Tony D’Angelo isn’t making excuses for his WWE NXT Championship reign, but he believes things would have played out much differently if he had more experienced talent to work with. The former champion says WWE’s main roster call-ups left NXT in a difficult position, forcing him to carry the brand while much of the roster was still learning.
During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, D’Angelo reflected on his time as NXT Champion and explained why he believes his title reign hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. According to D’Angelo, WWE had moved several established NXT stars to the main roster, leaving him without many experienced opponents who knew how to handle lengthy main event matches and major storylines.
“I didn’t have a whole lot to work with, so to speak. A lot of people with inexperience, which is not their fault. They, as in the main roster, took a bunch of people, and those were all the people that had experience and had been in main events and long matches and knew how, you know, their promos were tip-top.”
D’Angelo made it clear that he wasn’t blaming the younger wrestlers for their lack of experience. Instead, he believes the timing of his championship run put him in a difficult situation that other NXT Champions didn’t necessarily have to deal with. He also suggested that fans might remember his reign differently if it had taken place during another period in NXT’s history.
“I think had I been champion in a different era, I think people would talk differently about it for sure, but I’m not offended. It is what it is.”
Despite those challenges, D’Angelo believes he proved something important during his time at the top of the brand. He pointed to a conversation with Shawn Michaels, who acknowledged that NXT had lost much of its established talent during that period.
“I think I still showed that I can be champion and carry a brand, and it was a difficult time because, like Shawn [Michaels] said, everybody left. So I held it together when we were in this little transition period. And I’m okay with that. I really am.”
D’Angelo isn’t looking to rewrite history, but he clearly believes his championship run deserves more credit considering the circumstances. While other champions had established stars to help build their reigns, D’Angelo feels he was tasked with keeping NXT together during a major roster transition.
His comments also offer a look at the challenges NXT faces whenever WWE calls up its most experienced performers. D’Angelo believes he did his job when the brand needed someone to lead the way, even if his championship reign didn’t receive the same attention as others.
Do you think Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Championship reign deserves more credit, or should a champion be able to succeed regardless of the roster around them? Let us know what you think in the comments.
