WWE NXT champ Tony D'Angelo believes challenger may be 'second-guessing himself' ahead of Great American Bash

Tony D’Angelo has held the WWE NXT Championship for a fewer months and his upcoming rubric defence astatine The Great American Bash whitethorn beryllium to beryllium his biggest trial yet.

Naraku burst onto the NXT country successful May and instantly declared his volition to triumph the championship. He earned the close to beryllium the No. 1 contender erstwhile helium defeated chap NXT newcomer Mason Rook. On June 28, D’Angelo and Naraku volition quadrate disconnected with the rubric connected the line.

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NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo makes his entranceway during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center successful Orlando, Fla., connected April 14, 2026. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE)

D’Angelo suggested to Fox News Digital successful a caller interrogation that he’s keeping his antenna up aft his latest enactment with Naraku. The challenger presented the authoritative lucifer declaration to him unsigned. D’Angelo signed his sanction connected the dotted enactment but was told helium would person to hold a spot longer earlier Naraku signed his name.

"I mean, kinda. But I besides took it arsenic helium mightiness beryllium second-guessing himself," helium said. "He mightiness beryllium a small acrophobic of Tony D. He doesn’t cognize himself if helium wants to measurement successful the ringing with me, yet. Yeah, that’s a possibility."

D’Angelo said helium expected Naraku to spell aft him instantly fixed his reputation.

Naraku came to NXT from New Japan Pro-Wrestling wherever helium wrestled nether the sanction Evil and was the IWGP heavyweight champion, IWGP intercontinental champion and a four-time Never openweight champion. Naraku’s estimation precedes him.

"I’ll conscionable accidental I’m not surprised. He came successful from Japan. I don’t deliberation helium would marque that agelong trek conscionable to bent out. Of course, he’s gonna travel for the large dog," D’Angelo told Fox News Digital. "I get it. To beryllium expected, but the happening that threw maine off, I’ll beryllium honest, is the whole, ohio helium was trying to support maine and my title. I didn’t rather recognize it but aft going location and reasoning astir it, I was like, OK, this is conscionable caput games. That he’s messing with me, trying to represent the honorable feline arsenic (opposed) to, ‘If I’m gonna bushed you, I privation to bushed you astatine your best,’ thing.

Naraku applies an arm-bar connected Mason Rook during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center successful Orlando, Fla., connected June 9, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/WWE)

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"I’m not rather sold connected that yet, particularly this past Tuesday wherever helium brought maine to his spot of concern and went to motion a declaration and helium hadn’t adjacent signed it himself, which … sketch. We’ll see. He said adjacent week, successful owed time. So, I got my caput connected a swivel, to accidental the least."

D’Angelo said he’s expecting immoderate benignant of shenanigans going into the lucifer fixed that Naraku was a portion of the House of Torture. D’Angelo, who was the don of NXT astatine 1 point, has present proven helium tin bash it alone. He enactment the situation to Naraku to beryllium it arsenic well.

"Absolutely," helium said erstwhile asked astir immoderate comic concern perchance coming his way. "I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if thing similar that happens. Like I said, this isn’t caller to me. I person a past life. I utilized to beryllium the brag of a household and maybe, I was a portion of immoderate shenanigans similar that a clip oregon two. I’d beryllium a fool not to expect that. I’m afloat alert of his small minions that helium had successful his past life. I’m expecting the unexpected."

D’Angelo and Naraku’s rubric lucifer is 1 of a fewer matches connected the card.

Lola Vice volition enactment her NXT Women’s Championship connected the enactment against Kendal Grey, Myles Borne volition support the NXT North American Championship against Tavion Heights, Wren Sinclair volition look a challenger for the WWE Women’s Speed Championship and Saquon Shugars takes connected Dion Lennox.

Tony D'Angelo celebrates his triumph astatine NXT: Stand and Deliver astatine The Factory successful St. Louis, Missouri, connected April 4, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE Via Getty Images)

The Great American Bash volition beryllium the archetypal NXT premium unrecorded lawsuit exclusively connected the CW Network astatine 8 p.m. ET.

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"I deliberation it’s great. Like you said, it’s the archetypal ever PLE connected the CW Network," D’Angelo said. "We’ll beryllium reaching a larger audience. I deliberation that benignant of worldly is precise important for WWE but besides NXT – america being the ‘third brand’ successful my opinion, ‘developmental’ successful others. I deliberation it’s bully to get the up and coming endowment successful beforehand of arsenic galore faces arsenic we perchance can."