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Johnny Gargano Finally Wakes Up on WWE SmackDown, All Thanks to CM Punk
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- Johnny Gargano Finally Wakes Up on WWE SmackDown, All Thanks to CM Punk
Photo Credit: WWE
Johnny Gargano finally got back on his feet during the September 4 episode of WWE SmackDown in Cleveland, Ohio, ending one of the show's longest-running backstage gags. It took a familiar voice and an opportunity he simply couldn't ignore to bring Johnny Wrestling back to life.
For months, Gargano lay motionless on production cases backstage while Candice LeRae and several WWE stars attempted to get a reaction from him. The running bit began after his January 30 loss to Axiom and continued whenever Gargano returned to SmackDown.
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There were brief signs of life along the way. Gargano returned to NXT, earned a North American Championship match and competed at Stand & Deliver, but once he was back on SmackDown, the box was waiting for him.
CM Punk offers Johnny Gargano a WWE Championship match
This time, however, CM Punk had the right wake-up call.
Backstage, Nick Aldis discussed the search for a new challenger to Punk's WWE Championship. With Sami Zayn repeatedly disrupting attempts to establish a No. 1 contender, Punk decided to take matters into his own hands.
Punk then spotted Candice LeRae beside a motionless Gargano. He got down on one knee and appealed to the wrestler he believed was still somewhere inside, reminding him that he was born and raised in Cleveland.
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Punk then asked Gargano if he wanted to challenge him for the WWE Championship that night. Initially, there was no response, and Punk joked that at least he had tried.
But when the camera returned to Gargano, everything had changed. He was standing on his own two feet for the first time in months.
Gargano told Punk, "Let's do it," and the match was officially confirmed for later that night. After finally breaking out of his long-running planking state, Gargano celebrated the moment on social media with a simple message: "He's alive."
For Gargano, the wake-up call came with a championship opportunity — and Punk may have finally found the one thing capable of getting Johnny Wrestling moving.
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The post Johnny Gargano Finally Wakes Up on WWE SmackDown, All Thanks to CM Punk appeared first on Wrestlezone .
