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The Chicago Bears appear to have one foot on the Illinois state line, as they took a major step toward moving to Indiana earlier this month, much to the dismay of the team’s fan base.
WWE NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo, a native of Oak Park, Illinois, and a big Bears fan, was still a little upset about the potential of the team moving to Hammond, Indiana.
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Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Tony D’Angelo and Luca Crusifino compete during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on July 15, 2025. (Matt Pendleton/WWE)
“I don’t know what to say, other than what the fuck?” D’Angelo told Pak Gazette Digital when asked what he thought about the possible relocation. “I mean, I don’t get it. I get it, but I don’t get it. It’s literally one of the oldest historic franchises in the NFL. It’s ‘The Chicago Bears.’ The ‘Chicago Bears.’
“And I get it, maybe don’t go and move to Arlington Heights, which isn’t that far from the city, money, taxes, I get it. You’ve got to do your best for whatever it is. But moving completely out of Illinois? That’s crazy to me. The Indiana Bears? That’s just horrible. It doesn’t sound right. I’m in Florida now, so I guess I can’t go to as many games, but still, man, I don’t know. They gotta figure it out. ’cause there’s something about going to the city and it’s right on Lake Michigan. The whole scene, the story behind it, it all makes sense and apparently letting it go so easily is not a good decision. But who am I?
Bears executives said the potential of having a “world-class stadium” in Hammond would transform the region and connect “northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and through the neighborhoods and suburbs that extend north of the city.”
Tony D’Angelo performs in the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on February 10, 2026. (Conor Kvatek/WWE)
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Despite the frustration, D’Angelo still had some hope for the team this season. He said he believed the 2026 season would “say a lot” about where the team is under quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson.
“I mean, I think it’s always Super Bowl or bust. I think the Bears and Caleb Williams have shown what they’re capable of and I think they surprised everyone,” he said. “We were kind of the misfits of the NFL last year. I would say, the ‘Bad News Bears’. We were doing things we weren’t supposed to do. We were playing a little football in the backyard. But it was effective and, throughout that journey, I showed a lot of resilience and a lot of heart.
“What did they win, seven or eight games behind with two minutes left in the fourth quarter? That takes a lot of drawers. And I think the fact that Caleb Williams is as young as he is, doing the type of things he’s doing, doing veteran things in the game, I think it showed a lot about character. Especially Ben Johnson as his coach. I think this season will say a lot. I think some Bears fans are a little skeptical because we’ve had random good seasons and then we just go well. I think this season is a test and if “We do it well, we can breathe a little and we can say, okay, it’s written in stone. I had full faith in the guys and also in the coach.”
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears throws a pass against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on January 10, 2026. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
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D’Angelo will defend the NXT Championship against Naraku at The Great American Bash next weekend. The event will take place on the CW Network.
