WWE NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo expects some shenanigans from Naraku at the Great American Bash

Tony D’Angelo has held the WWE NXT Championship for a few months and his upcoming title defense at The Great American Bash may prove to be his biggest test yet.

Naraku entered the NXT arena in May and immediately announced his intention to win the championship. He earned the right to become the number 1 contender when he defeated fellow NXT newcomer Mason Rook. On June 28, D’Angelo and Naraku will put the title on the line.

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D’Angelo suggested on Fox News Digital in a recent interview that he kept his antenna up after his recent interaction with Naraku. The competitor presented an official unsigned match contract. D’Angelo signed his name on the dotted line but was told that he would have to wait a while before Naraku could sign his name.

“I mean, kinda. But I also took it as you might have guessed,” he said. “Maybe he’s a little afraid of Tony D. He doesn’t know if he wants to get in the ring with me. Yeah, that’s possible.”

D’Angelo said he expected Naraku to follow him quickly because of his name.

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 Never openweight champion four times. Naraku’s reputation precedes it.

“I’m just going to say that I’m not surprised. He came from Japan. I don’t think he’d take that long of a trip just to relax. Yeah, he’s going to miss a big dog,” D’Angelo told Fox News Digital. “I get it. It’s expected, but the thing that threw me off, I’ll be honest, overall, oh he was trying to protect me and my title. I didn’t understand it well but after I went home and I thought about it, I was like, OK, this is just mind games. That he’s harassing me, trying to portray a decent guy as (the opposition, ‘I want to beat you,’ if I want to beat you.”

Naraku applies an arm bar to Mason Rook during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 9, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/WWE)

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“I’m not sold on that yet, especially last Tuesday when he brought me to his place of business and he went to sign the contract and he hadn’t signed it himself, which … draw. We’ll see. He said next week, at the right time. So, I put my head on a swivel, to say the least.”

D’Angelo said he was expecting some kind of adventure going into the match since Naraku was part of the House of Torture. D’Angelo, a one-time NXT player, has proven that he can do it on his own. He challenged Naraku to prove it too.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked about any funny business that might come his way. “I will not be surprised if something like that happens. As I said, this is not new to me. I have a past life. I used to be the head of the family and maybe, I was part of some such shenanigans for a time or two. I would be a fool not to expect that. I am fully aware of the little friends he had in his past life. I did not expect it.”

D’Angelo and Naraku’s title match is one of the few matches 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 rival for the WWE Women’s Speed ​​​​Championship and Saquon Shugars will face Dion Lennox.

Tony D’Angelo celebrates his win 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 pm 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 be reaching a bigger audience. I think that kind of thing is very important for WWE but also for NXT – we’ve been the ‘third brand’ in my opinion, ‘promotional’ to others. I think it’s good to get up and coming talent in front of as many faces as possible.”