Known for his indie work in EVOLVE, Chikara, and Dragon Gate USA, Johnny Gargano started his career in 2005 and started showing up on NXT in 2015. Initially a freelancer for the company, Gargano eventually gained steam with fans thanks to his role in the tag team #DIY with Tommaso Ciampa and officially signed full-time to WWE in the following year, becoming one of the top babyfaces of the promotion as well as NXT Champion.
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In 2020, Gargano had a surprising heel turn, becoming an obnoxious, entitled villain and eventually forming a stable called The Way with Austin Theory, Indi Hartwell, and his wife Candice LeRae. Garg’s found success in both alignments, but which one is he the best at?
10 Heel: Obnoxious
Upon turning heel, Johnny Gargano hardly became a dominant force or malevolent threat to anyone’s well-being. An underdog babyface like Gargano can’t really pull off that turn, so instead, he became obnoxious, not unlike main roster counterpart (and former NXT protagonist) Sami Zayn. He’s whiny, demanding, and frequently gets on NXT boss William Regal’s nerves. The obnoxiousness is played for laughs, but it’s still a functional heel turn because it’s impossible to want him to win.
9 Babyface: Easy to Root For
Because NXT’s approach to presenting talent -- especially from the independent scene -- deviates from that of main roster WWE, it’s easy to take for granted just what an unlikely star Johnny Gargano is in the scheme of things. He’s an undersized indie wrestler who wasn’t supposed to be a part of the company, so the fact that he worked hard to become a staple of the promotion in spite of everything working against him makes him the ideal underdog babyface for fans to root for.
8 Heel: Keeps Him Fresh
Sometimes, however, the underdog babyface shtick runs its course, and a wrestler like Johnny Gargano can start to get on fans’ nerves no matter how much Marvel Comics cosplay gear they sport. This started to happen with Gargano late in his babyface run with a few too many fired-up “I’m Johnny Freakin’ Wrestling” promos.
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As a result, Gargano’s heel run was able to turn up the unintentional smarminess of his persona into full-on smarminess, which has actually made him a more entertaining character than he was as a good guy.
7 Babyface: Can Show A Darker Side
Ironically, Johnny Gargano did more “serious” heelwork during his babyface run. During the summer of 2018, a real-life injury sidelined Aleister Black for a few months, prompting NXT to incorporate it as a storyline where a mystery attacker was responsible. The surprisingly compelling result was basically a murder mystery angle, with the surprise reveal that Gargano’s jealousy had caused him to stage the attack. Gargano got to play with a gray area a little here, as he was a babyface who felt tempted into doing the wrong thing and paid the price.
6 Heel: The Way
When Gargano initially turned heel, it took some getting used to, as the match that caused it was considered a massive disappointment. But things picked up once Gargano and Candice LeRae put together a stable in the form of The Way, which served to put a spotlight on up-and-comers Indi Hartwell and Austin Theory. They’re fun to watch, because they’re legitimately hilarious, with Gargano and LeRae playing the frustrated parents, Hartwell being their daughter who’s in a star-crossed romance with a serial killer, and Theory playing their brainless teenage son.
5 Babyface: Rivalry With Ciampa
Johnny Gargano’s heel run has been a blast so far and his quest to reach the pinnacle of NXT and win the Championship had some great matches, but his career-defining storyline may always be his feud with former best friend Tommaso Ciampa. The breakup at the end of TakeOver: Chicago was a real shock to fans, and the matches that ensued were intense, brutal, and emotional, serving to spin Gargano into a top babyface and Ciampa into one of the company’s most despised heels.
4 Heel: Surprising End to Ciampa Rivalry
As established, the final encounter of the Gargano/Ciampa rivalry wasn’t the satisfying conclusion fans were hoping for. Titled “One Final Beat,” the whole affair was a near-36-minute cinematic brawl that failed to reach the emotional heights of some of their best efforts.
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Even worse, many fans were upset by the ending, wherein Gargano and LeRae conspired to double-cross Ciampa via strategic use of a protective cup. But the heel turn for Gargano was actually a great way to conclude the rivalry and spin the two off in separate directions without the promise of a rematch.
3 Babyface: Entrance Music
Sometimes when a wrestler turns heel, their presentation needs to change to reflect the new attitude. When Gargano turned heel, he ditched his fired-up Paramore-soundalike theme “Rebel Heart” in favor of a more ominous hard rock track called “Comin’ Back For You.” It’s not a bad song as far as entrance themes go, but “Rebel Heart” was a lot catchier and memorable, as many babyface themes are compared to their heel themes (Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE themes notwithstanding).
2 Heel: Allows Him To Step Aside
Now that Johnny Gargano HAS reached the pinnacle of NXT, a brand where its stars were meant to move on to WWE’s main roster, there’s a potential for him to be overexposed, especially as a babyface. After all, an underdog babyface who remains at the top of the card isn’t exactly an underdog anymore. There’s still more for him to do, but his heel turn and grouping with The Way has made him a midcard act, with his North American Title run serving to build new stars as he’s feuded with Kushida, Bronson Reed, and Leon Ruff.
1 Babyface: Top Star
It’s tough to imagine the current heel version of Johnny Gargano ever main eventing a TakeOver aside from weaseling his way into a multi-man match for the NXT Championship. However, as a babyface he was able to show the drive and passion that would allow fans to get behind him, propelling him to the top of the card and sometimes headlining shows over the NXT Title bouts. Some heels are obviously meant to be main events, but the heel version of Johnny Gargano doesn’t seem made to fit that description.
