Cleveland native Gargano shares the special feeling of bringing home a belt

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - ,

“I feel like I willed this into existence,” said Gargano.

Johnny Gargano is from Lakewood and grew up wrestling in Cleveland.

“I would not have made it as far as I have today if I was not born in Cleveland, Ohio,” said Gargano. “Cleveland breeds a certain type of person, I think it’s because Cleveland gets poo-pooed, people always look down on Cleveland, Ohio and doubts Cleveland, Ohio, so we have that blue-collar work ethic and mentality, where we don’t take no for an answer.”

Gargano’s Catering was where it all started, and from the family business, he grew into one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions duo.

“A lot of my early matches were in Cleveland, Ohio. In local VFW Halls, in the back of my dad’s catering company,” said Gargano.

The Cleveland kid is proud of his roots and still lives here, crediting where he’s from for his current success.

The adversity that has sharpened Gargano reared its head again last weekend, when the family catering business burned down.
While it adds a bitter note, he says the weekend jam-packed with wrestling is a good way for him and his family to shift focus.

“That is the hardest thing for me is that I grew up there,” said Gargano. “It’s a nice distraction {the weekend} so that my dad can come and enjoy the show.”

Now, a Browns fan through and through is going to the stadium as a pro himself.

“I have spent so many Sundays being a hopeless Browns fan,” said Gargano.

He hopes his story of grit and grind helps add a little inspiration to the weekend.

“This is living proof right here; I’m just a kid from Cleveland,” said Gargano. “I don’t think I’m anything special, and if I was able to make this happen, hopefully, there’s kids out there going to their first wrestling show, and they’re going to see me with this title, and they’re going to think, man if Johnny can do it, I can do it too.”

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