Johnny Gargano‘s six-month “planking” WWE storyline, which ran from February to September, has finally been explained after he revealed the motivation behind it.
In a video published on his YouTube channel on Monday, Gargano said that his six-month planking storyline reflected his character’s fear of failure. According to him, he felt pressured to succeed but became discouraged after repeatedly losing matches.
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He said that the situation hurt even more when his son, Quill, cried after watching him lose because he believed winning championships meant finding treasure. Gargano eventually stopped trying because he feared disappointing others.
Johnny Gargano further explained that receiving a WWE Championship opportunity in Cleveland, however, changed his perspective. The crowd’s positive reaction reminded him that fans still believed in him despite his struggles. According to Johnny, it encouraged him to overcome his fear, regain confidence, and start believing in himself again.
“It’s complicated, but the easy answer is right there,” Gargano said. “I feel like everyone expected me to be that guy, and I tried to be that guy, and I couldn’t. I felt like I was letting a lot of people down, and I hated that.
“Then, I would have a match on SmackDown, and I’d lose. I’d come back through the curtain, and Candice would have the phone in her hand. She’d be on FaceTime, and she’d show me Quill just crying, bawling his eyes out, saying, ‘Daddy lost. He’s not gonna get the treasure. No, there’s no treasure.’
“That broke me. So, in my head, it was easier to just not try than to get up and fail and let people down. Cleveland changed everything. I got a chance at the WWE Championship, a title I’ve dreamed of my whole life, and I took a leap of faith and stood up.
“That reaction, to me, changed everything because it showed me that it didn’t matter. It showed me that people still believed in me. Even when I gave them no reason to, they still believed in me.”
Johnny Gargano, Ricky Saints and Sami Zayn Suffer Major Loss on WWE SmackDown
Johnny Gargano, Ricky Saints and Sami Zayn suffered a major defeat on the Friday episode of WWE SmackDown. The trio competed in an impromptu Six-Man Tag Team Match against Penta, Trick Williams and Rey Fenix.
The contest came after Williams and Fenix initially faced Zayn and Gargano in a tag team match. However, Saints interfered, prompting a disqualification. Penta subsequently emerged and challenged the trio to a six-man showdown.
During the match, Williams, Penta and Fenix worked together to overcome their opponents, with Williams hitting the Book End on Saints to secure the victory. The result gave Williams momentum ahead of his upcoming Undisputed WWE Championship match against Zayn.
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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
