title: Pawnee people

text: The ancestors of the Pawnees were speakers of Caddoan languages, who had developed a semi-sedentary neolithic lifestyle in valley-bottom lands on the Great Plains. Unlike other groups of the Great Plains, they had a stratified society with priests and hereditary chiefs. Their religion included cannibalism and human sacrifice.


title: Pawnee people

text: At first contact, they were distributed widely through modern Oklahoma and Kansas, and they reached modern Nebraska about 1750. (Other Caddoan-speakers lived to the south, in modern Texas, forming a belt of related populations along the eastern edge of the Great Plains.)


title: Pawnee people

text: Their unfortified villages of well-scattered grass lodges and earth lodges reflected an assumption that large raiding parties would not arrive without warning; their inhabitants could not rapidly co-ordinate defense against a large party of enemies. The Pawnees, with the Wichita and Arikara, were the only Caddoan groups to survive the era of iron, firearms, and horses, and they all did so by forming compact villages on high ground and surrounding them with ditch and wall defenses. Most of the year was spent in these well-insulated homes, but many would go on communal deer hunts several days' travel from their homes. Some would even hunt buffalo, though without horses this was difficult and dangerous.


title: Pawnee people

text: The first written records of Caddoans comes from Coronado's "entrada" in 1541. With cavalry, steel weapons, and guns he had forced his way through the Apaches, Pueblos, and other nations of the modern southeastern US, but they had no gold. Coronado's interpreter repeated rumours (or confirmed Coronado's fantasies) that gold was to be had elsewhere in a location named Quivira.


title: Pawnee people

text: After more than thirty days journey, Coronado found a river larger than any he had seen before. This was the Arkansas, probably a few miles east of present-day Dodge City, Kansas. The Spaniards and their Indian allies followed the Arkansas northeast for three days and found Quivirans hunting buffalo. The Indians greeted the Spanish with wonderment and fear, but calmed down when one of Coronado's guides addressed them in their own language.


title: Pawnee people

text: Coronado reached Quivira itself after a few more days of traveling. He found Quivira "well settled ... along good river bottoms, although without much water, and good streams which flow into another". Coronado believed that there were twenty-five settlements in Quivira. Both men and women Quivirans were nearly naked. Coronado was impressed with the size of the Quivirans and all the other Indians he met. They were "large people of very good build". Coronado spent twenty-five days among the Quivirans trying to learn of richer kingdoms just over the horizon. He found nothing but straw-thatched villages of up to two hundred houses and fields containing corn, beans, and squash. A copper pendant was the only evidence of wealth he discovered. The Quivirans were almost certainly Caddoans, and they built grass lodges as only the Wichita were still doing by 1898.


title: Pawnee people

text: Coronado was escorted to the further edge of Quivira, called Tabas, where the neighboring land of Harahey began. He summoned the "Lord of Harahey" who, with two hundred followers, came to meet with the Spanish. He was disappointed in his hopes for riches. The Harahey Indians were "all naked – with bows, and some sort of things on their heads, and their privy parts slightly covered". Hyde identifies them as Awahis, the old Caddoan name for the Pawnees, possibly including the ancestors of the Skidis and the Arikara. Another group, the Guas, may have been known later as the Paniouace. These people put up ferocious resistance when Coronado started to plunder their villages.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1601, Juan de Oñate led another "entrada" in search of the wealth of Quivira. He met "Escansaques", probably Apaches, who tried to persuade him to plunder and destroy "Quiviran" villages.


title: Pawnee people

text: About 1670 the Apaches of the Southern Plains obtained horses and metal weapons in sufficient quantity to make them the dread of all their neighbors. For some decades the Pawnees were the victims of intensive raiding by large bands of mounted Apaches with iron weapons, and also by war parties of Chickasaws and Choctaws from the east who had firearms as well. The Siouan groups that became Quapaws, Osages, Omahas, Poncas and Kansas also appeared on the Plains about this time, driven west by the expansion of the Iroquois, and they too raided the Pawnees. Archaeology indicates that pressure from hostile Apaches may have persuaded the Skidi Pawnees to move from their settlements on the Republican River to the upper Loup River in the course of the next century or so. Their settlement pattern also changed from little villages of small rectangular earth-lodges to more defensible larger, compact villages of larger, circular lodges, the Skidis uniting in this way about 1680 while their close relations the Arikaras established a separate identity.


title: Pawnee people

text: In French Canada, Indian slaves were generally called "Panis" (anglicized to Pawnee), as most, during this period, had been captured from the Pawnee tribe or their relations. Pawnee became synonymous with "Indian slave" in general use in Canada, and a slave from any tribe came to be called "Panis." As early as 1670, a reference was recorded to a "Panis" in Montreal. "In the middle of the 17th century the Pawnees were being savagely raided by eastern tribes that had obtained metal weapons from the French, which gave them a terrible advantage over Indians who had only weapons of wood, flint, and bone. The raiders carried off such great numbers of Pawnees into slavery, that in the country on and east of the upper Mississippi the name Pani developed a new meaning: "slave". The French adopted this meaning, and Indian slaves, no matter from which tribe they had been taken, were presently being termed "Panis". It was at this period, after the middle of the 17th century, that the name was introduced into New Mexico in the form "Panana" by bands of mounted Apaches who brought large numbers of Pawnee slaves to trade to the Spaniards and Pueblo Indians." George E. Hyde, "The Pawnee Indians" Raiders primarily targeted women and children, to be sold as slaves. In 1694, Apaches brought a large number of captive children to the trading fair in New Mexico, but for some reason, there were not enough buyers, so the Apaches beheaded all their slaves in full view of the Spaniards.


title: Pawnee people

text: By 1757 Louis Antoine de Bougainville considered that the Panis nation "plays ... the same role in America that the Negroes do in Europe." The historian Marcel Trudel documented that close to 2,000 "panis" slaves lived in Canada until the abolition of slavery in the colony in 1833. Indian slaves comprised close to half of the known slaves in French Canada (also called Lower Canada).


title: Pawnee people

text: By 1719 when de la Harpe led an expedition to Caddoan lands at the mouth of the Arkansas River, the Pawnees had also acquired horses and metal weapons from French traders, and they were attacking Apaches in turn, destroying their villages and carrying off Apache women and children. In 1720, Boisbriant reported that the Paniassas or Black Pawnees had recently captured a hundred Apaches, whom they were burning, a few each day. de la Harpe planned to establish French trading posts at the mouth of the Canadian River and elsewhere in Caddoan territory, but this was not done and the Pawnee remained dependent on infrequent and casual traders, while their enemies – the Osages – benefited from a regular trade.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1720, Spanish colonists sent the Villasur expedition try to turn the Pawnees away from their French connections (which had been greatly magnified in Spanish imagination). Guided mainly by Apaches and led by an officer lacking experience with Indians, the expedition approached the Skidi Pawnee villages along the outflow of the Loup River into the Platte River in modern Nebraska. The expedition sent their only Pawnee slave to make contact; he did not obtain any welcome for the Spanish party and he failed to return to the Spanish camp. The Pawnees attacked at dawn, shooting heavy musketry fire and flights of arrows, then charging into combat clad only in paint, headband, moccasins and short leggings. Villasur, 45 other Spaniards, and 11 Pueblos were killed, and the survivors fled. In 1721, pressure on the Pawnees was increased by the establishment of a colony in Arkansas by John Law's Mississippi Company; this settlement too formed a market for Indian (mostly Caddoan) slaves and a convenient source of weapons for the Osages and their relations.


title: Pawnee people

text: The French responded by sending Bourgmont to make peace (in the French interest) between the Pawnees and their enemies in 1724. He reported that the Pawnee were a strong tribe and good horsemen, but, located at the far end of every trade route for European goods, were unfamiliar with Europeans and were treated like country bumpkins by their southern relatives. The mutual hatred between Pawnees and Apaches was so great that both sides were cooking and eating many of their captives. Bourgmont's "peace" had little effect.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1739 the Mallet brothers visited the Skidi Pawnee. In 1750 the Skidis were reported to be ruled by a grand chief who had 900 warriors.


title: Pawnee people

text: From about 1760, smallpox epidemics broke out on the Great Plains, reducing the Skidi from eight large villages in 1725 to one by 1800.


title: Pawnee people

text: A Pawnee tribal delegation visited President Thomas Jefferson. In 1806 Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, Major G. C. Sibley, Major S. H. Long, among others, began visiting the Pawnee villages. Under pressure from Siouan tribes and European-American settlers, the Pawnee ceded territory to the United States government in treaties in 1818, 1825, 1833, 1848, 1857, and 1892. In 1857, they settled on the Pawnee Reservation along the Loup River in present-day Nance County, Nebraska, but maintained their traditional way of life. They were subjected to continual raids by Lakota from the north and west.


title: Pawnee people

text: The Pawnee won a "hard fought" defensive battle around 1830, when they defeated the whole Cheyenne tribe. A Pitahawirata Pawnee captured one of the most sacred tribal bundles of the Cheyenne, the Sacred Arrows, and Skidi Chief Big Eagle secured it quickly. The Cheyennes stopped fighting at once and returned to their own country.


title: Pawnee people

text: The Pawnees in the village of Chief Blue Coat suffered a severe defeat on 27 June 1843. A force of Lakotas attacked the village, killed more than 65 inhabitants and burned 20 earth lodges.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1852, a combined Indian force of Cheyennes and invited Kiowa and Kiowa Apaches attacked a Pawnee camp in Kansas during the summer hunt. First when a Pawnee shot a very reckless Cheyenne with an arrow in the eye, it was discovered he wore a hidden scale mailed armor under his shirt. The killing of this notable Cheyenne affected the Cheyennes to the point, that they carried their Sacred Arrows against the Pawnee the following summer in an all-out war.


title: Pawnee people

text: Warriors enlisted as Pawnee Scouts in the latter half of the 19th century in the United States Army. Like other groups of Native American scouts, Pawnee warriors were recruited in large numbers to fight on the Northern and Southern Plains in various conflicts against hostile Native Americans. Because the Pawnee people were old enemies of the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, and Kiowa tribes, they served with the army for 14 years between 1864 and 1877, earning a reputation as being a well-trained unit, especially in tracking and reconnaissance. The Pawnee Scouts took part with distinction in the Battle of the Tongue River during the Powder River Expedition (1865) against Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho and in the Battle of Summit Springs. They also fought with the US in the Great Sioux War of 1876. On the Southern Plains, they fought against their old enemies, the Comanches and Kiowa, in the Comanche Campaign.


title: Pawnee people

text: As noted above, the Pawnee were subjected to continual raids by Lakota from the north and west. On one such raid, 5 August 1873, a Sioux war party of over 1,000 warriors ambushed a Pawnee hunting party of 350 men, women, and children. The Pawnee had gained permission to leave the reservation and hunt buffalo. About 70 Pawnee were killed in this attack, which occurred in a canyon in present-day Hitchcock County. The site is known as Massacre Canyon. Because of the ongoing hostilities with the Sioux and encroachment from American settlers to the south and east, the Pawnee decided to leave their Nebraska reservation in the 1870s and settle on a new reservation in Indian Territory, located in what is today Oklahoma.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1874, the Pawnee requested relocation to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), but the stress of the move, diseases, and poor conditions on their reservation reduced their numbers even more. During this time, outlaws often smuggled whiskey to the Pawnee. The teenaged female bandits Little Britches and Cattle Annie were imprisoned for this crime.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1875 most members of the nation moved to Indian Territory, a large area reserved to receive tribes displaced from east of the Mississippi River and elsewhere. The warriors resisted the loss of their freedom and culture, but gradually adapted to reservations. On 23 November 1892, the Pawnee in Oklahoma were forced by the US federal government to sign an agreement with the Cherokee Commission to accept individual allotments of land in a breakup of their communal holding.


title: Pawnee people

text: By 1900, the Pawnee population was recorded by the US Census as 633. Since then the tribe has begun to recover in numbers.


title: Pawnee people

text: In 1906, in preparation for statehood of Oklahoma, the US government dismantled the Pawnee tribal government and civic institutions. The tribe reorganized under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 and established the Pawnee Business Council, the Nasharo (Chiefs) Council, and a tribal constitution, bylaws, and charter.


title: Pawnee people

text: In the 1960s, the government settled a suit by the Pawnee Nation regarding their compensation for lands ceded to the US government in the 19th century. By an out-of-court settlement in 1964, the Pawnee Nation was awarded $7,316,097 for land ceded to the US and undervalued by the federal government in the previous century.


title: Pawnee people

text: Bills such as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 have allowed the Pawnee Nation to regain some of its self-government. The Pawnee continue to practice cultural traditions, meeting twice a year for the intertribal gathering with their kinsmen the Wichita Indians. They have an annual four-day Pawnee Homecoming for Pawnee veterans in July. Many Pawnee also return to their traditional lands to visit relatives and take part in scheduled powwows.


title: The Fog

text: The Fog is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and created the music for the film. It stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. It tells the story of a strange, glowing fog that sweeps over a small coastal town in California, bringing with it the vengeful ghosts of mariners who were killed in a shipwreck there 100 years before.


title: The Fog

text: "The Fog" was not well received by critics upon release but was a hit at the box office, making over $21 million domestically on a $1.1 million budget. Since release, it has received more positive retrospective reviews and has become a cult classic. A remake of the film, released in 2005, was also universally panned by critics, but performed well at the box office.


title: The Fog

text: Right before midnight, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the small coastal town of Antonio Bay in Northern California, Mr. Machen tells ghost stories to children by a campfire on the beach. One of the stories is about a local ship that had crashed against the rocks, causing all of its crew to drown, after mistaking a campfire for a lighthouse. Paranormal activity then begins around the town starting at midnight, which results in the town priest, Father Malone, discovering his grandfather's diary at the church after a piece of masonry falls from the wall. The journal reveals that in 1880, the six founders of Antonio Bay (including Malone's grandfather) deliberately sank a clipper ship named the "Elizabeth Dane", so that its wealthy, leprosy-afflicted owner Blake would not establish a leper colony nearby. The conspirators used some of the gold plundered from the ship to found the town.


title: The Fog

text: Meanwhile, three fishermen are out at sea when a strange, glowing fog envelops their trawler. The fog brings with it the "Elizabeth Dane", carrying the vengeful revenants of Blake and his crew, who kill the fishermen. Meanwhile, town resident Nick Castle is driving his truck home and picks up a young hitchhiker named Elizabeth Solley. As they drive towards town, all the truck's windows inexplicably shatter.


title: The Fog

text: The following morning, local radio DJ Stevie Wayne is given a piece of driftwood by her son Andy; it is inscribed with the word "DANE", and Andy says he found it on the beach. Intrigued, Stevie takes it with her to the lighthouse where she broadcasts her radio show. She sets the wood down next to a tape player that is playing, but the wood inexplicably begins to seep water, causing the tape player to short circuit. A mysterious man's voice emerges from the tape player swearing revenge, and the words "6 must die" appear on the wood before it bursts into flame. Stevie quickly extinguishes the fire, but she then sees that the wood once again reads "DANE" and the tape player begins working normally again.


title: The Fog

text: After locating the missing trawler, Nick and Elizabeth find the corpse of one of the fishermen, Dick Baxter, with his eyes gouged out. The other two are missing, one of whom is the husband of Kathy Williams, who is overseeing the town's centennial celebrations. While Elizabeth is alone in the autopsy room, Baxter's corpse rises from the autopsy table and approaches her, before collapsing. As Elizabeth screams, Nick and coroner Dr. Phibes rush into the room where they see the once-again lifeless corpse has carved the number 3 on the floor. That evening, as the town's celebrations begin, local weatherman Dan calls Stevie at the radio station to tell her that another fog bank has appeared and is moving towards town. As they are talking, the fog gathers outside the weather station and Dan hears a knock at the door. He answers it and is killed by the revenants as Stevie listens in horror. As Stevie proceeds with her radio show, the fog starts moving inland, disrupting the town's telephone and power lines. Using a backup generator, Stevie begs her listeners to go to her house and save her son when she sees the fog closing in from her lighthouse vantage point. As the fog envelops Stevie's house, the revenants kill her son's babysitter, Mrs. Kobritz. They then pursue Andy, but Nick and Elizabeth arrive and rescue him.


title: The Fog

text: Stevie advises everyone to head to the town's church through her broadcast. Once inside, Nick, Elizabeth, Andy, Kathy, her assistant Sandy and Father Malone take refuge in a back room as the fog arrives outside. Inside the room, they locate a gold cross in the wall cavity which is made from the rest of the stolen gold. As the revenants begin their attack, Malone takes the gold cross out into the chapel. Knowing that they have returned to take six lives in lieu of the six original conspirators who led them to their deaths, Malone offers the gold and himself to Blake to spare the others. At the lighthouse, more revenants attack Stevie, trapping her on the roof. Inside the church, Blake seizes the gold cross, which begins to glow. Nick pulls Malone away from the cross seconds before it disappears in a blinding flash of light along with Blake and his crew. The revenants at the lighthouse also disappear, and the fog vanishes. Stevie gets down from the roof and makes it back to safety.


title: The Fog

text: After Elizabeth, Nick, Andy, Kathy and Sandy leave the church, Malone contemplates why he was spared by Blake and asks "Why not six?" given that there have been only five deaths. However, moments later, the fog reappears inside the church along with the revenants and Blake decapitates Malone as the screen cuts to black.


title: The Fog

text: John Carpenter stated that the inspiration for the story was partly drawn from the British film "The Trollenberg Terror" (1958), which dealt with monsters hiding in the clouds. He has also said that he was inspired by a visit to Stonehenge with his co-writer/producer (and then-girlfriend), Debra Hill. While in England promoting "Assault on Precinct 13", Carpenter and Hill visited the site in the late afternoon one day and saw an eerie fog in the distance. In the DVD audio commentary for the film, Carpenter noted that the story of the deliberate wreckage of a ship and its subsequent plundering was based on an actual event (the wrecking of the Frolic) that took place in the 19th century near Goleta, California (this event was portrayed more directly in the 1975 Tom Laughlin film, "The Master Gunfighter"). The premise also bears strong resemblances to Massimo Pupillo's 1965 "Terror-Creatures from the Grave" as well as the John Greenleaf Whittier poem "The Wreck of the Palatine" which appeared in "The Atlantic Monthly" in 1867, about the wreck of the ship "Princess Augusta" in 1738, at Block Island, within Rhode Island.


title: The Fog

text: "The Fog" was part of a two-picture deal with AVCO-Embassy, along with "Escape from New York" (1981), and was shot on a reported budget of $1 million. Although this was essentially a low-budget independent film, Carpenter chose to shoot in the anamorphic 2.35:1 format, preventing it from looking like a low-budget horror film. Filming took place from April to May 1979 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California (interior scenes) and on location at Point Reyes, California; Bolinas, California; Inverness, California; and the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Sierra Madre, California.


title: The Fog

text: After viewing a rough cut of the film, Carpenter was dissatisfied with the results. Recalling the experience, Carpenter commented "It was terrible. I had a movie that didn't work, and I knew it in my heart". Carpenter subsequently added the prologue with Mr. Machen (John Houseman) telling ghost stories to fascinated children by a campfire (Houseman played a similar role in the opening of the 1981 film "Ghost Story"). Carpenter added several other new scenes and re-shot others in order to make the film more comprehensible, more frightening, and gorier. Carpenter and Debra Hill have said the necessity of a re-shoot became especially clear to them after they realized that "The Fog" would have to compete with horror films that had high gore content. Approximately one-third of the finished film is the newer footage, increasing the film's budget slightly to $1.1 million.


title: The Fog

text: Cast as the female lead was Adrienne Barbeau, Carpenter's wife, who had appeared in Carpenter's TV movie "Someone's Watching Me!" in 1978. This was her first feature film. Barbeau also appeared in Carpenter's next film, "Escape from New York" (1981).


title: The Fog

text: Tom Atkins, a friend of Barbeau's, was cast as Nick Castle. "The Fog" was Atkins' first appearance in a Carpenter film, and he also appeared in Carpenter's next film, "Escape from New York" (1981) as well as "" (1982), which was produced and scored by Carpenter.


title: The Fog

text: Jamie Lee Curtis, who was the main star of Carpenter's 1978 hit "Halloween", appeared as Elizabeth. Commenting on the role and on appearing in another of Carpenter's films, she said "That's what I love about John. He's letting me explore different aspects of myself. I'm spoiled rotten now. My next director is going to be almost a letdown."


title: The Fog

text: This was the first collaboration between Carpenter and character actor George Buck Flower, who would go on to appear in four more films directed by Carpenter: "Escape from New York" (1981), "Starman" (1984), "They Live" (1988) and "Village of the Damned" (1995).


title: The Fog

text: Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Atkins went on to appear in the horror film "Creepshow" in 1982.


title: The Fog

text: Several characters in "The Fog" are named after people that Carpenter had collaborated with on previous films:


title: The Fog

text: Many of the actors in "The Fog" also appeared in "Halloween", and other later Carpenter films. Nancy Kyes, Jamie Lee Curtis and Charles Cyphers all appeared in "Halloween".


title: The Fog

text: Other references that are interwoven into the film include the name of the John Houseman character "Mr. Machen" (a reference to Welsh horror fantasist Arthur Machen); a radio report that mentions Arkham Reef; and the town's coroner Dr. Phibes was named after the titular character of the horror films starring Vincent Price from the early 1970s.


title: The Fog

text: In addition to the final $1.1 million production budget, Avco Embassy spent over $3 million solely on advertising which included TV spots, radio spots, print ads, and even the placement of fog machines (costing £350 each) in the lobbies of selected theaters where the film was showing. A further undisclosed amount was spent on 600 prints of the film, 540 of which were distributed to American cinemas. Originally, the film was set for release during the 1979 Christmas season, but Avco Embassy president Bob Rehme opted to wait until February 1980 when there would be less major box office competition from other films and more theater screens available. The film had a staggered release in various cities beginning February 1 before expanding to further locations later that month.


title: The Fog

text: The film initially was not well received by critics when it was released. In the years since its release, later reviews were more positive regarding the film. It later came to be considered, as Carpenter opined regarding his creation, "a minor horror classic" though he also stated it was not his favorite film due to re-shoots and low production values. This is one of the reasons he agreed to the 2005 remake. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 67 reviews. The consensus reads, "A well-crafted return to horror for genre giant John Carpenter, "The Fog" rolls in and wraps viewers in suitably slow-building chills." In his 1980 review, Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, commenting, "This isn't a great movie but it does show great promise from Carpenter". In a 2002 review (for the DVD release of the film), Slant Magazine reviewer Ed Gonzalez gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and stated that "Carpenter's use of 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen is beyond legendary and his compositions evoke a town that may as well be the last remaining one on the face of the earth."


title: The Fog

text: In the early 2010s, "Time Out" conducted a poll of over 100 authors, directors, actors and critics who have worked within the horror genre to vote for their top horror films. "The Fog" placed at number 77 on their top 100 list.


title: The Fog

text: "Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For" author Arnold T. Blumberg wrote that the film was "a very effective small scale chiller" and "an attempt to capture the essence of a typical spooky American folktale while simultaneously paying homage to the EC Comics of the 1950s and the then very recent Italian zombie influx."


title: The Fog

text: A novelization of the movie, written by Dennis Etchison, was published by Bantam Books in January 1980. The novel clarifies the implication in the film that the six who must die were not random but in fact descendants of the six original conspirators.


title: The Fog

text: The film has been released on various home video formats since the early 1980s, including VHS and Laserdisc. It was released on DVD in 2002, complete with extra features including two documentaries and an audio commentary by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, as well as trailers and galleries. Another Special Edition Dual disc DVD was released in Europe in 2004 with the same features of the 2002 release. Scream Factory released the film on Blu-ray in 2013, which included the previous extra features as well as a new audio commentary by actors Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Atkins and production designer Tommy Lee Wallace, a new interview with Jamie Lee Curtis, and an episode of "Horror's Hallowed Grounds" which revisits the film's locations. The film was released on 4K UHD by Scream! Factory on September 13, 2022.


title: The Fog

text: In 2005, the film was remade under the direction of Rupert Wainwright with a screenplay by Cooper Layne and starring Tom Welling and Maggie Grace. Though based on Carpenter and Hill's original screenplay, the remake was made more in the vein of a "teen horror film" and given a PG-13 rating (the original film was rated R). Green-lit by Revolution Studios with just eighteen pages of script written, the film was almost universally panned for its poor script and acting and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 4%.


title: Mezuzah

text: A mezuzah ( "doorpost"; plural: mezuzot) is a piece of parchment, known as a "klaf", contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah ( and ). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael", beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the (is) our God, the is One".


title: Mezuzah

text: In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a "mezuzah" is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to "write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house" (). Some interpret Jewish law to require a "mezuzah" in every doorway in the home except bathrooms (which are not a living space), laundry rooms and closets, if they are too small to qualify as rooms. The "klaf" is prepared by a qualified scribe (""sofer stam") who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, and in the more practical parts (i.e. carving the quill and practising writing). The verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen made either from a feather or (now quite rare) a reed. The "klaf" is then rolled up and placed inside the case.


title: Mezuzah

text: In the Bible, the word "mezuzah" only refers to the two 'doorposts' or 'doorjambs' of a door, the upright posts on either side of it which support the lintel, and appears in various contexts unrelated to any religious commandment or parchment. The word later acquired the modern meaning of piece of parchment in post-Biblical Hebrew due to the Deuteronomy commandment above requiring to write verses on doorposts.


title: Mezuzah

text: The culture-comparative analysis suggests that the objects placed on domestic thresholds often bear the function of an amulet repelling the broadly understood evil. The early Rabbinic sources explicitly witness the belief in the anti-demonic function of mezuzot. Examples include JT Megillah 4:12, BT Bava Metziya 102a, and BT Pesahim 113b. The further analysis of the biblical and rabbinic texts ("inter alia" Deuteronomy 6, 11, Exodus 12, Mekhilta de-rabbi Ishmael 7,12 and BT Menahot 33b, 43b) shows that mezuzah is construed as a device protecting against divine anger.


title: Mezuzah

text: The belief in the protective power of mezuzah is prevalent in modern times as well. In the 1970s after a series of terrorist attacks in Ma'alot, the representatives of Chabad-Lubavitch started the campaign for the systematic checking of mezuzahs. The general assumption underlying the action was that adhering to the "mitzvot" would guarantee personal safety.


title: Mezuzah

text: According to various pieces of sociological research, approximately three-quarters of adults in Israel believe that the mezuzah literally guards their houses.


title: Mezuzah

text: According to "halakha", the "mezuzah" should be placed on the right side of the door or doorpost, in the upper third of the doorpost (i.e., approximately shoulder height), within approximately of the doorway opening. Care should be taken to not tear or damage the parchment or the wording on it, as this will invalidate the "mezuzah", which is considered Torah.


title: Mezuzah

text: Where the doorway is wide enough, many Ashkenazi Jews tilt the mezuzah so that the top slants toward the room into which the door opens. This is done to accommodate the variant opinions of Rashi (1040–1105) and of his grandson, Rabbeinu Tam, as to whether it should be placed vertically (Rashi) or horizontally (Rabbeinu Tam), and also to imply that God and the Torah (which the mezuzah symbolizes) are entering the room. The compromise solution was suggested by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher (c. 1269 – c. 1343).


title: Mezuzah

text: Most Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews and other non-Ashkenazi Jews affix the mezuzah vertically, though Spanish and Portuguese Jews living in countries where the majority of Jews are Ashkenazim usually place it slanting.


title: Mezuzah

text: Generally, "halakha" requires Jews living in the diaspora (i.e., outside of the Land of Israel) to affix a "mezuzah" within 30 days of moving into a rented house or apartment. For a purchased home or apartment in the diaspora, or a residence in Israel (owned or rented), the mezuzah is affixed immediately upon moving in. The reason for this difference is that there is an assumption that when a Jew lives in Israel, Israel shall remain his/her permanent residence, whereas a home in the diaspora is temporary.


title: Mezuzah

text: The procedure is to hold the "mezuzah" against the spot upon which it will be affixed, then recite a blessing:


title: Mezuzah

text: Any Jew can recite the blessing, provided they are old enough to understand the significance of the "mitzvah". After the blessing, the "mezuzah" is attached.


title: Mezuzah

text: When affixing several "mezuzot", it is sufficient to recite the blessing once, before affixing the first one.


title: Mezuzah

text: Whenever passing through the doorway, many people touch a finger to the mezuzah as a way of showing respect to God. Many people also kiss their finger after touching it to the mezuzah.


title: Mezuzah

text: Many observant Jews from all Jewish denominations have a qualified scribe check the mezuzot parchments for defects (such as small tears or faded lettering) at least twice every seven years. This job can be done by a sofer (scribe) or by anyone with similar training. A sofer also can make new mezuzot parchments which are in accordance with Jewish law.


title: Mezuzah

text: The commandment to affix a mezuzah is widely followed in the Jewish world, even by Jews who are not religiously observant. While the important part of the mezuzah is the "klaf", or the parchment, and not the case itself, designing and producing mezuzah cases has been elevated to an art form over the ages. Mezuzah cases are produced from a wide variety of materials, from silver and precious metals, to wood, stone, ceramics, pewter, and even polymer clay. Some dealers of mezuzah cases will provide or offer for sale a copy of the text that has been photocopied onto paper; this is not a kosher (valid) mezuzah, which must be handwritten onto a piece of parchment by a qualified scribe.


title: Mezuzah

text: "Shaddai", ["Almighty"] one of the biblical names of God, also serves here as an acronym for "Shomer Daltot Yisrael", "Guardian of Israel's doors". Many mezuzah cases are also marked with the Hebrew letter (Shin), for "Shaddai".


title: Mezuzah

text: "" is a Caesar cipher—a one-letter shift—of the third, fourth, and fifth words of the Shema, ""Adonai, Eloheinu, Adonai"", "The Lord, our God, the Lord"; it is written on the back of the case, opposite the corresponding words on the front. This inscription dates from the 11th century and is found among the "Hasidei Ashkenaz" (medieval German Jewish mystics).


title: Mezuzah

text: The Sephardic custom (minhag) leaves out the phrase , and only the Hebrew word ("Shaddai") is written on the back of the mezuzah. This follows the Shulchan Aruch and the writings of the Rambam. The Ashkenazi custom of writing both phrases, however, was supported in the writings of the Remo. (Yoreh De'ah 288:15)


title: Mezuzah

text: In this regard it is worthwhile to refer to the often cited passage from Rambam's "Mishneh Torah" which states:


title: Mezuzah

text: It is a common custom to write [God's name,] Shaddai, on the outside of a mezuzah opposite the empty space left between the two passages. There is no difficulty in this, since [the addition is made] outside. Those, however, who write the names of angels, other sacred names, verses, or forms, on the inside [of a mezuzah] are among those who do not have a portion in the world to come. Not only do these fools nullify the mitzvah, but furthermore, they make from a great mitzvah [which reflects] the unity of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, the love of Him, and the service of Him, a talisman for their own benefit. They, in their foolish conception, think that this will help them regarding the vanities of the world.


title: Mezuzah

text: This article deals mainly with the "mezuzah" as it is used in Rabbinic Judaism, but Karaite Judaism and Samaritanism have their own traditions.


title: Mezuzah

text: In Karaite Judaism the deuteronomic verse "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your houses and your gates" () is interpreted to be a metaphor and not as referring to the Rabbanite "mezuzah". Thus Karaites do not traditionally use "mezuzot", but put up a small plaque in the shape of the two Tablets of the Law with the Ten Commandments. In Israel, where they might try not to make other Jews feel uncomfortable, many Karaites make an exception and place a mezuzah on their doorpost as well. The Karaite version of the "mezuzah" is fixed to the doorways of public buildings and sometimes to private buildings, too.


title: Mezuzah

text: The Samaritans interpret the deuteronomic commandment to mean displaying any select text from the Samaritan version of the five Books of Moses. This can contain a blessing or a particularly holy or uplifting message. In the past they placed a stone plaque inscribed with the Ten Commandments above the house door, some examples dating back to the Byzantine (4th–7th century) and Early Muslim (7th–11th century) periods being now shown in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.


title: Mezuzah

text: Nowadays a Samaritan "mezuzah" is usually made of either marble, a wooden plate, or a sheet of parchment or high quality paper, on which they inscribe select verses from the Samaritan Torah. This they place either above the house door, or inside the house, in the entrance hall or at a prominent place on a large wall. These "mezuzot" are found in every Samaritan household as well as in the synagogue. Today some Samaritans would also use a Jewish-style mezuzah case and place inside it a small written Samaritan scroll, i.e. a text from the Samaritan Torah, written in the Samaritan alphabet. The more such "mezuzot" there are in the house, the better it is considered to be.


title: Mezuzah

text: The Jewish practice of affixing a mezuzah to the entranceway of a residential unit was rarely challenged in the United States or Canada, However, in Chicago in 2001, a condominium association at Shoreline Towers banned "mats, boots, shoes, carts or objects of any sort… outside unit entrance doors", which by board vote in 2004 was interpreted to be absolute. Shoreline Towers management removed the hallway mezuzot of condominium tenants. Complaints were subsequently filed with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, Illinois Attorney General, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alleging housing discrimination on the basis of religion. Shoreline Towers was not the sole condominium association in Chicago with such a restriction, although one of them agreed to modify its rule.


title: Mezuzah

text: On reading a news report of the mezuzah dispute, Chicago alderman Burton Natarus drafted an amendment to the city's municipal code which made it illegal for a renter or owner of an apartment, house, or condo to be prohibited from "placing or affixing a religious sign, symbol or relic on the door, door post or entrance." Although there was opposition, it became law in Chicago that December. The first such legislation in North America, it included a maximum $500 fine for its violation.


title: Mezuzah

text: Notwithstanding this legislation, in 2006, a federal court judge determined that the rule did not violate the Federal Fair Housing Act; the district court upheld the opinion on appeal in 2008; in 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago reversed the 2008 decision, and the case proceeded. Meanwhile, records of the "Chicago Jewish Star" were unsuccessfully subpoenaed, and Illinois’ anti-SLAPP legislation was applied. In 2011, a confidential settlement to the Shoreline Towers disputes was achieved.


title: Mezuzah

text: In 2006, a more narrowly focused amendment to the state's Condominium Property Act was initiated by Illinois Senator Ira Silverstein, the first such state law.


title: Mezuzah

text: In 2006, a woman in a condo building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was instructed to remove the mezuzah from her hallway unit and threatened with a fine. After a lengthy legal battle, the condo association was found guilty of discrimination. In 2008, House Bill 995, an amendment to the Florida Condominium Act, modeled on the Illinois state legislation, became law.


title: Mezuzah

text: In Texas in 2007, a couple living in Houston was instructed to "remove the item attached to your door frame" to avoid violating association rules. A legal battle ensued, during which a U.S. District Court judge ruled in 2008 on behalf of the condo association. Subsequently, the couple turned to Texas House of Representatives member Garnet F. Coleman. His bill to protect such religious displays, as introduced in 2009, was not adopted, but in June 2011 a slightly revised version (HB1278) was signed into law by Texas Governor Rick Perry.


title: Mezuzah

text: A bill designed to prevent mezuzah bans nationwide was proposed in 2008 (H.R. 6932) by U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler. It never became law.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: The group had a string of international hit singles including "I Ran (So Far Away)" (1982), "Space Age Love Song" (1982), "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" (1982), and "The More You Live, the More You Love" (1984). Their video for "I Ran (So Far Away)" received airplay on MTV during the Second British Invasion. The band won a Grammy Award in 1983 for their instrumental "D.N.A." (1982).


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: In 2018, the members of the original lineup came together to record an album with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra entitled "Ascension". In 2021, the original lineup once again reunited temporarily to record another album with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra entitled "String Theory".


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: A Flock of Seagulls was started by Mike Score in late 1979 in Liverpool. According to Mike Score, the band's name was taken from the song "Toiler on the Sea" by punk rock band the Stranglers and the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". The original line-up of the band featured Mike on lead vocals and keyboards, Ali Score on drums, and Frank Maudsley on bass. Guitarist Willie Woo was added, while Mark Edmondson replaced Ali on drums when the Score brothers fell out. Soon afterwards, Edmondson departed to make way for a returning Ali, while teenager Paul Reynolds, a close friend of Edmondson, replaced Woo at the behest of Maudsley, thus creating the band's classic line-up. The band practised above Mike Score's hair salon, and then started playing clubs, eventually signing a recording contract.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: They recorded sessions for John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1 in May 1981. Eventually, under the management of Harry Maguire, Tommy Crossan, and Mick Rossi, all directors of Checkmount Limited, they began to release singles through Jive Records. The group released their debut single "(It's Not Me) Talking", on Bill Nelson's Cocteau label. They were then signed to major label Jive, distributed through CBS records, where they released their second single "Telecommunication". The single was also produced by Nelson and became a club hit. Their third release was the EP "Modern Love is Automatic". Originally released as a 4 track EP on both 7" and 12", the 12" edition was soon reissued, adding "Telecommunication". This 5 track EP was also their first release in the U.S. In 1982, the group's fourth single "I Ran (So Far Away)", produced by Mike Howlett, the former bass player of the band Gong, became a worldwide hit, reaching number 1 in Australia and the Top 10 in both the US and New Zealand. Their debut album and single "Space Age Love Song" were both successful. The track "D.N.A." won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In late 1982, the band finally found major success in their home country with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)", the first single from their next album "Listen", which reached the Top 10. Later, the band was praised for having broken the ground for other musical acts during the advent of the video music area, but as it turned out, 1982 was the peak year of their commercial and critical success.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: On Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, 28 May 1983, A Flock of Seagulls performed at the US Festival along with Oingo Boingo, Men at Work, and others. Three more singles were released from "Listen" in 1983, including a re-recorded version of their debut single "(It's Not Me) Talking", but they were only minor successes in the UK and abroad. Faced with disappointment, the group changed direction from their science fiction themes and produced a more conceptual emotion-based third album in 1984 called "The Story of a Young Heart", with "The More You Live, the More You Love" as the lead single. Despite heavy rotation on MTV and other music video shows at that time, the single was only moderately successful, and the album's other two singles – "Never Again (The Dancer)" and "Remember David" (released only in a few European countries) – did not make any headway. Faced with sliding sales and a loss of direction, the band continued to consider their options whilst touring. During this period, Paul Reynolds left the band, and was replaced by Gary Steadman (from Classix Nouveaux). Keyboardist Chris Chryssaphis was added at the same time to augment their sound. Both stayed in the band for the recording and release of next the album–"Dream Come True–"but departed once the tour had ended. The album was released in 1986 and failed to chart, thus leading to the dissolving of the band until 1988.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: In 1988 the band performed in Philadelphia with Mike Score accompanied by local musicians Ed Berner and Dave Maerz on guitar, bass guitarist Mike Radcliffe, keyboardist Mike Railton, and drummers Kaya Pryor and Jonte Wilkins. This lineup expanded the following year to include drummer Mike Marquart; but was then reduced to a five-piece band consisting of Score, Berner, Pryor, Radcliffe, and Railton; it was this lineup which released the single "Magic" that same year.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: In 1994, the band's lineup changed again; this time to a formation consisting of Score, Berner, and new recruits A.J. Mazzetti (drums) and Dean Pichette (bass guitar). They recorded the album "The Light at the End of the World" in 1994, but it failed to chart. Drummer John Walker later replaced Mazzetti.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: In 1998, Berner, Walker, and Pichette departed the band and were replaced by Joe Rodriguez, Darryl Sons, and Rob Wright, respectively. In 1999, the band re-recorded the Madonna song "This Used to Be My Playground" for the 2000 Madonna tribute album "The World's Greatest 80s Tribute to Madonna". In November 2003, the original lineup of Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series "Bands Reunited". In September 2004, they reformed again and did a brief tour in the United States. Though the tour continued to be advertised as the "original lineup", later shows no longer included the original band, but was Mike Score's continuation of the newer band; which by this point consisted of Score, Rodriguez, and new recruits Michael Brahm (drums), and Pando (bass guitar). In 2005, this version of the group starred in the American version of the entertainment show "Hit Me Baby, One More Time", where they performed "I Ran" and a cover of Ryan Cabrera's song, "On The Way Down" for a chance to have $20,000 donated to a charity of their choice.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: In June 2011, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds performed at Croxteth Park music festival in Liverpool, under the name 'A Flock of Seagulls'.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: On 4 February 2013, Mike Score indicated via his YouTube account that he was pursuing his solo career. He released the singles "All I Wanna Do" in February 2013, and "Somebody Like You" in January 2014. In late July 2013, after a Southern California performance, Mike Score told the Los Angeles Daily News that the band's rented van that contained $70,000 of equipment and the hard drives that stored tracks for his solo album "Zeebratta" were stolen from a Comfort Inn. While this delayed the album's release, he was able to reconstruct it with music files from his home in Florida. "Zeebratta" was finally released on 1 March 2014.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: Kevin Rankin replaced Brahm on drums in 2016, and Gordon Deppe—from the Canadian band Spoons—replaced Joe Rodriguez in December 2017.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: On 3 May 2018, it was announced that the band's original four members were reuniting to record a new album titled "Ascension", their first studio recording since 1984. Featuring the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, it would be a 12-track album composed of new renditions of their previous hits alongside one new song. The video for "Space Age Love Song" premiered on YouTube on 6 June, and an EP featuring five versions of the song was released digitally two days later. The album was available in physical form in late June 2018, then released digitally and in stores on 6 July. In December 2018, the orchestral version of "I Ran" was released as a single.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: On 10 May 2021 the band announced through their social networks that they would release a new orchestral album, again together with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, which would be called "String Theory". This album features other of the band's biggest hits, such as "Messages", "Remember David" and "Say You Love Me", the latter being the lead single. The album was released on 20 August 2021.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: Owing to their memorable and unusual style and appearance, A Flock of Seagulls are sometimes referred to with ironic appreciation. The "New Musical Express" wrote: "Of course, everyone remembers this group now for singer Mike Score's ridiculous back-combed haircut and the fact that they are mentioned in "Pulp Fiction". So now they're kind of cool, but in the early 1980s it was a different story."


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: The band was featured on Viacom's VH1 and Sony's BMG Legacy Recordings' 2006 revival CD series and multi-platform marketing campaign, "We Are the 80's". In a 2007 article for "The Guardian", Alfred Hickling described the group as "dreadful", and unfavourably compared them to new wave peers OMD and other Liverpool acts of the time.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: Their dramatic style has drawn much criticism and parody, but the band has also been recognized as a pioneering act, capturing the spirit of their time, particularly with the guitar work of Paul Reynolds and sonically multi-layered hits such as "Space Age Love Song," "Telecommunication," and "Modern Love Is Automatic". The band is also noted for creating a successful concept album, their debut, which alludes to an alien invasion of earth. Billboard writer Robert Christgau applauded their "mechanical lyrics, about a mechanical end of the world," while noting the "aural pleasure" of both the band's debut album and the follow-up.


title: A Flock of Seagulls

text: The video for I Ran was low budget (even for the time), but enjoyed enormous success, and is well-remembered in part because MTV played it frequently. I Ran more recently featured on the soundtrack of the film La La Land.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, where he became the first-ever NXT Triple Crown winner by winning the NXT Championship once, the NXT North American Championship for a record three times, and the NXT Tag Team Championship once. His popularity in NXT led him to be nicknamed "The Heart and Soul of NXT".


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano started his professional wrestling career in 2005, working for the Cleveland All–Pro Wrestling (CAPW) promotion. Over the following years, Gargano worked for some of the top promotions on the American independent circuit, including Chikara, Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Titles Gargano held include the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas, the Evolve Tag Team Championship and DGUSA's Open the Freedom Gate Championship, which he held twice with his first reign lasting a record 873 days. During his independent days, Gargano also made appearances for national promotions Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).


title: Johnny Gargano

text: After making sporadic appearances for WWE early in his career, Gargano took part in the company's tryout camp in June 2015. Afterwards, he began appearing regularly for NXT, eventually signing a contract in April 2016. He formed a tag team, #DIY, with Tommaso Ciampa, and held the NXT Tag Team Championship once. Following their split up and heated rivalry, Gargano captured the NXT North American Championship in January 2019 and won the NXT Championship in April the same year. With the win, Gargano became the first ever NXT Triple Crown Champion. In 2020, Gargano won the NXT North American Championship for a second, and later, a third time, becoming the first competitor to do so each time. He departed WWE after his contract expired in December 2021, but returned in August 2022.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Johnny Gargano was born and raised in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio to Adrianne ("née" Klasinski) and Francis Gargano. His mother is of Polish descent and his father, a restaurateur is of Italian descent. He entered a professional wrestling ring for the first time at age eight, when Cleveland All–Pro Wrestling (CAPW) owner J.T. Lightning, who ran shows behind Gargano's father's catering business, allowed him to roll around in the ring. While studying in St. Edward High School, Gargano decided to enter CAPW's professional wrestling school in order to become a professional wrestler. At age 16, Gargano began training at the Cleveland All Pro Training Center under J.T. Lightning and Josh Prohibition.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano made his professional wrestling debut for CAPW in 2005. In his first match, he competed in the AIW Gauntlet For The Gold Battle Royal on December 11, 2005, which was won by Michael Hutter. Gargano calls his wrestling style "Lucharesu", a mix of British chain wrestling, lucha libre and puroresu and described his character at the time as "someone lacking self awareness and living in his own deluded little world". On October 8, 2006, Gargano defeated Josh Prohibition, M-Dogg 20, and Zach Gowen in a four-way match to win his first Championship, the CAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship. He would continue to make appearances for the company until August 5, 2007, teaming up with Prohibition in his CAPW farewell match, where they defeated Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On June 24, 2009, Gargano wrestled in a dark match at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's "Impact!" television tapings, losing to Jay Lethal. The following day he wrestled in another dark match, this time losing to Eric Young. Gargano has also wrestled in a dark match for Ring of Honor, defeating Sami Callihan on August 15, 2008. After his ROH tryout it was discovered that Gargano had a hairline fracture in his back, caused by his left leg being shorter than his right leg, which led to his doctor advising him to rethink his career choice. Gargano, however, returned to the ring six months later.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano made his debut for Cleveland–based Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) on February 26, 2006, losing to Kano. He would pick up his first victory in the promotion two months later on April 30, defeating Tyrone Evans. On February 24, 2008, Gargano defeated his trainer Josh Prohibition to become the number one contender to the AIW Intense Division Championship. After Gargano's first shot at the title, held by Tyler Black, went to a fifteen-minute time limit draw on March 21, the two were booked in a 30-minute Iron Man match on May 25, where Gargano defeated Black to win the Intense Division Championship for the first time. Gargano held the title for 187 days before he was stripped of it due to an injury on November 28, 2008. On February 28, 2009, Gargano defeated Jimmy DeMarco, who had won the vacant Intense Division Championship in a tournament, to regain the title. He would go on to lose the title to Josh Prohibition on May 15, 2009.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On April 9, 2010, Gargano teamed up with Aeroform (Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon) to form Team Oreo for the Jack of All Trios tournament, a tournament held for sixteen teams of three. After defeating Psycho Sexual Panic (Corvis Fear, Michael Facade and Shiima Xion) on night one of the tournament, Gargano and Aeroform advanced to night two, where they defeated Team Beyond Wrestling (Chase Burnett, Davey Vega and Zane Silver), Da Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett and Willie Richardson) and finally the Young Studs (Bobby Beverly, Eric Ryan and T.J. Dynamite) to win the tournament. As a result of winning the tournament, Gargano and Aeroform earned the right to represent AIW in Chikara's 2010 King of Trios tournament. On June 27, Gargano defeated Facade, Sterling James Keenan and Tommy Mercer in a four-way match to win AIW's top singles title, the vacant AIW Absolute Championship, for the first time. Later that same night, Gargano retained his brand new title by wrestling Bryan Danielson to a 30-minute time limit draw. He would go on to lose the title to Shiima Xion on June 26, 2011. On March 3, 2012, Gargano won a 30-man Gauntlet for the Gold, last eliminating Tim Donst, to earn a shot at Xion and the AIW Absolute Championship.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano appeared on the very first episode of Pro Wrestling Ohio on Sports Time Ohio on November 20, 2007. He would lose his debut, in what many called an upset, to Gregory Iron, a wrestler with a disability known as cerebral palsy. Iron issued several challenges to Gargano, claiming he could beat him in another match. Meanwhile, Gargano remained in denial of the original defeat from Iron, and continued to mock Iron's disability, his history of concussions, and rough upbringing. At the February 2008 PWO TV tapings, Gargano brutally attacked Iron, busting him open, assaulting him with a chair, and bashing his head into the ringside barricades. On August 1, 2008, Gargano defeated Iron in a Last Man Standing match in front of over 1,000 fans in Cleveland, Ohio to end their feud.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano suffered a hairline fracture in his vertebrae during the Last Man Standing match and did not return to active competition until March 2009, when he faced off against Mike Tolar and Jason Bane in a three-way match to become number one contender for the PWO Heavyweight Championship, in which he was victorious. Gargano went on to unsuccessfully challenge Matt Cross for the PWO Heavyweight Championship on April 18, 2009. After Gargano's loss, Josh Prohibition capitalized on a worn down Cross, and defeated him for the PWO Championship. On August 9, 2009, at "Wrestlelution 2: A Coming of Age" Gargano defeated Prohibition in his final match, for the PWO Championship. On August 1, 2010, at "Wrestlelution 3: A Defining Moment", Gargano defeated Cross to retain the PWO Heavyweight Championship. On March 20, 2011, Gargano lost the PWO Heavyweight Championship to Marion Fontaine in a three-way match, which also included Jason Bane, after getting hit with a nightstick. After Pro Wrestling Ohio was renamed Prime Wrestling in early 2012, Gargano regained the PWO Heavyweight Championship, now known as the Prime Heavyweight Championship, by defeating Jimmy Jacobs on August 19, 2012. He lost the title to Krimson on February 16, 2013. Gargano regained the title from Krimson on October 20 at Wrestlelution 6.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano made his debut for Philadelphia–based Chikara on June 14, 2008, taking part in the sixth Young Lions Cup tournament, but was eliminated in the first round against Marshe Rockett. Gargano returned to the company on April 23, 2010, taking part in the 2010 King of Trios tournament with Aeroform and suffering a loss in the opening round against The Colony (Fire Ant, Green Ant and Soldier Ant). On the second night of the tournament, Gargano came out during a quarter-final match between F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Gran Akuma and Chuck Taylor) and Team Osaka Pro (Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke), wearing a F.I.S.T. shirt and witnessed how Icarus, Akuma and Taylor were eliminated from the tournament. Gargano wrote on his Facebook page that he liked F.I.S.T., but thought that the team might have a weak link, which led to the stable's members pointing fingers at each other. On June 27 at "Faded Scars and Lines", Gargano defeated Player Uno to earn a spot in the eighth Young Lions Cup tournament. On July 26 at "Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show", F.I.S.T. lost a six-man tag team match to Cima, Masaaki Mochizuki and Super Shenglong. After the match, Icarus and Taylor turned on Akuma, kicked him out of both F.I.S.T. and Chikara and gave his spot to Gargano. On August 27, Gargano entered his second Young Lions Cup tournament, defeating Andy Ridge in the first round but was eliminated from the tournament when he was disqualified in the six-way elimination semi final match. On August 29, Gargano defeated 29 other men to win The Countdown Showdown match and earn a "Golden Opportunity". With Gargano as a member, the new F.I.S.T. ended their losing streak by defeating Da Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett and Willie Richardson) and 3.0 (Scott Parker and Shane Matthews) and Soldier Ant in six-man tag team matches on September 18 and 19. On October 23, Gargano cashed in his "Golden Opportunity" for a Young Lions Cup title match against Frightmare, but lost. On April 15, 2011, F.I.S.T. entered the 2011 King of Trios, defeating Team Australia (Kabel, Percy T and Tama Williams) in the first round. The following day, F.I.S.T. defeated Team Osaka Pro (Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Ultimate Spider Jr.) to advance to the semifinals. On April 17, F.I.S.T. scored a major upset in the semifinals of the tournament by defeating Team Michinoku Pro (Dick Togo, Great Sasuke and Jinsei Shinzaki) but lost in the finals of the tournament to The Colony.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: In June and July, Gargano and Taylor gained three points and the right to challenge for the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas with victories over The Colony, Incoherence (Frightmare and Hallowicked) and Atlantis and Rey Bucanero. On September 18, Gargano and Taylor defeated Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush to win the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas for the first time. Gargano and Taylor made their first title defense on October 7, defeating Momo no Seishun Tag (Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada) with help from Icarus. On October 7, Icarus replaced Gargano, who was unable to attend due to travel issues, and teamed with Taylor to retain the Campeonatos de Parejas against the Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton), after which Gargano and Taylor defended the title on December 2, during Chikara's special post-season "JoshiMania" weekend, defeating The Colony. Gargano was sidelined with a back injury and Icarus replaced him; he and Chuck Taylor retained the Campeonatos de Parejas on February 25, 2012, against the Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked and UltraMantis Black), before losing the title to 3.0 on March 24. After earning three points in a four-way elimination match on April 14, Gargano and Taylor defeated 3.0 in a rematch on April 29 to regain the title and become the first two-time Campeones de Parejas. On June 2 at , F.I.S.T. lost the title to The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) in their first title defense. On August 2, Chikara's Director of Fun, Wink Vavasseur, named Sugar Dunkerton, who had stated his wish to join a stable, the fourth member of F.I.S.T. The other members, however, refused to accept Dunkerton as a full-fledged member, instead referring to him as their "water boy".


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On September 14, F.I.S.T., represented by Gargano, Icarus and Taylor, entered the 2012 King of Trios tournament, defeating Team Osaka Pro (Ebessan, Kikutaro and Takoyakida) in the first round. The following day, F.I.S.T. defeated the all-female Team JWP (Command Bolshoi, Kaori Yoneyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki) to advance to the semifinals. On the third and final day of the tournament, F.I.S.T. was eliminated in the semifinals by the Spectral Envoy (Frightmare, Hallowicked and UltraMantis Black). In early 2013, the members of F.I.S.T. began having problems with each other, leading to Icarus turning on Gargano on May 3 over his treatment of Sugar Dunkerton. Following the turn, Gargano quit F.I.S.T., which was followed by Chikara removing his profile from the promotion's official roster page. He returned on September 2, 2016, entering the 2016 King of Trios tournament as part of Team #CWC, alongside Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak. They were eliminated from the tournament in the first round by The Warriors Three (Oleg the Usurper, Princess KimberLee and ThunderFrog).


title: Johnny Gargano

text: While wrestling for Chicago-based All American Wrestling (AAW), Gargano ran into Colt Cabana, who suggested he get in touch with former Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky, who was looking for talents for Dragon Gate USA and Evolve Wrestling, and tell him that Cabana sent him. Gargano received a tryout match for Dragon Gate on July 25, 2009, at the tapings of the Enter the Dragon pay-per-view, wrestling in an eight-way elimination dark match won by Lince Dorado. On November 28 at Freedom Fight, Gargano made his pay-per-view debut by entering the tournament to crown the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion, but was eliminated in the first round. In May, Gargano signed a contract with Dragon Gate USA. On July 24 at Enter the Dragon, Gargano lost to Cima. On September 26, Gargano offered himself to Cima's Warriors International stable. On October 29 at Dragon Gate USA's first live pay-per-view, Bushido: Code of the Warrior, Gargano wrestled in a four-way match won by Chuck Taylor. After Taylor turned down an offer from Cima to join his Warriors International stable, Gargano offered himself to Cima but was turned down. Gargano confronted Cima again, offering himself to Warriors International, before attacking him and Ricochet, along with Chuck Taylor and Rich Swann, forming the stable Ronin.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On January 29, 2011, Gargano and Taylor entered a three-day-long tournament to determine the first ever Open the United Gate Champions. Gargano and Taylor defeated Naruki Doi and Ricochet and followed it up by defeating Cima and Dragon Kid, before losing in the finals to Masato Yoshino and PAC. On April 1 at "Open the Southern Gate", Gargano lost to Cima, with Ronin now working as a babyface group against Cima's Blood Warriors. The following day at Mercury Rising, Ronin lost a six-man tag team match to Cima, Doi and Ricochet. On April 3 at Open the Ultimate Gate, Austin Aries, who lost a match with his Dragon Gate USA career on the line, feigned passing the torch to his former Ronin rivals, but turned on them and joined Blood Warriors. Gargano defeated Jon Davis on April 19 at Evolve's first live internet pay-per-view. Later that same night, he defeated Chuck Taylor in a tiebreaker match to become Evolve's new wins leader with a record of 6–2. On June 3 at Fearless, Gargano lost to Aries, but came back two days later at Enter The Dragon to force Cima and Aries to submit in a six-man elimination tag team match, where he teamed with Rich Swann and Masato Yoshino with Brodie Lee being the third member of Blood Warriors.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On November 13 at Freedom Fight, Gargano defeated Yamato to win the Open the Freedom Gate Championship. On January 14, 2012, Gargano retained the title against Ricochet in the final professional wrestling match in the Asylum Arena. Following the match, Gargano was helped backstage and rushed to a hospital with a back injury, but was released the following day. On March 30, Gargano returned to Dragon Gate USA, where he and Chuck Taylor unsuccessfully fought Masato Yoshino and Ricochet for the vacant Open the United Gate Championship; Taylor then turned on Gargano and broke away from Ronin. Following the merger of Dragon Gate USA and Evolve, Gargano successfully defended the Open the Freedom Gate Championship against Taylor on June 29 at Evolve 15. On July 28 at Untouchable, Gargano retained the title against Akira Tozawa. Prior to the event it had been reported that Gargano had been offered a developmental contract with WWE, however, following his win, Gargano revealed that he had signed a two-year contract extension with Dragon Gate USA/Evolve. The following day at Enter the Dragon, Gargano defeated Chuck Taylor in a non-title "I Quit" match, ending their rivalry. Gargano made another successful defense of the Open the Freedom Gate Championship on September 8, defeating Jon Davis at Evolve 17. On November 4 at Freedom Fight, despite a pre-match assault by Jon Davis, Gargano defeated Tozawa, A. R. Fox and Ricochet in a four-way elimination match to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Championship and, as a result, made it to a full year as the champion. On December 8 at Evolve 18, Gargano retained the title against Sami Callihan.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On April 6, 2013, Gargano retained the Open the Freedom Gate Championship against Shingo after hitting him with a low blow and a chain, turning villainous in the process. Gargano's streak of successful title defenses continued against the likes of Samuray del Sol, Akira Tozawa, and Rich Swann. Having now held the Open the Freedom Gate Championship for two years, Gargano retained the title on November 17 against Chris Hero. Gargano's successful title defenses continued in early 2014, when he defeated Uhaa Nation, Trent Baretta, and Roderick Strong. On March 27, it was reported that Gargano had signed a contract extension with Dragon Gate USA. On April 4, Gargano lost the Open the Freedom Gate Championship to Ricochet in a match one year in the making, ending his two and a half year reign. The rivalry between Gargano and Rich Swann culminated in an "Evolution's End" match on August 10, where Swann was victorious. Post-match, Gargano saved Swann from an attack by the Premier Athlete Brand of Anthony Nese, Caleb Konley and Su Yung.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On November 16, 2014, during Dragon Gate USA's parent company WWNLive's tour of China, Gargano defeated Ricochet to regain the Open the Freedom Gate Championship, becoming the first two-time holder of the title. On March 26, 2015, Gargano retained the Open the Freedom Gate Championship against A. R. Fox to set up a double title match with Evolve World Champion Drew Galloway two days later, where Galloway defeated Gargano to retain the Evolve World Championship and win the Open the Freedom Gate Championship. Following the match, Ethan Page turned on Gargano, starting a feud between the two with the storyline being that Gargano got Page his job in Evolve, but he was now trying to make himself a name at Gargano's expense. On April 18, Gargano and Swann defeated Anthony Nese and Caleb Konley to win the Open the United Gate Championship. On May 30, Ronin successfully defended the title against Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams. After the match, Gargano retired the Open the United Gate Championship since Dragon Gate was the past and demanded the creation of the Evolve Tag Team Championship. Gargano's partnership with Swann ended on August 15, when Swann turned on Gargano and joined forces with Ethan Page. The feud between Gargano and Page culminated on October 17 at Evolve 49, where Gargano defeated Page in an "I Quit" match, where his Evolve career was on the line. On January 24, 2016, at Evolve 55, Gargano and Drew Galloway defeated Chris Hero and Tommy End in the finals of a tournament to become the inaugural Evolve Tag Team Champions. They lost the title to Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams on April 2. After the match, Galloway turned on Gargano. The feud between Gargano and Galloway concluded on July 17 at Evolve 65, where Gargano lost to Galloway.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On July 21, Evolve revealed Gargano's impending departure from the promotion with his final match taking place on September 11. On September 10 at Evolve 68, Gargano was defeated by Zack Sabre Jr. in his final singles match in Evolve. The following day at Evolve 69, Gargano and Cody Rhodes defeated Chris Hero and Drew Galloway in Gargano's Evolve farewell match.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On March 1, 2011, Gargano made his Japanese debut, when his Dragon Gate USA stable Ronin started their first three-week-long tour of Dragon Gate. In their first match of the tour, Gargano, Chuck Taylor and Rich Swann defeated Blood Warriors representatives Cima, Naruki Doi and Naoki Tanisaki in a six-man tag team match.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano returned to Dragon Gate in October 2012, now aligned with the World-1 International stable. In his first match of the tour on October 6, Gargano teamed with Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi to defeat Kaettekita Veteran-gun representatives Don Fujii, Gamma and Masaaki Mochizuki in a six-man tag team main event. The following day, Gargano defeated Ryo "Jimmy" Saito to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Championship.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On March 22, 2013, Gargano made his debut for Southern California-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) during the promotion's All Star Weekend 9, teaming with Chuck Taylor in a non-title tag team match, where they were defeated by the reigning PWG World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks. Gargano returned to PWG on June 15, when he and Taylor lost to the Dojo Bros. (Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong). On August 30, Gargano entered the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Willie Mack in the first round. The following day, Gargano defeated Kevin Steen in the second round, before being eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by Michael Elgin. On October 20, Gargano defeated Roderick Strong and, at the end of the event, challenged Adam Cole to a future match for the PWG World Championship. Gargano received his title shot during the second day of "All Star Weekend X" on December 21, but was defeated by Cole. Gargano failed to earn another title shot on January 31, 2014, when he was defeated by Drake Younger in a four-way number one contender's match, which also included Chris Hero and Kyle O'Reilly. In August, Gargano made it to the finals of the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles, before losing to Ricochet in a three-way match, also involving Roderick Strong. On December 11, 2015, Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Team Championship.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On March 23, 2007, Gargano appeared as the "Champion of Liechtenstein", Cedrick Von Haussen, on an episode of World Wrestling Entertainment's television program "SmackDown!", losing to Montel Vontavious Porter. He made another appearance for WWE on the May 25, 2010, edition of "NXT", portraying a security guard. Gargano wrestled another tryout for WWE, working under the ring name Joey Gray, at the September 20, 2011, tapings of "Superstars", losing to Brodus Clay.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: In June 2015, Gargano took part in a WWE tryout camp, and also wrestled at the June 18 "NXT" tapings, losing to Uhaa Nation in a dark match. Though he did not sign with WWE, Gargano continued making appearances for NXT over the next few months. In Gargano's first televised NXT match he teamed with Tommaso Ciampa in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, defeating the team of Bull Dempsey and Tyler Breeze in their first round match on the September 9 episode. They were eliminated from the tournament by Baron Corbin and Rhyno on the September 16 episode. Gargano continued working for NXT in early 2016. On April 2, it was confirmed that Gargano had signed with WWE earlier in the week. Gargano's NXT contract was a so-called "Tier 2" contract, which allowed him to continue working independent dates alongside his now regular NXT bookings. On June 23, Gargano entered the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, defeating his tag team partner Tommaso Ciampa the first round. On July 14, Gargano was eliminated from the tournament by T.J. Perkins. On July 21, it was reported that Gargano was signing a new full-time NXT deal, which would prevent him from taking further independent bookings.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On August 20 at , Gargano and Ciampa unsuccessfully challenged The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Gargano and Ciampa, now billed collectively as "DIY" (often stylized as #DIY), received another title shot in a two-out-of-three falls match on November 19 at , where they defeated The Revival to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. DIY went on to successfully defend their championships against the team of Tajiri and Akira Tozawa and TM61 in Japan and Australia, respectively. At on January 28, 2017, they lost the titles to The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar). They received their rematch on the March 1 episode of "NXT", which ended in a no contest after The Revival interfered and attacked both teams. This led to a triple threat elimination match between all three teams for the NXT Tag Team Championship at on April 1, which DIY lost after being the first team eliminated.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On May 20 at , DIY once again faced The Authors of Pain in the first-ever ladder match for the NXT Tag Team Championship, which they lost. After the match, Ciampa turned on Gargano to end the partnership between the two. Their feud continued when Gargano faced Andrade Cien Almas at , but he lost after Almas valet, Zelina Vega, threw a #DIY shirt at Gargano to distract him. On the December 6 episode of "NXT", Gargano defeated Kassius Ohno to qualify for a number one contender's fatal four-way match for the NXT Championship involving Aleister Black, Killian Dain and Lars Sullivan, which Gargano won after pinning Black (becoming the first man to do so).


title: Johnny Gargano

text: At on January 27, 2018, Gargano failed to capture the NXT Championship from Andrade "Cien" Almas in a critically acclaimed match. Afterwards, Tommaso Ciampa returned to attack Gargano from behind with a crutch. Gargano faced Almas for the title again on the February 21 episode of "NXT", where Gargano failed to win the title after interference from Ciampa, thus forcing him to (kayfabe) leave NXT. At on April 7, he defeated Ciampa in an unsanctioned match to be reinstated to NXT. On the April 25 episode of "NXT", Gargano was once again attacked by Ciampa while he was making his entrance for his NXT Championship match against Aleister Black, leading to a Chicago Street Fight between them at on June 16, which Ciampa won.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: At the July 18 "NXT" tapings of the July 25 episode, Gargano interfered in Ciampa's NXT Championship match against Black and accidentally hit Black with the title belt, causing Ciampa to win the championship. The following week, all three men were scheduled in a triple threat match for the NXT Championship at on August 18, though Black was removed from the match due to being unable to compete after being found unconscious in the parking lot after the show. The title match was later changed to a Last Man Standing match between Gargano and Ciampa at the event, which Ciampa won. On the October 24 episode of "NXT", Gargano was revealed as the one who attacked Aleister Black, turning heel in the process. Black and Gargano continued their rivalry, culminating in a match at on November 17, which Black won. On the December 19 episode of "NXT", Gargano defeated Black in a steel cage match after interference from Ciampa, ending their feud.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: At on January 26, 2019, Gargano defeated Ricochet to capture the NXT North American Championship. Later in the night, after Ciampa successfully defended his NXT Championship against Black, Gargano reunited with his former tag-team partner as they raised their belts in unison on stage as the show went off air. The following night, he would make his first main roster appearance at the Royal Rumble event, entering at number 6 in the Royal Rumble match, in which he lasted over 13 minutes and eliminated Jinder Mahal before getting eliminated by Dean Ambrose. On the February 20 episode of "NXT", Gargano lost the NXT North American Championship to Velveteen Dream.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano made his main roster debut on the February 18, 2019 episode of "Raw", where he and Ciampa defeated former rivals Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match. The next night on their "SmackDown" debut, Gargano and Ciampa defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus). On the March 13 episode of "NXT", after Gargano and Ciampa were eliminated from the Dusty Rhodes Classic, Ciampa attempted to attack Gargano, similar to his original betrayal at TakeOver: Chicago two years prior, before Gargano reversed it and attacked him, thus turning face.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On the March 20 episode of "NXT", it was revealed by Triple H that Gargano and Ciampa were to compete at for the NXT Championship, but due to Ciampa needing real-life neck surgery, he was removed from the match and forced to vacate the title; therefore, it was announced that Gargano would still be in the match for the now vacant title, and his opponent would be Adam Cole, who won a fatal five-way match later that night to earn the right to replace Ciampa. At the event on April 5, Gargano defeated Cole in a two-out-of-three falls match to win the NXT Championship for the first time in his career, which also made him the first ever NXT Triple Crown Champion. At the end of the show, Ciampa came out to celebrate Gargano's successful title win with Candice LeRae as well. The match between Gargano and Cole was rated five and a half stars by Dave Meltzer, making it the first WWE match to break the five-star rating and Gargano's third five-star rated match overall. On the April 17 episode of "NXT", Gargano was celebrating his championship victory until he was confronted and attacked by The Undisputed Era. A rematch was scheduled between Gargano and Cole to take place at NXT TakeOver XXV on June 1, where Gargano lost the title, ending his reign at 57 days. Gargano's rematch on August 10 at was then scheduled by William Regal to be another two-out-of-three falls match, with each wrestler allowed to pick a stipulation, with Regal deciding the final fall's stipulation. At the event, Gargano won the second fall, but was ultimately unsuccessful in regaining the title after losing the final fall, which was in a steel cage match, after both men fell from the top of the cage through a table.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On the October 23 episode of "NXT", Gargano reunited with Ciampa once again, only to be attacked by The Undisputed Era and surprise NXT returnee Finn Bálor. He suffered a legitimate neck injury when Bálor performed his signature move "1916" on Gargano on the entrance ramp, sidelining him indefinitely. He returned on the December 18 episode of "NXT", distracting Bálor during his NXT Championship match against Adam Cole, causing him to lose; he then attacked Bálor with a steel chair post-match.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On the January 8, 2020 episode of "NXT", Bálor challenged Gargano to a match at , which Gargano accepted. At Worlds Collide on January 25, Gargano and Ciampa defeated NXT UK's Moustache Mountain. At TakeOver on February 16, Gargano lost to Bálor, and later that same night, Gargano interfered in the main-event between Cole and Ciampa for the NXT Championship and attacked Ciampa with the title while the referee was unconscious, subsequently allowing Cole to pin Ciampa, breaking up DIY for the second time and turning heel for the second time in his WWE career. On the April 8, 2020 episode of "NXT", Gargano defeated Ciampa in an Empty Arena No Holds Barred match after Candice LeRae gave Ciampa a lowblow and Gargano hit Ciampa with the Fairytale Ending. Gargano and LeRae then began appearing together more frequently as a power couple.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: At on June 7, Gargano unsuccessfully challenged Keith Lee for the NXT North American Championship. On July 8 at , Gargano defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. On the July 22 episode of "NXT", Gargano faced Bronson Reed and Roderick Strong in a triple threat qualifying match for a spot in the North American Championship ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX, but lost. After Dexter Lumis dropped out of the match due to an ankle injury, Gargano replaced him by defeating Ridge Holland in a last chance match. At TakeOver XXX on August 22, Gargano failed to win the title. He challenged new champion Damian Priest for the title at NXT TakeOver 31 on October 4, which he failed to win. On October 28 at , Gargano defeated Priest in a Devil's Playground match to become the first-ever two-time NXT North American Champion. He lost the title to Leon Ruff on the November 11 episode of "NXT", ending his second reign at 14 days, but regained it on December 6 at in a triple threat match involving Priest to become the first-ever three-time North American Champion. On the December 9 episode of "NXT", he announced that he formed a villainous faction with LeRae, Indi Hartwell and Austin Theory called The Way. On the December 30 episode of "NXT", Gargano retained his title against Ruff, finally breaking his championship "curse". Gargano's streak of successful title defenses followed, including against Kushida at on February 14, 2021, and Bronson Reed on April 8 at the second night of . On the May 18 episode of "NXT", he lost the championship to Reed in a steel cage match, ending his third reign at 163 days.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: At on June 13, Gargano failed to win the NXT Championship in a fatal five-way match involving Adam Cole, Karrion Kross, Kyle O'Reilly, and Pete Dunne. On the October 19 episode of "NXT", Gargano turned face when he confronted NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. On the November 23 episode of "NXT 2.0", Gargano faced Hayes and Pete Dunne in a triple threat match for the title, where Hayes retained due to interference from Tony D'Angelo. After the match, Gargano, Dunne, Ciampa, and L. A. Knight brawled with Hayes, D'Angelo, Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller, leading to a WarGames match at WarGames on December 5, where Team Black & Gold lost to Team 2.0. On the following episode of "NXT 2.0", Gargano cut a farewell promo where he thanked his fans, friends, and family before being brutally attacked by Grayson Waller. This would seemingly be Gargano’s final appearance in NXT as his contract expired on December 10 and he chose not to renew it.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: On the August 22, 2022 episode of "Raw", Gargano returned to WWE after nine months to give a speech, but was interrupted and mocked by his former The Way stablemate Theory, whom he superkicked afterwards. Two weeks later on the September 12 episode of "Raw", he defeated Chad Gable in his return match, but was attacked by Theory. On the October 3 episode of "Raw", Gargano suffered his first main roster loss to Otis after Theory hit him with his Money in the Bank briefcase. He retaliated by defeating Theory on the following episode of "Raw", ending their feud.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano got engaged to fellow professional wrestler Candice LeRae Dawson in January 2016. The two got married on September 16, 2016. On August 12, 2021, the two announced that Candice was pregnant with their first child, a son named Quill Lewis Gargano, who was born on February 17, 2022.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano cited Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, and Johnny Saint as his influences in professional wrestling.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano is a self-admitted "humungous Browns fan". His 30th birthday celebration was held at their home field, FirstEnergy Stadium.


title: Johnny Gargano

text: Gargano is a Marvel Comics and Star Wars fan, as shown in some of his ring gears being inspired by some of his favorite characters.


title: Melanesians

text: Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from the Eastern part of Indonesia (East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku Islands, Western New Guinea), East Timor, Papua New Guinea to as far East as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language family, especially ones in the Oceanic branch, or from one of the many unrelated families of Papuan languages. Other languages are the several creoles of the region, such as Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, Solomon Islands Pijin, Bislama, Kupang Malay, North Moluccan Malay, Ambonese Malay and Papuan Malay.


title: Melanesians

text: The original inhabitants of the group of islands now named Melanesia were likely the ancestors of the present-day Papuan people.


title: Melanesians

text: They appear to have occupied these islands as far east as the main islands in the Solomon Islands, including Makira and possibly the smaller islands farther to the east.


title: Melanesians

text: Particularly along the north coast of New Guinea and in the islands north and east of New Guinea, the Austronesian people, who had migrated into the area more than 3,000 years ago, came into contact with these pre-existing populations of Papuan-speaking peoples. In the late 20th century, some scholars theorized a long period of interaction, which resulted in many complex changes in genetics, languages, and culture among the peoples. It was proposed that, from this area, a very small group of people (speaking an Austronesian language) departed to the east to become the forebears of the Polynesian people. The indigenous Melanesian populations are thus often classified into two main groups based on differences in language, culture or genetic ancestry: the Papuan-speaking and Austronesian-speaking groups.


title: Melanesians

text: This Polynesian theory was overturned by a 2010 study, which was based on genome scans and evaluation of more than 800 genetic markers among a wide variety of Pacific peoples. It found that neither Polynesians nor Micronesians have much genetic relation to Melanesians. Both groups are strongly related genetically to East Asians, particularly Taiwanese aborigines. It appeared that, having developed their sailing outrigger canoes, the ancestors of the Polynesians migrated from East Asia, moved through the Melanesian area quickly on their way, and kept going to eastern areas, where they settled. They left little genetic evidence in Melanesia, "and only intermixed to a very modest degree with the indigenous populations there". Nevertheless, the study still found a small Austronesian genetic signature (below 20%) in less than half of the Melanesian groups who speak Austronesian languages, and which was entirely absent in the Papuan-speaking groups.


title: Melanesians

text: The study found a high rate of genetic differentiation and diversity among the groups living within the Melanesian islands, with the peoples not only distinguished between the islands, but also by the languages, topography, and size of an island. Such diversity developed over the tens of thousands of years since initial settlement, as well as after the more recent arrival of Polynesian ancestors at the islands. Papuan-speaking groups in particular were found to be the most differentiated, while Austronesian-speaking groups along the coastlines were more intermixed.


title: Melanesians

text: Further DNA analysis has taken research into new directions, as more Homo erectus races or sub-species have been discovered since the late 20th century. Based on his genetic studies of the Denisova hominin, an ancient human species discovered in 2010, Svante Pääbo claims that ancient human ancestors of the Melanesians interbred in Asia with these humans. He has found that people of New Guinea share 4%–7% of their genome with the Denisovans, indicating this exchange. The Denisovans are considered cousin to the Neanderthals. Both groups are now understood to have migrated out of Africa, with the Neanderthals going into Europe, and the Denisovans heading east about 400,000 years ago. This is based on genetic evidence from a fossil found in Siberia. The evidence from Melanesia suggests their territory extended into southeast Asia, where ancestors of the Melanesians developed.


title: Melanesians

text: Recent genetic study Carlhoff et al 2021 notes ""Demographic models infer a population split between the ancestors of Oceanian and Eurasian groups approximately 58 kya, whereas Papuan and Aboriginal Australian groups separated around 37 kya."" A Holocene hunter-gatherer sample (Leang_Panninge) from South Sulawesi ""represents a previously unknown divergent human lineage that branched off around the time of the split between these populations approximately 37,000 years ago"" and was found to be genetically in between East-Eurasians and Australo-Papuans. The sample could be modeled as ~50% Papuan-related and ~50% Basal-East Asian-related (Andamanese Onge or Tianyuan).


title: Melanesians

text: Melanesians of some islands are one of the few non-European peoples, and the only dark-skinned group of people outside Australia, known to have blonde hair. The blonde trait developed via the TYRP1 gene, which is not the same gene that causes blondness in European blondes.


title: Melanesians

text: Early European explorers noted the physical differences among groups of Pacific Islanders. In 1756 Charles de Brosses theorized that there was an 'old black race' in the Pacific who were conquered or defeated by the peoples of what is now called Polynesia, whom he distinguished as having lighter skin. By 1825 Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent developed a more elaborate, 15-race model of human diversity. He described the inhabitants of modern-day Melanesia as "Mélaniens", a distinct racial group from the "Australian" and "Neptunian" (i.e. Polynesian) races surrounding them.


title: Melanesians

text: In 1832 Dumont D'Urville expanded and simplified much of this earlier work. He classified the peoples of Oceania into four racial groups: Malayans, Polynesians, Micronesians, and Melanesians. D'Urville's model differed from that of Bory de Saint-Vincent in referring to 'Melanesians' rather than 'Mélaniens.' He derived the name "Melanesia" from Greek , "black", and , "island", to mean "islands of black people".


title: Melanesians

text: Bory de Saint-Vincent had distinguished Mélaniens from the indigenous Australians. Dumont D'Urville combined the two peoples into one group.


title: Melanesians

text: Soares "et al." (2008) have argued for an older pre-Holocene Sundaland origin in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) based on mitochondrial DNA. The "out of Taiwan model" was challenged by a study from Leeds University and published in "Molecular Biology and Evolution". Examination of mitochondrial DNA lineages shows that they have been evolving in ISEA for longer than previously believed. Ancestors of the Polynesians arrived in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea at least 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.


title: Melanesians

text: Paternal Y chromosome analysis by Kayser "et al." (2000) also showed that Polynesians have significant Melanesian genetic admixture. A follow-up study by Kayser "et al." (2008) discovered that only 21% of the Polynesian autosomal gene pool is of Melanesian origin, with the rest (79%) being of East Asian origin. A study by Friedlaender "et al." (2008) confirmed that Polynesians are closer genetically to Micronesians, Taiwanese Aborigines, and East Asians, than to Melanesians. The study concluded that Polynesians moved through Melanesia fairly rapidly, allowing only limited admixture between Austronesians and Melanesians. Thus, the high frequencies of B4a1a1 are the result of drift and represent the descendants of a very few successful East Asian females.


title: Melanesians

text: Austronesian languages and cultural traits were introduced along the north and south-east coasts of New Guinea and in some of the islands north and east of New Guinea by migrating Austronesians, probably starting over 3,500 years ago. This was followed by long periods of interaction that resulted in many complex changes in genetics, languages, and culture.