ORLANDO, Fla. — Johnny Gargano continued to prove to the NXT Universe that he is here to stay as a singles competitor, overcoming the bigger and stronger Tino Sabbatelli.

After defeating Sabbatelli’s tag team partner, Riddick Moss, in a head-to-head contest last week, Gargano once again had his hands full against a chiseled opponent. Sabbatelli had doubled down on his criticism of Gargano’s singles wrestling career, calling his win over Moss last week a “fluke,” but Gargano proved his cocky foes wrong.

For the second week in a row, Gargano had trouble maneuvering around his adversary’s superior size, but found a way to prevail, delivering a superkick to the jaw of his trash-talking Superstar before locking in the Gargano Escape for the submission victory.