10 Wrestlers Triple H's WWE Has Totally FUMBLED
5. Johnny Gargano
And speaking of plucky babyfaces, Johnny Gargano was once one of the greatest of the modern era.
Down in NXT, 'Johnny Wrestling' clawed his way to the top of the black and gold mountain, eventually becoming the beloved "heart and soul" of the brand before finally leaving in 2021.
Gargano had done everything there was to do in NXT, but he'd barely even scratched the surface on the main roster. However, after two years in the shadows, one of Papa H's favourite students finally made his return and properly joined the Monday Night Raw squad. And what came next was one of the most emotional and inspiring babyface runs of the last decade.
Well, that's what should have happened.
Instead, this believable underdog just started acting like a bit of a cocky A-hole as he turned into a silent Dexter Lumis' mouthpiece during his weird stalking/kidnapping storyline with The Miz. And by the time that dreadful program had concluded, Gargano had gone from being seen as a potential new babyface main roster star to an unfunny goof-ball most didn't give a damn about - the sound of silence that met his 2023 Royal Rumble entrance was deafening.
It got to the point where Trips had no choice but to reboot DIY as a desperate way of trying to get his NXT darlings over on the main roster. But as of writing, both Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are struggling to remain relevant in a Triple H-booked environment many understandably once thought they'd thrive in.