Ohio Native Johnny Gargano Reacts To Not Appearing On WWE Raw In Cleveland

In the lead-up to Monday's "WWE Raw" in Cleveland, Ohio, Johnny Gargano teased a homecoming and a return to WWE television, and his comeback seemed all but inevitable when his long-time tag team partner, Tommaso Ciampa, returned to WWE programming for the first time in nearly a year. 

However, Gargano never showed up on "Raw" even as scores of fans at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse started a "Johnny Wrestling" chant at one point on Monday's show. Later in the night, he seemingly reacted to his WWE return not taking place this week.

"I love you, Cleveland," Gargano wrote on Twitter. "You brought it all night! I also appreciate all the support I've seen out there. Love y'all! 🫶"

Gargano has reportedly been dealing with a shoulder injury since a WWE house show last December, where he sustained a grade-2 AC sprain during a tag team match. Subsequently, he returned for the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match, but his injury reportedly worsened as he continued to compete in televised and non-televised matches. Thereafter, Gargano's shoulder was reportedly "severely hampered" during his brutal Unsanctioned match against Grayson Waller at "WWE NXT" Stand and Deliver on WrestleMania 39, forcing him to take a leave of absence from television again.

Gargano returned to "Raw" on May 16 to compete in the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 contender's battle royal, the last instance of the veteran wrestler appearing in any WWE programming. It would appear he was written off television again to heal completely.

Now that Ciampa has returned to WWE television, and Gargano is on the brink of doing the same, fans have suggested the possibility of a DIY reunion on the "Raw" brand. Gargano himself floated the idea earlier this year, suggesting that he and Ciampa had a lot of "dream matches" to look forward to on the main roster.