When Tony D’Angelo won the NXT Championship at NXT Stand & Deliver in April, he accomplished many things at once. He got the biggest title on the brand after five years of wrestling for many other titles and the creation and dissolution of a faction. Many fans were happy because he’s gone through so much in the last five years. He also beat some of NXT’s best at the time. Ethan Page, Joe Hendry, and Ricky Saints are all thriving on Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw.
But as soon as he became champion, some newcomers came in to potentially steal the title from him. Kam Hendrix, Mason Rook, Naraku, and Tavion Heights all wanted his championship. Heights was defeated easily, but the other three haven’t gone away.
At the Great American Bash next Saturday, D’Angelo will face Naraku for the NXT Championship. Will he be able to retain his title, or will Naraku’s experience in Japan be enough to get the title for himself?
Tony D’Angelo and Naraku Meet to Sign the NXT Championship Match Contract
D’Angelo certainly picked an extremely strong opponent for his first defense of the NXT Championship on a PLE. Naraku competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling for over a decade.
He founded the faction House of Torture in 2021, a faction that is still together in New Japan. His resume for the company is very impressive, as he won 14 titles, including the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship six times. But he didn’t get an easy ride to the title match.
After D’Angelo beat both Heights and Hendrix, he still had to deal with him and Rook. Last week, a number one contender’s match was held between them to fight D’Angelo at the Great American Bash. After interference by Hendrix, Naraku got the victory. Now, on the June 16, 2026, episode of NXT, the two men met to sign the contract for the match.
The contract signing opened up with Naraku sitting in a Japanese restaurant with the contract in front of him. D’Angelo walked up and was greeted with a bow. He immediately said that he knew how the meeting would go as he ran some of his own, referencing his past with the D’Angelo Family. After that, he said that he saw through Naraku’s act, prompting a confused response.
He then talked about how he knows about his 14 title reigns in New Japan. Naraku responded in a happy manner, glad that his opponent knew who he was before NXT. D’Angelo then said that he knew he wasn’t alone to claim those victories, referencing his journey with House of Torture.
Naraku then told him not to worry about what happened in the past, but to focus on the man he is today. He responded by saying that he came to NXT for the NXT Championship. Then he acknowledged his capabilities, but correctly said that others helped him win his titles in Japan.
After saying that he came over alone, Naraku said that D’Angelo understands what he went through. Once again, a callback to the D’Angelo Family was mentioned. D’Angelo responded by saying that Naraku moved everything to the United States so that he could win the NXT title.
He then said that he truly will be alone at the Great American Bash and that the title wasn’t going anywhere. Before signing, D’Angelo said that the contract had no signatures. Naraku told him that it would be signed for next Tuesday.
D’Angelo signed the contract and walked out of the restaurant. Naraku looked at the contract, took off his glasses, and said that evil was coming with a menacing laugh. A contract signing filled with callbacks shows everyone the talent of these two men. No matter what happens at the Great American Bash, D’Angelo and Naraku will have a great match against each other.
