Johnny Gargano finally got off the box, and nobody seemed happier about it than Johnny Gargano himself.
After months of spending SmackDown stretched out on production cases while everyone around him tried to get a reaction, Johnny Wrestling celebrated the latest turn with a perfectly ridiculous message. Once the September 4 episode of SmackDown aired, Gargano hit Twitter with “He’s alive.”
That reaction came after CM Punk approached Gargano backstage in Cleveland and offered him a WWE Championship match right there in his hometown. Gargano had been lying on another equipment case when Punk made the offer, but apparently a shot at the biggest prize on SmackDown was enough to finally get the guy vertical.
The bit had been going for roughly seven months by that point. It started after Gargano’s January 30 loss to Axiom, with WWE repeatedly showing him face-down on boxes and production equipment while Candice LeRae tried to get him moving again. Sami Zayn eventually turned the silent Gargano into his personal backstage sounding board, stopping by week after week to talk while Gargano barely acknowledged that another human being was standing there.
There were a few temporary signs of life along the way. Gargano returned to NXT, earned a North American Championship match and wrestled at Stand & Deliver, but once he was back on SmackDown, so was the box. By August, the running gag had officially passed the six-month mark. Punk finally found the magic words in Cleveland: WWE Championship. Gargano stood up, accepted the match.
What did you think of Johnny Gargano’s “He’s alive” reaction after finally getting back on his feet? Did the months-long planking bit make the payoff better? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
