10 Best Johnny Gargano Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

After almost ten months, Johnny Gargano is finally back in WWE. Vince McMahon's utterly perplexing idea of little men not being good enough to main event WWE has been proven consistently false, and it was apparent again when the former NXT Champion made his surprise return to RAW in Toronto.

Related: WWE: 10 Dream Matches For Johnny Gargano On The Main Roster

The crowd went nuts and gave him thunderous applause. It now opens so many doors for the flagship show in the future, starting with perhaps a feud with his former The Way protégé, Theory. This also means Gargano can look to add to his best-rated Dave Meltzer matches, the best of which have been listed below.

10 With Tommaso Ciampa Vs Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson - TakeOver: Toronto (4.5 Stars)

These two teams just had something special, and they would produce magic every time they went out. This bout came amidst their legendary NXT rivalry at TakeOver: Toronto in November 2016.

After so many near misses, the popular #DIY duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were not to be denied this time. They finally got their hands on the NXT tag team titles in a brilliant Best Two Out Of Three Falls Tag Team Match despite falling a pin down early on against The Revival.

9 With Tommaso Ciampa Vs Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson - TakeOver: Brooklyn II (4.5 Stars)

A second straight entry involving #DIY and The Revival, this match came three months earlier at TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016. It was the first time Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were challenging for the NXT tag titles, and the heel duo of Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson did their best to stop the fan favorites.

The two teams went full tilt for almost 20 minutes before The Revival finally managed to retain. For those of a certain vintage, this card also included two stellar matches between Asuka and Bayley and Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe.

8 With LA Knight, Pete Dunne & Tommaso Ciampa Vs Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller & Tony D'Angelo - NXT 2.0 WarGames (4.75 Stars)

This WarGames match from December 2021 was more or less the bridge between two eras of the third brand of WWE. It pitted four black and gold favorites against four upcoming talents scouted by Vince McMahon himself in a brutal bout that lasted nearly 40 minutes.

Related: Every Difference Between WCW's And NXT's WarGames

Ultimately, the veterans who did the job for the next wave of talents who would hopefully take NXT to new heights. It was also the last time fans saw Johnny Gargano in WWE, while this was also #DIY's last time together in a ring. For now.

7 Vs Kushida - NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (4.75 Stars)

Put two technical wizards together in a ring, and they are bound to conjure up something special. That is what happened when Johnny Gargano took on Japanese sensation Kushida at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day in February 2021.

North American champion Gargano was in the midst of his heel run with The Way, and this near 25-minute bout showed that heel or face, he would deliver between the ropes each time. So good was this entire TakeOver card that Dave Meltzer gave all the matches at least 3.75 stars.

6 Vs Ricochet - NXT TakeOver: Phoenix (4.75 Stars)

Another example of putting two outstanding wrestlers together to get something fantastic, this match saw Johnny Gargano take on Ricochet at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix in January 2019. After almost 25 blistering minutes, the former won to claim his first singles in NXT, the North American Championship.

Ironically, come the night's end, he and his former tag team partner and once best friend Tommaso Ciampa would be the North American and NXT champions. In a poignant moment, the two would stand side by side in the ring with their straps, raising their titles in unison as the show went off the air.

5 Vs Aleister Black - NXT TakeOver: WarGames II (4.75 Stars)

This was a different kind of challenge for Johnny Gargano, as he faced strike specialist Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver: WarGames II in November 2018. It came after the former turned heel by revealing he had attacked Black in the parking lot after NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV.

Related: Aleister Black & 9 More Wrestlers Whose WWE Run Peaked In NXT

This was the phase where Gargano's issues with former buddy Tommaso Ciampa were taking him to a dark place, and he ended up taking out his frustrations on Black. However, at WarGames II, the Dutchman got his revenge by beating Johnny Wrestling.

4 Vs Tommaso Ciampa - NXT TakeOver: New Orleans (5 Stars)

The first of four five-star matches for Johnny Gargano on this list, and it is fitting that it came against perennial frenemy Tommaso Ciampa. After the latter heartbreakingly turned heel, the two got involved in a highly personal feud.

This was the first of three matches they had that year, and five over two years, as the former #DIY duos rivalry became the centerpiece of NXT. At TakeOver: New Orleans in April 2018, Gargano got a semblance of closure for the attack by Ciampa with a win in the Unsanctioned Match, but the worst was yet to come, as fans know.

3 Vs Andrade Almas - NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia (5 Stars)

In another match soon after Tommaso Ciampa's betrayal, Johnny Gargano took on NXT Champion Andrade Almas at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia in January 2018. Despite giving it his all in a hellacious 32-minute classic, he could not win the big one.

To add insult to injury, after the match, as Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae were making their way backstage, Tomasso Ciampa attacked him again, leading to further torture for his former tag team partner.

2 Vs Adam Cole - NXT TakeOver: XXV (5.25 Stars)

This list will be rounded off by two matches involving two of the best of the modern generation, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano. This bout came at NXT TakeOver: XXV in July 2019, with Gargano's recently-won NXT Championship on the line.

Related: 5 Times Adam Cole Was The Best Member Of The Undisputed Era (& 5 Times He Was The Worst)

A hungry Cole, backed by his The Undisputed Era cohorts, would not be denied, winning the coveted strap after 32 minutes. It would also mark the end of Gargano's only reign with the belt, which lasted 57 days.

1 Vs Adam Cole - NXT TakeOver: New York (5.5 Stars)

This match was supposed to be another in the long line of matches between NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. However, the former was forced to relinquish the strap after suffering an injury that needed him to get real-life neck surgery.

Adam Cole then won a fatal five-way match to replace Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: New York in April 2019. Cole and Gargano put on a masterpiece that lasted almost 40 minutes before the latter finally captured his first NXT Championship, becoming the first-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion. Poignantly, Ciampa would come out to celebrate Gargano's success along with Candice LeRae.