ORLANDO, Fla. -- On Friday, Jan. 22, Johnny Gargano competed in an EVOLVE tournament to crown the indie promotion's inaugural tag team champions. When his team picked up the win, he drove from Ybor City to Orlando to have a match at the NXT television tapings (to air on the WWE Network) at CFE Arena, on the UCF campus.

On Jan. 23, WWE COO Paul "Triple H" Levesque watched the opening match of the second night of EVOLVE's three-day tournament from backstage at the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex. NXT Superstars Jason Jordan and Chad Gable did a VIP signing for EVOLVE fans before the show. NXT trainer Robbie Brookside and half a dozen NXT Superstars watched the event from the bleachers. NXT commissioner William Regal appeared in the ring to further an angle between EVOLVE champion Timothy Thatcher and rookie opponent Matt Riddle.

One day later, just a few hours before WWE held the Royal Rumble just one mile away at the Amway Center, Gargano's team became the first-ever EVOLVE tag champs. "Johnny Wrestling," a Cleveland native with a decade of pro wrestling experience, worked a WWE developmental event on Friday night and became an EVOLVE champion two days later. His partner, Drew Galloway, is currently under contract to TNA.

Gargano and his frequent partner in NXT, Tommaso Ciampa, are in uncharted waters. The two men have been appearing regularly on NXT television since June of last year, while being given free reign to take any independent bookings they desire.

Much has been made of the relationship between WWE and EVOLVE's parent company, WWN Live. Rumors of the two promotions reaching an agreement began last summer and in October, Triple H went so far as to say he views EVOLVE as a "feeder system" for NXT and WWE.

After winning the EVOLVE tag team championship on Jan. 24, Gargano sat down to talk to us about being the rare pro wrestler who truly gets to work wherever he wants.

CAGESIDE SEATS: As I'm sure you're aware, lots of people are speculating, wondering what the situation is with WWE and EVOLVE. Can you give us any information on the partnership?



GARGANO: Honestly, I'm kind of ... I don't know 110 percent what's going on yet. I know it seems like I'm dead in the heat of it and I'm involved in it, but there are so many different moving parts and pieces. It's constantly -- and I don't want to use the pun here -- but it is constantly evolving. It's something that's constantly changing and constantly getting better.

I don't know what the end result is [going to be]. All I know is [that] it's great for both parties right now. It's a crazy time in professional wrestling. I think things are going to get crazier.

If you would have told me -- and this is 100 percent honest -- I never would have guessed, at EVOLVE 1, that at EVOLVE 54, Triple H would be in the locker room. I never would have guessed that that would have happened. That alone shows you how crazy things are right now. And how really cool it is, actually. It's a really cool time for a lot of people. Fans and wrestlers alike.



So what's your current status?



My current status is I am working everywhere. [laughs] I'm here, I'm there. And right now, I'm working for NXT, I'm working for EVOLVE, I'm working for all the indie dates that I'm advertised for. I'm still very much available to be used different places.



You're not currently under contract with anyone?



I'm currently under contract with WWN, which I have been for quite some time, but that's not really an exclusive deal. I can go and I could work everywhere.



Could you work at TNA if you wanted to?



I could. But it would probably be frowned upon. As you can see, Drew Galloway works TNA, and he comes and he works EVOLVE. That alone, me and Drew Galloway being the EVOLVE tag team champions -- a guy that works for NXT, a guy that works for TNA -- teaming up together at EVOLVE and being the first-ever tag team champions ... If there's a picture you could look at and be like, "Oh, wow, this is a crazy time in professional wrestling," I'd say look at the picture of me and Drew Galloway with the tag team titles in EVOLVE. Like ... That's crazy, that that's actually happening.

But for me, personally ... I believe in what NXT's doing. I believe in the product. I think it's very revolutionary. It's one-of-a-kind right now. And for my money, in my honest opinion, it's the hottest thing in professional wrestling right now.

You hear the [letters] NXT and [you know] you're going to get a top-level product, with top-level guys. You're going to get a top-level show with some great wrestling. And they're not going to make you feel dumb. They put it all out there. I believe in the NXT product, I believe in the EVOLVE product, and I'm just happy to be able to work for both.



So being under contract to WWN, what exactly does that entail?



I have to be at all WWN events. But they've been great at letting me work different places and letting me do different things. I've been very lucky with my deal. I've been under contract with them in some way, shape, or form for the past six years.



So there's never been some sort of exclusivity issue?



No, not at all.



Who have you enjoyed working with the most so far in NXT?



A lot of guys are really great there. A lot of guys are very talented. I'd say my personal favorite match I've had there so far was me and Tommaso Ciampa against Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.

That match was ... I've done a lot of cool things in wrestling and I've had a lot of high-profile matches -- I still get told by people how much they enjoyed that match. I get tweets constantly [about that match]. People are constantly turning on the WWE Network and watching that match for the first time.

I think that's the beauty of the WWE Network: you can go back and watch anything you want any time you want to watch it. So you're constantly seeing new things. But yeah, I think I've gotten more feedback on that match than I have [on] any other match in my career. That just goes to show you that wide spectrum [of fans] that NXT and the WWE Network hits.



Have you and/or Tommaso spent a lot of time at the WWE Performance Center?



Not yet. We've been there a few times. Just with our schedules and whatnot, working indies and being all over the place and traveling internationally -- it's hard to be locked in at one set place all the time during the week.



Have you guys sat in on any of the classes or training sessions or anything like that?



Not yet. We did a tryout, like, last June. So we did all that.



The standard three-day tryout camp?

Yes. We did all that stuff. The facility is amazing. Everything you've heard about it is true. I can't think of a better place to hone your craft than at the WWE Performance Center. Not only the equipment they have and the resources they have, but also the people in the building. The coaches are top-notch. The trainers are top-notch. It's a great place and an awesome facility.



How have the NXT talent reacted to you and Tommaso coming in?



They've been very welcoming. Everyone'e been very professional. They know the deal. They know we're all just there trying to make a better product. We're all trying to be a team to [achieve] one cohesive goal. And that goal is to make NXT the best wrestling product in the world.



How much input have you two had on production aspects of your NXT appearances, like your entrances and your theme music?



The theme and whatnot, that was [WWE's] doing. [The entrances], that's us. If you watch NXT, you're going to see Johnny Gargano. You're going to see the Johnny Gargano [you'd] see at EVOLVE. You're going to see the Johnny Gargano [you'd] see at the indie show. It's the same guy. Same moves, same poses, same me.



So they've never inhibited you in any way.



Nope. No. They let me do ... they use me because they like Johnny Gargano. I know a lot of people saw my promo this past week on NXT. And I said the words "all heart" and I said the words "Johnny Wrestling." And people were like, "What?! He said 'Johnny Wrestling' on NXT?"

But fans chant "Johnny Wrestling." [WWE and NXT knows] that. They hear it. They're not going to act like [the fans] are stupid. They're not going to act like you're dumb. They just let me go out and do me. So I'm very lucky.



Do you have an end goal? Do you strive to be in WWE someday?



When you're a little kid and you watch wrestling, you always watch WWE and you say, "I want to main-event WrestleMania." If you're in professional wrestling, you want to work for WWE. That's the biggest company in the world. that's what you grew up watching.

Right now, personally, I'm very happy with what I'm doing. It's really cool and I never would have imagined I'd be able to do this. Not even a year ago. If you'd have told me, I don't know, eight months ago, seven months ago, "Hey, Johnny, you're going to be working for NXT all the time and you're also going to be working for EVOLVE. You're still going to be doing your indie stuff." I would have said you're crazy. There's no way that would be allowed to happen. But it is!

I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I'm very happy I'm allowed to be part of NXT and help that brand and help them and do what I can for them. I'm very happy right now, but who knows what could happen in the future.