Johnny Gargano To Be WWE NXT's New Top Heel

Following the NXT exits of Kross and Cole, Johnny Wrestling will be the brand's new top bad guy.

by Andrew Pollard
Johnny Gargano Takeover Punisher
WWE Network

Moving forward, the NXT brand is in major need of a new top villain, and it looks as if Johnny Gargano will be getting the nod to be the black and gold brand's top heel.

Courtesy of Mike Johnson at PWInsider, Johnny Wrestling will soon be positioned as the top bad guy on NXT.

Previously, NXT had Karrion Kross and Adam Cole at the top of the food chain when it comes to heels. After dropping the NXT Championship to Samoa Joe at this past weekend's NXT TakeOver 36, Kross is now a fully-fledged member of the Raw roster.

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As for Adam Cole, his contract with WWE is set to expire this Friday, with him then becoming a free agent. Even if Cole does end up re-signing with WWE - which currently seems extremely unlikely - he would be moved to Raw or SmackDown rather than remain on NXT.

While Gargano - himself, of course, a former NXT Champion - will be the brand's main heel going forward, PWI also adds how Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong will likewise be positioned as big-time players on the villainous side of the fence in NXT.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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, 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 dayjob, his role as the 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, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.