WWE NXT: The 5 count for February 27, 2019
By Matt Black
A five-count rundown from this week’s episode of WWE NXT, keeping you up to date on the latest happenings in the black and yellow brand.
As is the case more often than not, WWE NXT emanated from Full Sail University on Wednesday for what some people would call the best hour of WWE weekly programming. A lot of noteworthy things went down this week as NXT is on their own fast lane (as it were) on the road to WrestleMania weekend via NXT TakeOver: New York. There are quite a few highlights to run down with you all, but three wasn’t enough. No, we need five. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Five Count.
1. Johnny Wrestling, or is it Johnny Failure?
Johnny Gargano made his return to Full Sail this week after being noticeably absent from Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live this week, despite being advertised for a one-on-one match with Cesaro on Tuesday night. Instead, saw the return of the Hardy Boyz to face The Bar in tag team action on Tuesday night. Card subject to change, pal!
Gargano is greeted with a mixed reaction from the Full Sail crowd, which has been an ongoing theme with him over the last several months. Gargano spoke about the last couple of weeks of his life, talking about his debut on Raw and SmackDown, as well as his loss of the NXT North American Championship to the Velveteen Dream last week.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 28, 2019
What will @JohnnyGargano have to say tonight? #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/JRaqRR76q9
While he felt like Johnny Wrestling again after being the North American Champion, losing it on his first title defense made him feel like Johnny Failure all over again. The crowd really let him have it with the “Johnny Failure” chants but Gargano took it all in stride and quipped that he liked it better when they chanted Johnny Champion instead.
Gargano said that although he felt like a champion, the harsh reality of it all is that he was no longer the champion. It seemed at this point that Gargano reached an epiphany, and that he was about to explain to the audience in Full Sail and everyone watching at home just why he has had the success that he’s had in NXT.
Unfortunately for him and us, he wasn’t able to tell us as the music of the NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa hit, and he walked down towards the ring to go face-to-face with the man he tagged with on Raw and SmackDown Live just one week ago.