Johnny Gargano And Fellow WWE Raw Star Reportedly Slated For SmackDown

A pair of "WWE Raw" Superstars look to be paying a visit to "WWE SmackDown" this Friday, but maybe not for the purposes you'd think. 

PWInsider.com reports that Johnny Gargano and his former "NXT" stablemate-turned-rival Austin Theory are slated to step into the ring for a match at this week's "SmackDown." However, it was noted that their contest is likely to just be a dark match at the moment, meaning it wouldn't be aired on television during the show.

The two wrestlers had been teamed up in "NXT" as part of the heel stable The Way throughout 2021. When Gargano debuted on "Raw" not too long ago, his former protégé interrupted his return and was met with a Gargano superkick for his welcoming efforts, launching their newborn rivalry.

Gargano and Theory have frequently traded jabs back-and-forth since then, even squaring off on "Raw" earlier this month — a match Gargano won — in addition to his victory in a six-man tag match where he, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens defeated Theory and The Alpha Academy on "SmackDown" in September.

Their rivalry has become particularly bitter given how close the two were in "NXT." "We kind of just really did feel like a family," Theory recently told the "Under the Ring" podcast about The Way's dynamic during their time together. But Gargano's strike apparently broke the family up for good, according to Theory. "He's pretty much already written the way his Monday Night Raw journey is going to go," he said. "It's not going to be at my expense."