Johnny Gargano Returns and NXT Is on Fire Once Again

Johnny Gargano returned to television this week on WWE NXT, and there’s no doubt that his return comes during a time when NXT is seeing a spike in momentum.

It’s indisputable that over the last year, WWE’s developmental brand has seen diminishing interest. The WWE Draft last summer saw the call-up of a lot of talent, and even more have come to the main roster since. At one point, the NXT brand was the most exciting thing going in the wrestling world. Then the main roster called for the likes of Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Revival, Samoa Joe, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and many others.

Like a Major League Baseball team with a stripped down farm system, WWE NXT needed time to regroup.

It was a tough task to restructure after the loss of so many talented superstars, but NXT appears to have regained much of their lost ground. If you haven’t been paying attention, it’s time to tune back into the WWE Network. Talent such as Aleister Black, Bobby Roode, Kyle O’Reilly, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Fish, Asuka, Ember Moon, and so many more have ignited the brand once more.

This week, Johnny Gargano’s in-ring return just added to the hype. Gargano had been out of the ring since his split with Tommaso Ciampa back at NXT Takeover Chicago, one of the most perfectly executed angles in NXT history. Sadly, Ciampa is out injured, likely for the rest of 2017, but it was great to see Johnny Wrestling back in the ring.

NXT Takeover Brooklyn 3 during SummerSlam weekend is on the horizon, so there’s no better time for the brand to be hitting its stride. So far, three matches have been confirmed for the show on television, with one being announced on Wednesday night. They are:

• NXT Championship Match
  Bobby Roode (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
• NXT Women’s Championship Match
  Asuka (c) vs. Ember Moon
• NXT Tag Team Championship Match
  The Authors Of Pain (c) vs. SAnitY

Also this week on WWE NXT, Aleister Black and Kyle O’Reilly had a fantastic main event that is worth going out of your way to see. O’Reilly is a veteran who has been all over the world, and Black might be one of the best NXT signings in years. If you haven’t seen this guy work, turn on the WWE Network right now.