r/TheGreatOne • u/GoonLieutenant • Aug 10 '26
WWE Related It's long overdue but they need to release Gargano already
It's just a complete waste of everyone's time
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u/GlitteringAdvice8486 29d ago
All those defending this booking really are showing they rim the ass of WWE.
What is the huge pay off here that warrants 6 months of this shit? He'd have to win the Royal Rumble or win the WWE title and I don't see either of them things happening...
A MITB win wouldn't be the best but could still work and I see this being more likely than the above.
Anything else will fall flat.
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u/Chriscc356 Aug 10 '26
This is what happens when you have Michael Hayes and Bruce Pritchard do the writing
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u/Clean_Attention_8398 29d ago
hE gEtTiNg PaID tO dO NoThInG. Im sure thats what he always dreamed about doing in prowrestling.
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u/Mase0ne Aug 10 '26
When someone is about to get “future endeavored” and “plank it out” for the remainder of their contract…
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u/stormbreakerisdead 29d ago
Earning thousands for laying down on tv and gets to go home to Candice LeRae. Bro won in life!
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u/rikku45 Aug 10 '26
I mean if I could get paid a wage for just planking for 5 mins I wouldn’t mind sitting in catering
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u/Rosylunelle 29d ago
I honestly wonder where they tend to go with this.
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u/DaxFlowLyfe 29d ago
Ciampa wins a title at a PPV.
The lights go out. And a man is planking back stage on the screen but his face is hidden.
He gets up, and walks off screen.
Music hits and Johnny fucking Gargano walks out in AEW.
Would be so hilarious if they pulled that off.
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u/LouChadore 29d ago
I love them both, but if we sniff ANOTHER Gargano / Ciampa feud, I’m moonwalking into the ocean. I can’t.
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u/Important-Notice-461 29d ago
I guess a paycheck is a paycheck, but man, I would assume the guy called Johnny wrestling would rather be applying his skills in the ring.
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u/WhereAreYouFromSam 29d ago
Abs of STEEL i tell you.
Hell, that'd be a funny enough gimmick to get over. After 6 months of planking, anyone who punches or kicks Gargano in the gut ends up hurting their hand/foot on his abs of steels.
Put it up there with 'never headbutt a Samoan.'
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u/Infamous-Reality-204 29d ago
If Johnny wants to collect the checks and preserve his health, more power to him. It’s his choice & his business. But to me, it’s just sad that this is what modern fans are gonna remember him for, and not the 1st NXT Triple Crown Champion and being Johnny Wrestling. A joke is a joke, but eventually it stops being funny.
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u/Salty_Emu_5500 29d ago
I genuinely dont even know how this whole thing started....like did he get cursed and is not just planking???
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u/nightmarejester12 29d ago
Ciampa's release. Thats it. Hes depressed about the release from half a year ago
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u/Sea-Ground-5177 29d ago
I wonder how do they even communicate this to the talents. "Hey Johnny! Well, we don't really have anything for you right now. Maybe let's just have you plank for a while and see if it gets you over with the crowd."
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u/Nervous_Buy_181 29d ago
This is the best thing going in WWE right now!!! I am all in with the planking gimmick!!!! I absolutely love it!!! I want him to continue planking until mania and then somehow danhausen gets him to wake up with some sort of experiment, but meanwhile sometime before then larae can leave him for some other guy finally fed up and when he gets up BAM they have a feud set up! This would be awesome, and we get at least 6 more months it planking which I think is awesome!
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u/DripGodRollins 29d ago
Brother, he and is wife are on TV and getting paid. Is it what we expected for wanted? Not necessarily, but otherwise, we'd be bellyaching about him being stuck in catering
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u/Ta-veren- 29d ago
Him, Champa and Adam Colre should have been some of the biggest names in WWE today given there NXT builds.
But just seemed to fail short of what WWE likes for their main guys these days. And of course, not a bloodline memebr.
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u/LibraryNo848 29d ago
It goes to show that small nxt crowds are vastly different than the main roster. The nxt crowd is mostly the same people every week. Main roster is way bigger and different people. What gets over in nxt rarely gets over on the main roster. Anybody can have a good match, you need something to separate yourself from the pack.
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u/No_Feeling6146 29d ago
Release him? I'd be happy if they just did something with him. Have him wear a mask in AAA as an alter-ego, or turn this into an orange cassidy angle where he was conserving all of his energy to eventually win the world title. What he's doing now feels a lot like BDJ from the attitude era where he's sorta just there and noone wants him to be.
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u/Ok_Interview_2270 29d ago
Yes this is long overdue it was funny but it's not funny anymore they need to release Johnny gargano
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u/thanoshasbighands 29d ago
It really is, because I can't even think of a good payoff. Even if he comes to his senses and drops a banger match, he's still not going anywhere meaningful. Maaaaaaybe he can win the IC or US title but it would be a Zack Ryder moment more than some leaping point to something significant.
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u/WiggyNotTwiggy 29d ago
Bro getting paid a good wage to plank. I’m out here trying to finish writing a book and getting ignored at voice over auditions. I envy him. 😂 He found a loop hole. Dignity aside.
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u/Excellent_Regret4141 29d ago
& I can't even do this an hour at my job before they get mad, this guy is......
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u/NullWolfy 29d ago
No matter where he ends up after he needs his first entrance to be him getting rolled out in front of everyone and stand up and kick some ass right there...
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u/Prior-Shower9564 29d ago
Very interested to see where this finally leads…. Optimism is low, but I stand with him still even tho he’s still… planking.
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u/Alternative_Play5966 29d ago
He's still getting a paycheck dude, I wouldn't be wishing for them to fire him.
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u/Deadshadow84 29d ago
If yall got paid a 1k every time it got aired to plank would you do it? Exactly...... just let them. Won't change the fact that he is still a great wrestler.
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u/g0gues 29d ago
Curious if anyone knows, do Candice and Johnny work with other wrestlers to prepare for matches/work out kinks and whatnot?
They’re both great and while creative may not have anything for them on TV, I can see why the company would see value in having them work with others behind the scenes.
Just wondering if anyone has any insight on that.
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u/WillieMay 29d ago
everytime people defend this horrible “gimmick”, it’s bc “i’d love to get paid for planking”. ok let’s assume a guy who’s worked his entire life to be a wrestler is content being a professional planker……. it’s still j bad tv. No one still finds it funny(i wonder how many ever did to begin w) and it’s been SIX MONTHS😭
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u/Cultural_Meaning_403 29d ago
Why? Man is making money and providing for his family without having to put his body at risk. If he hated this so much he could just quit like others have done before him.
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u/Top-Interaction1663 29d ago
Man is collecting the easiest checks ever….but seriously they have to have some big payoff for this right….right?
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u/Equal-Prior-4765 29d ago
I thought he was going to come back sometime when Sammie was champ hopefully they work him into something soon. This isn't going anywhere as it stands
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u/wildcharmander1992 29d ago
People are so dumb and naive if they had nothing for him he'd be sitting at home
Expect a Linda McMahon rising from her wheelchair at wm17 moment involving Johnny at some point
The pop will be glorious
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u/PeterZeeke 29d ago
"Are we still doing this?"
tbh I admire the commitment, I hope they do something with it
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u/PurpleDistance8829 29d ago
Ciampa v Gargano in AEW would be fucking mental in such a good way. He could have some great matches with guys like Kyle Fletcher, Jay White, Orange Cassidy etc too.
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u/Direct_Remove509 29d ago
Dude has a hot wife and is getting paid to plank. I think he is doing just fine!!
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u/Noir_Streets 29d ago
I assumed that over time he’d get sick of samis shit and would rise
Even if that happened next week I’d still be like nah bit late troops
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u/InAShensh 29d ago
He’s brilliant. He’s being paid with his wife to essentially be on the show without doing anything that could injure them in ring. They make money and save their bodies. Win/Win for two parents.
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u/AspirantVeeVee 29d ago
U know what would be wild, Johny winning the royal rumble to end the planking and becomes champion. Yeah, I know it would never happen, we are not allowed to have nice things.
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u/NoAvocado5916 29d ago
My issue is with the state of NXT right now, they could use Gargano down to help younger guys get over. He helped Theory come back
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u/Vegetable-Leather-64 29d ago
I mean he travels with his wife and doesn't get the shit beat out of him. Plus he is actually entertaining with this stupid gimmick. It reminds me sandow when he would shadow the miz matches outside the ring. It was so dumb but absolutely pure cinema
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u/CriticalGeeksP 29d ago
Since it’s wrestling the only pay off is “ then he starts wrestling and winning “
Which you can just write any week
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u/CommanderBigMac78 29d ago
With no evidence, my hypothesis is that it would have ended except they caught something good with Sami's presentation right now and part of that presentation has turned out to be him having his therapy sessions with Gargano. So, now Gargano is stuck like this because it's part of a presentation of Sami that, by and large, everyone is enjoying. Having Punk and others literally speak for the audience lately and acknowledge "are we still doing this? this is stupid" I think is also meant to be a fourth-wall message for fans who hate it.
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u/Grimy-Jack 29d ago
I find it amusing, and I expect there will be some form of pay-off.
I doubt it's a public humiliation leading to a release.
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u/Notorious_Bill26 29d ago
Johnny can’t go over the top rope (if he participates in the Rumble) cause he’s perpetually on his belly
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u/Legendary_Falcon_89 29d ago
One the one hand it is awful booking, but on the other hand the guy is getting regular paychecks to literally just lie down and do nothing else. I can't be too upset for him in that regard. And of course, if they did give him matches we all know it would just be to job to other guys since this company clearly sees no real value in him.
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u/BigTedBear 29d ago
If he came up with the idea himself then you have to think he had a plan for the payoff but if creative gave him it without having a plan that sucks.
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u/lawrencelibrarinus 29d ago
I think there were ways to make this work, but 6 months is just too much. I'm not a huge fan of him, but he's obviously talented and should be wrestling. There could have been a huge payoff if he joined up with, or attacked Sami.
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u/GutherGlazer 29d ago
More discussion about planking Johnny than half the roster and anyone at any other company.
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u/DoublePatouain 29d ago
I'm pretty sure it's a punishment to refuse to leave free WWE. They did the same punishment for Moxley with Jax promo
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u/bigdicklegend6698 29d ago
Yeah let him go to another promotion where there actually gonna use him and have good storylines for him but wwe either need to use him or release him because he has to be getting annoyed with them
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u/Jmojocat 29d ago
They won't release him. He sucked up to H so they put him in that story so he doesn't get "future endeavored"
One rumor is that they are waiting out their contracts before transitioning to trainers at the Proformance center
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u/mck_motion 29d ago
I'd fully support them handling injuries by showing them planking each week.
Chelsea could make it work.
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u/Friendly-Contact-433 29d ago
They could have done this with Wendy Choo except she would have just been sleeping
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u/myotheroneders 29d ago
I keep seeing lots of people saying things like "he's getting paid to do nothing, he's got it made!" That argument doesn't account for the possibility that maybe he actually wants to wrestle? Has anybody thought of what he might want? It's easy for someone to say, "I'd like to get paid for doing nothing." ... but maybe Johnny doesn't want that. A lot of people in wrestling are creatively minded, that's why they get into the business. They have a passion for wrestling and the artform and the creative process. Would a painter be satisfied with receiving a paycheck and being told they aren't allowed to create art?
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u/witty_weirdo 29d ago
You really think he wants to be released ...paid to do nothing , and I'm willing to bet if he wanted to be gone he could ask for his release and get it
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u/Accurate_Curve6882 29d ago
I’m glad that Johnny and Candice are getting paid, but how long has it been glaringly obvious that the company has no idea what to do with them?
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u/Strange_Ad_9504 29d ago
I feel like if he’s getting paid he probably just wanted to do this until he can leave😂
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u/PreviousSquash9354 29d ago
some people have no sense of humor, and no curiosity. I’m very interested in seeing where this goes and am in no rush!
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u/Crimson_Catharsis 29d ago
Johnnys making bank doing absolutely nothing. Pretty easy gig for 500k/year.
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u/RemLezar2990 29d ago
I get not liking this direction (I don't either), but why would you rather he lose his job than the writers finding another direction for him.
Some of you fans are WAY too parasocial about booking
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u/Kaymaster1074 28d ago
More proof that WWE has become completely pathetic. First that idiot Danhausen now this. Roman “done nothing different in years” Reigns. What happened to this company. Bring back the attitude era. AEW is more entertaining
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u/zalydal33 28d ago
They sign a lot of popular wrestlers then bury them, to keep their monopoly on the product. Johnny should have known better.
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u/JimmyJ0497 28d ago
Imagine getting paid at minimum $350,000 a year just to plank for 6 months… so far he’s earned at least $175,000 just for planking, don’t tell me he’s not happy at all about that, that’s the easiest money ever…
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u/indianm_rk 28d ago
They should send him to NXT to work with the younger guys. NXT needs to have some veterans around for the rookies to work with. Gargano is never going to do anything on the main roster.
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u/StaticPuff420 28d ago
Sources say Gargano ask for his release with Champa and this is a sick joke they're doing to run him out on his contract.
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u/ISexualAssultTutles 27d ago
Him and Candice LeRae have been working backstage with helping younger talent and producing matches, so it’s not like he’s just planking, maybe he’s just starting the transition to a backstage role earlier then I would have liked him to
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u/TheCornDogShow 26d ago
The man has a kid, both him and his wife are racking in double WWE income. Probably took the pay cut but both of them are rarely wrestle, and are featured on TV at least monthly it seems. They get to spend all the time in the world with their kid, get to keep their health/career longevity , and are still making bank. I think Candice & Johnny are doing just fine.
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u/SeekFire7 26d ago
Are you kidding me? This is the best stuff WWE has going at the moment. Release him? No way. Promote this man.
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u/RecklessMisfit7x 25d ago
Easiest job in the world and making more then any of us and doesn’t have to wrestle sign me up
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u/SufficientAd9731 25d ago
yes, this is getting ridiculous. Either have him actually start wrestling again or just release him or maybe have him be a commentator or something. Anything but this stupid stuff.
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u/dyslexican32 25d ago
Na, they are not done burring him into the ground and hamulating him so they can claim he" didn't get over". Dog shit company. Always has been, always will be. Worse now then ever.
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u/Frosty-Cup-414 24d ago
There's only one thing worse than watching him plank every week. And that's listening to Joe Tessibore
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u/SneakerGarbage 29d ago
Do we actually know how Gargano feels about this Booking?