10 Secret Debuts Of Famous Wrestlers

6. Johnny Gargano

10 Secret Debuts Of Famous Wrestlers
WWE

Johnny Gargano has shared a number of images of himself as a young Shawn Michaels fan over the years, mostly because 'HBK' was legitimately Gargano's favourite wrestler, but also as a nice nod to the association between the two within the daily Performance Center/NXT grind.

He wasn't so hot for Kane.

Or if he was, he was too afraid to show it back in 1998 when cameras caught him mesmerised by the 'Big Red Machine's attack on a planted fan during a violent rivalry with The Undertaker that had spiralled out of control.

Gargano (on the right in the above image) seemingly didn't know how to react to the carnage other than looking on in total shock, speaking to how effective the original incarnation of Kane was.

The Undertaker's long lost brother very quickly felt on par with the company's 'Phenom', ensuring his status as much more than just another monster-of-the-week for his storyline sibling to end. The future 'Johnny Wrestling's shock speaks to that success.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett