WWE professional wrestler Johnny Gargano says his family’s Cleveland restaurant was destroyed by a fire.

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Johnny Gargano is a WWE Superstar who grew up in the greater Cleveland area and appears on Friday Night Smackdown on FOX 8.

The 36-year-old actor revealed on social media Monday that he and his family are “heartbroken” by the devastating fire that broke out Sunday night and destroyed the restaurant the family has run on the city’s Near West Side for nearly half a century.

The large fire spread to a section of storefronts on West 25th Street, across the street from the MetroHealth Medical Center campus.

A team of about 70 Cleveland firefighters battled a massive blaze for hours.

Investigators said they had made good progress in putting out the fire and preventing it from spreading to a nearby gas station, when a break in the main water line suddenly drained the water supply to two of the hydrants they were using.

The fire broke out again and firefighters had to call in additional fire companies to transport water to the scene.

Residents of the neighborhood say they are grateful for the efforts to protect them and their homes.

“I was thinking, ‘I hope the fire doesn’t come to this gas station and blow it up because that would destroy this whole neighborhood here,'” said Steve O’Malley, who lives a short distance from the fire.

One of the businesses destroyed in the fire was Gargano’s Restaurant and Catering, which had been on West 25th Street for decades.

The restaurant has become a symbol of perseverance in professional wrestling circles for those familiar with the life story of Gargano, who grew up in Lakewood and attended St. Edward High School.

Gargano has revealed over the years that he was told he wasn’t old enough to make it in professional wrestling, but he said the lessons he learned from his father and the family restaurant inspired him to keep trying. Earlier this summer, he became the WWE World Tag Team Champion.

In a post on X on Monday, Gargano wrote, “I thought I should address this because people are finding out, and I know a lot of wrestling fans were looking forward to going to my dad’s restaurant when they were in Cleveland for SummerSlam. [Sunday] “That night, a fire broke out and my dad’s restaurant was badly damaged. I’m thankful my dad wasn’t there and he’s okay. He’s 82 years old, and this is his life’s work. He worked in that building every day for almost 50 years. I basically grew up there and now it’s gone. It’s so heartbreaking for my family.”

Investigators say they are still trying to determine the cause of the fire, which caused more than $700,000 in damage.

Among other things, they are examining surveillance camera footage to see what was happening around the building before the fire started.

One firefighter was injured while fighting the fire, was treated at MetroHealth Hospital and released.