WWE's Johnny Gargano Shares Statement After Father's Restaurant Badly Damaged In Fire
Having just won the WWE Tag Team Championships with long-time friend turned rival turned friend again Tomasso Ciampa, it's safe to say Johnny Gargano was feeling great about things, especially with SummerSlam set to take place in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio in a week and a half. Unfortunately, things took a devastating turn for Gargano and his family this week, when his father's restaurant in Cleveland, Gargano's Restaurant and Catering, was badly damaged as the result of a fire.
On Monday afternoon, Gargano took to X to address the situation for the first time, noting that a lot of wrestling fans had informed him prior to the fire that they had intended on visiting the restaurant during SummerSlam weekend. He further revealed that his father wasn't there when the fire occurred and was grateful that he was okay.
That aside, Gargano confirmed this was a heartbreaking situation for himself and his family, revealing that his father had worked in that building for over 50 years, and that the restaurant had been his "life's work." Gargano also briefly touched upon how he had grown up in that restaurant, only for it to now be gone in the blink of an eye.
I figured I should touch on this because people are finding out, and I know a lot of wrestling fans were looking forward to going to my Dad's restaurant when they were in Cleveland for Summerslam.
Last night, there was a fire, and my Dad's restaurant was badly damaged. I'm... pic.twitter.com/tQnWFATfR6
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) July 22, 2024
A local report noted that the fire came at the worst time for Gargano's father, who was on the verge of selling the building, to the point that he was scheduled to sign papers to close the deal Tuesday. Instead, the building will now have to be torn down, with total damage to the building estimated to have been over $700K. At this time, no cause for the fire has been determined, and an investigation remains ongoing.