Is Johnny Gargano Still The Face Of NXT?

After Johnny Gargano’s attack on Aleister Black, is Johnny Wrestling still the face of NXT? Is he even a face at all after his shocking explanation on the November 7th edition of NXT? The answer might be more complicated than you think.

Johnny Gargano did nothing wrong.

Its more than a catchphrase. Its become a rallying cry for Johnny Wrestling fans everywhere.

What does it mean though? Does it mean Johnny Gargano was right for attacking Aleister Black? Is Gargano actually still the hero of NXT?

I say, the answer is far more complicated than a simple yes or no.

Gargano’s quest to rid NXT of Tommaso Ciampa has consumed the man that crowds wildly cheered just months ago. In Gargano’s mind, as he said in his explanation for attacking Aleister Black, anybody that stands in the way of that quest is at risk of simply become “collateral damage”.

That explanation is still a far cry from being justification for taking out Black, yet at the same time, it almost perfectly encompasses the many layers this story has.

Aleister Black is not, nor has he ever been, a clean-cut babyface like Johnny Gargano. He’s always been a man shrouded in darkness, both quite literally and figuratively. Black’s rampage on his way to confronting William Regal about his attacker is a fine example of this.

We never would have seen Gargano doing the same months ago. Before being tormented by Ciampa, Gargano would have done things by the book. The fact that he’s been maligned for not going down that path this time further shows the undeniable difference between the personal characters of Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black.

People cheer Aleister Black for being the anti-hero, in many ways sort of the Dark Knight of NXT you might say.

On the other hand, people used to cheer Johnny Gargano for being the man of virtue. The man who always tries to do what’s right.

Now that Gargano’s done something morally out of line with what we’ve come to expect from him, we view him as a heel. In reality, one could argue he did nothing more than what Aleister Black would have done if he were in Gargano’s shoes.

The amount of anguish Ciampa has put Gargano through is immense. He’s cost Gargano the NXT Championship on more than one occasion, caused a rift in his marriage, and attacked him at every chance he got.

It would take a lot to convince me that had Aleister Black been put through all of that, he would have remained calm and controlled. Black couldn’t even remain calm enough to wait to confront Gargano when he inevitably came to the ring himself. He had to kick his way through a sea of people to angrily accost William Regal.

At the end of the day though, we still cheer Aleister Black and feel obligated to boo Johnny Gargano.

The reality of the situation is that its too early to pass judgement on whether or not Johnny Gargano did nothing wrong. While it certainly seems like Gargano didn’t do anything Black wouldn’t have done himself had he been in this situation, we don’t know that to be the case for certain.

Black’s rampage to confront Regal, while quite large in its breadth, actually didn’t place any physical harm on any of the traditional babyfaces of NXT. Nailing Lars Sullivan in the face with a Black Mass is completely different than if Black had taken out, say, Ricochet or EC3 in the same manner. Additionally, assaulting a bunch of security guards, while a heinous act in reality, is rarely seen as such in WWE.

That leads me to say that we have reached new territory for WWE. Whether or not Johnny Gargano is still the face of NXT right now, or if he’s become the heel that has brutally assaulted the true face of the brand, is not up to WWE to decide.

It’s up to us, the fans, to reach our own conclusions.