As a Grand Slam Champion in “WWE NXT,” Tony D’Angelo isn’t any stranger to gold. His current reign as NXT Champion carries some extra weight, nevertheless.
During an interview with “The Sportster,” D’Angelo explained how his run as NXT Champion stands aside from those he had with the NXT Tag Team, Heritage Cup, and North American Championships. “This one definitely feels different since it’s the heavyweight championship of the brand, which suggests you are the face of the corporate. So quite a bit more eyes are on you,” he said.
“The opposite day, one among the differences that I noticed is that while you’re the guy, while you’re the champion, everybody judges you a little bit bit more. So little stuff that no one would have cared about beforehand, before I got this belt, they’re like, ‘Oh, man. Look, did you see Tony? He slipped. He slipped right there.’ Now the whole lot is like you will have to be on the entire time, which is fantastic. It’s very okay. I recognize it comes with the job, but that is just something I noticed persons are quite a bit more critical of the whole lot you do.”
The previous D’Angelo Family leader captured the NXT Championship by pinning Joe Hendry amidst a four-way title bout on the 2026 “NXT” Stand & Deliver premium live event. Within the months following, he’s since successfully defended the title against Ethan Page, Kam Hendrix, and Naraku (formerly referred to as NJPW’s EVIL), the latter of whom stepped as much as the plate on the “NXT” Great American Bash.
D’Angelo’s next challenger has yet to be officially named, though based on the events of the GAB fallout episode, it’s clear that Naraku wants a rematch.
In the event you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “The Sportster” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.