Johnny Gargano is out with a shoulder injury but the former NXT champion hopes to be back in time for the Royal Rumble.

Gargano said that he injured his shoulder at a live event in Toronto on December 30 and the WWE medical team is now going to protect him from himself. On that non-televised live event, Gargano teamed up with Dexter Lumis to take on Baron Corbin and The Miz in a tag team match.

“But you better believe I’m going to do EVERYTHING I can to get back in that ring so I can be that guy you all know I can be. Just let me in that Rumble,” Gargano wrote on Twitter.

Gargano returned to WWE on the August 22, 2022 episode of Monday Night Raw, also held in Toronto. It was his first time on WWE TV since the December 7, 2021 episode of NXT where he had his farewell speech.