10 Best Stories Of First Time Wrestlers Met Vince McMahon

2. Johnny Gargano Watched The Condemned Trailer With Vince

Johnny Gargano Takeover Captain America
WWE Network

Before turning up in NXT as one half of the DIY tandem for the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Johnny Gargano's first appearance under the WWE banner came back in 2007 - appearing as Champion of Lichtenstein, Cedrick Von Haussen, against MVP on an episode of SmackDown.

Not only did Gargano get to meet Vince McMahon at that blue brand taping, he found himself watching the trailer for Steve Austin's The Condemned alongside both Vince and Stephanie McMahon.

Speaking about this slightly surreal experience during an appearance on Lillian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast, Johnny Wrestling detailed how the trailer was playing in the arena as he was waiting to go out for his match with MVP.

There, he found himself stood next to Vince and Stephanie, as all three watched Austin cracking skulls on a nearby TV - a moment the current NXT North American Champion described to Garcia as "freaking weird".

After his match, Gargano would get a "great job" from the two McMahons, although it wouldn't be until April 2016 that the Cleveland native formally signed with WWE.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.