#2.) Made his first WWE appearance as “The Champion of Liechtenstein”
Almost a full nine years before signing his contract with WWE, Gargano made his first appearance with the company as an enhancement talent named “Cedrick Von Haussen”. Billed as The Champion of Liechtenstein, he faced the up-and-coming MVP in a squash match.
His attire was comical and he was put away in short order. At the time, MVP was challenging for the United States Championship. This wasn’t Gargano’s last appearance as an enhancement talent, however.
Back when NXT was a game show, he appeared in May 2010 as a security guard. He had another tryout with WWE in September 2011 under the name of “Joey Gray”, where he lost to Brodus Clay in a squash match. In retrospect, it’s a good thing he didn’t sign then as he wasn’t the developed performer that he is today.
There’s a high chance that had he signed, he would have been lost in the shuffle rather fast. Regardless, it’s always interesting to see top WWE superstars have small roles in the company long before they signed a contract.
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