At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, Johnny Gargano would defeat Ricochet to become the third North American champion. At the close of the show, he would be joined by former friend-turned-rival, and current NXT Heavyweight champion, Tomasso Ciampa. Together, they would raise their titles over their heads, wallowing in their victories.

In an interview with OrlandoSentinel.com, Johnny Gargano looked back at that night, and how he felt winning the North American championship.

“When I’m in the ring, I can hear the reactions and know the people are enjoying themselves. They’re emoting in some way, so we’re doing something, right. Do I realize, ‘Oh, this is going to be universally praised?’ No. I came back through the curtain that night, and most nights, with very low energy, because that’s just how I am. I didn’t realize how good people thought the match was until after the fact. For me, it was exciting to win my first [singles] title in NXT. That’s validation for the hard work I put in.”

Gargano commented that, despite knowing each other for so long and travelling the world together, he and others in the locker room will often remark their disbelief:

“I don’t know how many times we’ve all been in the locker room and said we can’t believe we’re all here doing this thing,” Gargano said. “We’ve all supported one another; some of us have known each other for 10 years and been around the world together. In a sense, we’ve grown up together, and to be a part of the NXT team together is truly special.”

“We’ve been able to make this a movie, a comic book come to life,” he said. “People have been very invested in the twists and turns and we want to keep them guessing. When it’s said and done, people will be talking about it for years to come, and all of us involved in telling that story are very proud of that. We’ve taken people on a great ride.”

Given the long-form storytelling of the Gargano/Ciampa friendship, rivalry, and newly forged alliance, it’s hard to argue.