Adriana Rizzo’s WWE exit wasn’t tied to just one problem. Two knee injuries slowed her down, Tony D’Angelo’s character change wiped out the role she had been attached to, and WWE eventually reached the point where it no longer believed she was going to make it in NXT.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer broke down the key factors that played into Rizzo’s release. He said she showed promise as a character and athlete, even though she was still developing inside the ring.
“Adriana Rizzo, it’s, you know, I thought she was pretty good in as far as the character, the accent, great athlete, and I thought I thought she was going to do. I thought she was doing all right. I mean, she was inexperienced in the ring, but like I said, good athlete and seemed to have something.”
The first major setback was her health. Meltzer said Rizzo suffered two straight knee injuries, and those back-to-back issues badly damaged the momentum she had built.
“And then she had two straight knee injuries, and that pretty much killed her.”
Then came another problem that had nothing to do with Rizzo’s physical condition. Tony D’Angelo moved away from the gimmick that Rizzo had been connected to, leaving her without an obvious place in the act.
“And then Tony D’Angelo just went and dropped the whole gimmick, right?”
Once that happened, Meltzer said Rizzo was essentially left without a role, and WWE eventually made the call that it did not see her breaking through.
“And with that gimmick that. That left no room for her. And I guess they just made the decision that they didn’t think that she was going to make it.”
Rizzo’s WWE run may be over, but Meltzer also floated the possibility that another company could give her a shot. He specifically mentioned AEW and Ring of Honor as potential places where she could get another opportunity.
“Possible. AW could take a chance on her. If nothing else, you know, for, you know, try ride in Ring of Honor or something.”
In the end, Rizzo got hit with a rough combination of injuries and bad timing. The knee problems stalled her development, the D’Angelo character shift took away her spot, and once WWE stopped seeing a clear path forward, the company pulled the plug.
Do you think Adriana Rizzo would still be in WWE if the injuries and Tony D’Angelo gimmick change never happened, or was the release inevitable either way? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
