Sami Zayn says Johnny Gargano needs the right spark to return on SmackDown

WWE star Sami Zayn has used Johnny Gargano as a sounding board for his complaints over the last few weeks on “Friday Night SmackDown.”

Gargano, known as “Johnny Wrestling,” has been lying face down during most of his segments for months. He hasn’t spoken to anyone nor has he been in a wrestling ring since Stand & Deliver all the way back in April. The only signal to know that Gargano is actually alive is when Zayn has spoken to him.

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Myles Borne competes against Johnny Gargano during NXT: Stand and Deliver at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE Via Getty Images)

Zayn talked about Gargano and what it would take to get him moving again in an interview with Fox News Digital before he won the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions.

“I think he’s an immensely talented person. Anyone who’s followed his career, actually watched his work especially in NXT, knows what he’s capable of,” Zayn said. “Some people when they come to the main roster never really got to showcase what they’re made of and I definitely think he falls into that category. …

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Sami Zayn enters the ring during a WWE live event at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain, on June 4, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

“He’s almost in this sort of vegetative state or whatever and he just needs like the Prince Charming or whatever is to come around and swoop him and get him out of it. … I think something just needs the right spark to get him to remember who he is and I do think if, and when, that happens we’re gonna get to see a side of him that’s very exciting, that hasn’t been seen in a very long time.”

Gargano is one of the best pure wrestlers on the roster.

He put on some of the best matches in NXT history. He’s won the NXT Championship, NXT North American Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship, which made him the first NXT Triple Crown champion.

On the main roster, he’s been a WWE tag team champion twice.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano look on during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

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But every fan is hoping that he gets another shot at wrestling again and snaps out of this slumber and gets back to what he does best.