10 Wrestlers WWE Failed In 2022
2. Johnny Gargano
Many a wrestling fan was ecstatic to see Johnny Gargano return to WWE on the 22 August 2022 episode of Raw. With Triple H now leading the creative charge for the company, it was a no-brainer that Gargano would become a focal point of the red brand, would become embroiled in the same sort of emotional rivalries we'd seen from him in NXT, would be putting on banger after banger on a weekly basis, and would steal the show when Premium Live Events roll around.
Instead, Johnny Wrestling has only wrestled seven TV matches in the four months he's been back with WWE, and four of those outings ended in defeat for the former NXT Champion.
Of course, it's not just the lack of wrestling from Johnny that has felt off about his run on the WWE main roster, but it's the use of him as a character that's likewise been a disappointment. There was a smidge of something with one-time Way pal Austin Theory, there was a dollop of buddying up with Kevin Owens, there was the odd moment with Baron Corbin and JBL, and then there's been a lot of trash TV involving the Miz and Dexter Lumis.
The whole Miz/Lumis storyline has been naff from the get-go, and having Johnny Gargano tangled up in this web has done nothing but drag down the Cleveland native. Whether the latest unfortunate spell on the sidelines for Tommaso Ciampa hindered the original plans for Gargano is unknown, but one has to think WWE could have found something better for the 35-year-old to do since he returned to the market leader.