Johnny Gargano lost his WWE Championship match—but the Cleveland crowd made damn sure he still left the building feeling like a winner. WWE taped the September 4, 2026 episode of SmackDown on August 28 in Cleveland. Gargano challenged CM Punk for the WWE Championship in the main event but came up short.
After the taping concluded, Gargano remained in the ring with Punk and Cody Rhodes. The emotional moment will most likely not be included when the episode airs next week. Gargano grabbed a microphone and reflected on watching Punk wrestle a dark match in Cleveland before either man became a major WWE star.
“As a Clevelander, I want to say one thing. Back when I was just a fan sitting in those stands, I vividly remember a moment where a young CM Punk had a dark match here in Cleveland, Ohio. And as a fan, I remember seeing that and going, ‘That’s CM Punk. He’s one of the best in the world. He belongs here.’”
Gargano said wrestling Punk for WWE’s biggest prize in his hometown proved that chasing a dream can pay off. Gargano then turned his attention toward Rhodes and revealed that he contacts him privately when dealing with major career decisions.
“To be able to get in this ring in my hometown with the best in the world, with WWE Champion CM Punk, in the main event of SmackDown—guys, I am living proof for anyone out there in the crowd: If you have a dream, if you want to do something, if you work hard enough, you can make anything happen in this lifetime.”
“I put over CM Punk enough. I’m also standing in the ring with QB1. Cody Rhodes—a lot of people don’t know this because we don’t publicize it—but when I’m going through significant career choices, I reach out to this man right here.”
He credited Punk and Rhodes with paving the way for wrestlers like him before making sure his wife, Candice LeRae, received some love from the hometown crowd.
“He and CM Punk both have paved the way for guys like me, and it is an honor. Candice too. I’m not going to forget her, by the way. I’m talking a lot. Let’s give it up for Candice everybody.”
Gargano then joked about LeRae standing beside him throughout his bizarre eight-month run of remaining motionless on a box. He closed the speech with one final message for the city that supported him long before he reached WWE.
“What a great wife! She stood by my side for eight months while I played on a box, and she never gave up on me.”
“Just like I have never given up on you, Cleveland, Ohio.” I was just a chubby e-eight year old with a dream and I’m living it every day.
The speech happened specifically for the fans inside the building after WWE finished taping next week’s SmackDown. Unless WWE decides to release the footage separately or add it to the broadcast, television viewers may never see Gargano’s emotional hometown moment.
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