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Tony D’Angelo has held the WWE NXT Championship for a few months now and his upcoming title defense at The Great American Bash may prove to be his biggest test yet.
Naraku burst onto the NXT scene in May and immediately declared his intention to win the championship. He earned the right to be number one contender when he defeated NXT newcomer Mason Rook. On June 28, D’Angelo and Naraku will meet with the title on the line.
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NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo makes his entrance during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on April 14, 2026. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE)
D’Angelo suggested to Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview that he will keep his antenna up after his latest interaction with Naraku. The challenger presented him with the official unsigned party contract. D’Angelo signed his name on the dotted line, but was told he would have to wait a little longer before Naraku signed his name.
“I mean, sort of. But I also took it as if he might be doubting himself,” he said. “He might be a little scared of Tony D. He doesn’t know if he wants to get in the ring with me yet. Yeah, that’s a possibility.”
D’Angelo said he expected Naraku to go after him immediately given his reputation.
Naraku came to NXT from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he wrestled under the name Evil and was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and four-time Never Openweight Champion. Naraku’s reputation precedes him.
“I’ll just say it doesn’t surprise me. He came from Japan. I don’t think he went on that long trip just to hang out. Of course, he’s coming for the big dog,” D’Angelo told Pak Gazette Digital. “I get it. It was to be expected, but what threw me off, I’ll be honest, is all, oh, he was trying to protect me and my title. I didn’t fully understand it, but after I went home and thought about it, I thought, OK, this is just mind games. That he’s playing with me, trying to portray the honorable guy as (opposite) of, ‘If I’m going to beat you, I want to beat you in your prime.’
Naraku applies an armbar to Mason Rook during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on June 9, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/WWE)
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“I’m not entirely convinced of that yet, especially last Tuesday when he took me to his workplace and went to sign a contract and he hadn’t even signed it himself, which… I outline. We’ll see. He said next week, in due time. So, I was spinning my wheels, to say the least.”
D’Angelo said he expects some sort of shenanigans before the match since Naraku was part of the Torture House. D’Angelo, who was the head of NXT at one point, has now proven that he can do it alone. He challenged Naraku to prove it as well.
“Absolutely,” he said when asked about any fun business that might come his way. “I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this happened. Like I said, this isn’t new to me. I have a past life. I used to be the head of a family and maybe I was part of some shenanigans like that once or twice. I’d be a fool not to expect that. I’m fully aware of his little minions he had in his past life. I’m expecting the unexpected.”
D’Angelo and Naraku’s title fight is one of the few fights on the card.
Lola Vice will put her NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Kendal Grey, Myles Borne will defend the NXT North American Championship against Tavion Heights, Wren Sinclair will face a challenger for the WWE Women’s Speed Championship and Saquon Shugars will face Dion Lennox.
Tony D’Angelo celebrates his victory at NXT: Stand and Deliver at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)
The Great American Bash will be NXT’s first live premium event exclusively on the CW Network at 8 p.m. ET.
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“I think it’s great. Like you said, it’s the first PLE on the CW Network,” D’Angelo said. “We’ll reach a bigger audience. I think those kinds of things are very important for WWE but also for NXT: we’re the ‘third brand’ in my opinion, ‘developmental’ in others. I think it’s good to have emerging talent in front of as many faces as possible.”
