WWE superstar Johnny Gargano has been left devastated after a fire destroyed his family’s restaurant.
On Sunday night, a huge blaze took over Gargano’s in Cleveland, Ohio – which is owned by the wrestler’s father Francis – and left the venue ‘badly damaged’ and reduced to rubble.
Sharing the news on social media, the 36-year-old star, who has appeared on Raw, SmackDown and NXT since signing with WWE in 2015 and is married to fellow wrestler Candice LeRae, revealed the extent of the destruction.
Alongside a photo of the aftermath of the fire, he wrote on X: ‘I figured I should touch on this because people are finding out, and I know a lot of wrestling fans were looking forward to going to my Dad’s restaurant when they were in Cleveland for Summerslam.
‘Last night, there was a fire, and my Dad’s restaurant was badly damaged. I’m grateful that my Dad was not there and is okay.
‘He is 82 years old, this is his life’s work. He has worked in that building every day for almost 50 years. I basically grew up there.. and now it’s just gone. It is extremely heartbreaking for my family.’
I figured I should touch on this because people are finding out, and I know a lot of wrestling fans were looking forward to going to my Dad’s restaurant when they were in Cleveland for Summerslam.
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) July 22, 2024
Last night, there was a fire, and my Dad’s restaurant was badly damaged. I’m⦠pic.twitter.com/tQnWFATfR6
Cleveland Fire revealed that ‘additional companies and resources’ were needed at the fire, with ’11 companies and nearly 50 firefighters on scene’.
The incident was initially brought ‘under control’ until a ‘water main break’ meant fire hydrants to lose pressures, which caused the blaze to rekindle.
In an update, the organisation tweeted: ‘Water main break forced companies to relay water from distant hydrants. Fire resumed, the roof collapsed, parapets fell.
‘Companies were able to protect exposures, including a gas station, but the fire building was lost.’
Authorities added that one firefighter suffered a ‘minor injury’ in the blaze.
Gargano is expected to be back his hometown of Cleveland on August 3 for SummerSlam, after he and his #DIY teammate Tommaso Ciampa won the WWE Tag Team Championships earlier this month.
So far, five matches have been announced for the show, with Bayley, Damian Priest, Liv Morgan, Cody Rhodes and fellow Cleveland star Logan Paul all defending their respective titles.
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SummerSlam airs on August 3 at 1am via the WWE Network.
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