Myles Borne won the NXT North American Championship on the February 24, 2026, episode of NXT against Ethan Page. He retained against him two weeks later, but hadn’t secured an opponent for Stand & Deliver next Saturday. NXT General Manager Robert Stone announced a Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine his opponent. The first four entrants were Charlie Dempsey, Dion Lennox, Jackson Drake, and Shiloh Hill.
But the fifth entrant remained a mystery until it was time to come out. Candice LeRae walked out, declaring her husband Johnny Gargano to be the final entrant. It was a tough battle, but in the end, Gargano ended up winning.
He will face Borne for the NXT North American Championship at Stand & Deliver. But how he won the match should be a topic of conversation. Was his booking the right call, or will it end up hurting him next Saturday?
Getting the Title Match Will Break Gargano Out of His Depression
Since the start of the year, Gargano has been chronically sad. He lost his tag team partner to AEW, Axiom’s mask back to him, and the ability to get a win. Despite many efforts, LeRae hasn’t been able to get him back to his happy self. That’s why she decided to send him back to NXT. However, even though he was in the match, his demeanor never changed. He still moped around, lying on the mat while the action was happening.
Even his win was pretty much accidental. He only won because LeRae physically pushed him onto Hill. But all of this was by design. Getting the title match is the first step to him becoming happy again. The victory will definitely put a smile on his face. Winning the gauntlet eliminator will instill the confidence he needs to beat Borne at Stand & Deliver, potentially.
He Should’ve Been Happy From the Beginning of the Match
After weeks of losing, Gargano would naturally be happy after essentially getting a title shot opportunity without any qualification.
Unfortunately, he was still his sad self throughout the match. Many fans probably have a problem with that for a good reason. He is synonymous with the Black and Gold era and NXT as a whole. When his theme music hit, fans started cheering. Having him stay depressed throughout the match and making his win look accidental doesn’t really make much sense.
He should’ve dominated the match the second he stepped into the ring. The payoff from this storyline will be him being happy again, title or not. But his being back in NXT should’ve brightened his spirits. The match would’ve been better if everyone saw the old Gargano. Instead, fans are left wondering whether he can beat Borne next Saturday.
Is Him Still Being Depressed the Right Decision?
Gargano is being positioned as the classic Hero’s Journey character. He has to overcome obstacles in order to get to his ultimate goal. For him, it’s being happy again after months of sadness. Fans are probably saying it’s an inevitability for him to beat Borne at Stand & Deliver. But if that is the case, what happened on Tuesday is confusing. Following the Hero’s Journey script, it would make sense for the Gauntlet Eliminator’s win to boost his spirits.
But shouldn’t his return to NXT do that anyway? That would’ve made him potentially winning next Saturday look more believable. Now, no one knows what Gargano we’ll be getting.
Will he be the old Gargano, who is an incredible wrestler, or will he be the sad guy we’ve been seeing for months now? If he doesn’t snap out of his sadness, Borne will get an easy victory.
