not wrestled since NXT WarGames on December 5. He and his wife, free agent Candice LeRae, welcomed their first child on February 17 of this year, a baby son named Quill.
Gargano’s much-anticipated “What’s NEXT?” stage show is scheduled for Starrcast V this coming Sunday, with Inside The Ropes’ Kenny McIntosh as the host. Gargano will sign autographs for Starrcast fans and take photos from 9am – 1pm, then do the stage show at 2:15pm.
Below are a few related shots of Gargano on Impact, along with his Starrcast details:
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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