Johnny Gargano might be playing a “depressed” character on WWE TV right now, but behind the scenes, he is clearly having fun with it. The former NXT Champion recently posted a funny video on X that perfectly matched his on-screen misery.
Currently, Gargano is portrayed as someone who is having a hard time emotionally as a part of a WWE storyline. This angle is completely fictional and not related to his real-life mental health. WWE has leaned hard into visual storytelling this time. Gargano’s depressed behavior has become one of the significant character storylines on SmackDown lately.
Johnny Gargano’s Humor Reflects WWE Storyline
The post showed Gargano lying flat on a treadmill that was actually running. The video fits his current WWE character so well. On TV, Gargano has been shown as emotionally drained and totally zoned out, lying belly down on tables or lying still on random backstage equipment. The treadmill video is like a hilarious real-life take on that idea.
working out is great for your mental health pic.twitter.com/Wk9XJfCvtC
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) February 10, 2026
Gargano’s “depressed” storyline picked up after a series of tough losses, especially his feud with Axiom. Gargano had stolen Axiom’s mask and treated it like a trophy. But on the January 30 episode of SmackDown, Axiom finally beat Gargano, reclaimed his mask, and even tricked him by wearing a spare one. Axiom finished the match with the Golden Ratio.
That loss seemed to push Gargano even further down. After that, he was shown barely reacting backstage, often lying around as if he didn’t care anymore. On the recent episode of SmackDown, he looked completely out of it, stretched across equipment crates, and was not responding at all. His wife, Candice LeRae, was seen confronting Axiom, Nathan Frazer, Alex Shelley, and Chris Sabin about the state of her husband and asking for help. However, they denied the call and pointed to his past betrayals.
Things got worse with the breakup of #DIY. Gargano’s longtime partner and best friend, Tommaso Ciampa, left WWE in January 2026 after refusing to renew his contract. Their partnership had been a huge part of Gargano’s career, from their NXT rise to their tag title win in 2024. Losing Ciampa again has clearly hit him hard in the storyline.
All of that makes Gargano’s treadmill post land perfectly. While his character is at rock bottom on TV, Gargano understands how over-the-top and entertaining the whole thing is.
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