Johnny Gargano is done laying down now

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 4: Johnny Gargano dives through the ropes onto CM Punk during SmackDown at Rocket Arena on September 4, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Andrea Kellaway/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images For a number of months, Johnny Gargano, who struggled to maintain any sort of forward momentum on the main roster, was involved in a storyline that saw him in a catatonic state. This man spent every episode of Friday Night SmackDown planking on a box backstage, apparently unable to respond to any sort of stimuli, from his wife or otherwise. Then, WWE went to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and CM Punk offered up a shot at the WWE championship in the main event. That brought him to his feet, and gave him the motivation to get back to being the man he once was — Johnny Wrestling. The two went out and tore the house down with an absolute thrill ride of a match — with one of the best near falls this writer has witnessed all year — that ended with Punk retaining.