How William Regal Convinced Johnny Gargano He Would Make It To WWE

We at Real Rasslin have come to learn.

Johnny Gargano has achieved just about everything there is to achieve on WWE's "NXT" brand, and William Regal is a big reason for that. Johnny Gargano was the first-ever Triple Crown Champion in "NXT" history and has won multiple awards for his work during the 2010s. Had it not been for some wise words from William Regal, who knows where Johnny Wrestling might be?

During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on his "Insight" podcast, Johnny Gargano gave William Regal credit for getting him to WWE, with one conversation at a PWG event in 2013 being particularly important. 

"I literally wrestled Kevin Owens at a PWG show before Kevin got his WWE try-out, and Regal told me after that match, 'Look, you'll be in WWE one day, but not yet, you still need more time.'" Johnny Gargano said. "'When the time's right, you'll be there, trust me.'"

Johnny Gargano attended a try-out shortly afterwards with several other independent superstars at the time but was turned down. However, there was one thing that came from the try-out that would change Johhny Gargano's career forever being paired up with Tommaso Ciampa. The two men grew very close, ultimately leading to #DIY being brought in for the first-ever Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2015. 

According to Johnny Gargano, this was William Regal's way of getting the foot in the door for independent superstars, and fortunately for him, he and Tommaso Ciampa were both offered WWE contracts. Johnny Gargano also explained that he always believed he would end up in WWE one day, although he wasn't sure when, but had it not been for William Regal's words of encouragement, the legacy of Johnny Gargano in NXT would have never been forged.

Thank you to "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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