Triple H Talks About Why Johnny Gargano Has Missed WWE NXT Ring Time
Triple H addressed the in-ring status and health of Johnny Gargano during this week's media call to promote Saturday's WWE NXT "Takeover: Toronto 2019" event. Gargano is set to headline the show with NXT Champion Adam Cole in a 2 of 3 Falls match. The first fall will be a classic wrestling match, the second fall will be a Street Fight and the third fall will have a stipulation chosen by NXT General Manager William Regal, if needed.
Gargano has worked some on NXT TV and he worked the recent "Takeover: XXV" event in early June, but he has been away from live event action for the most part, for a few months now. Triple H was asked about his status and time away from the ring.
"He's fine," Triple H confirmed. "Without me getting into medical details of people because I can't, it was a little lingering thing that if... it's one of those funny things that in the athletic world, you go, 'This is sort of nothing.' ... This is just one of those little things where I was like, 'Let's take you off of some stuff, even though you're fine because I don't want this to become something more than this is.'
"It's cleared up and he's totally fine. It's just one of those little things that you don't want to take a risk of becoming something more than it is. Not because it's a serious thing that could be career-threatening or anything like that, but just because then if you do get to the point, now you do have to take a significant period of time off to get this thing to shut down totally, to be able to have it heal 100%. It was more precautionary than it was anything else, but I would rather take that precaution now, than have it become something more down the line."
It was reported back in late May that Gargano was working with a knee injury. Gargano learned to help produce NXT live events while he was away from the ring. The title loss to Cole at "Takeover: XXV" was never in jeopardy, but it was also said then that there was no word yet on when Gargano would return to full-time action.