WWE NXT general manager Robert Stone has reflected on the “well deserved” championship win of Tony D’Angelo.
At NXT Stand and Deliver on April 4, Joe Hendry was unsuccessful in his defense of the NXT Championship, losing to Tony D’Angelo in a Fatal Four-way match that also featured Ethan Page and Ricky Saints.
A former North American Champion, Heritage Cup holder and two-time NXT Tag Team Champion, capturing the NXT Championship has led to D’Angelo becoming the first ever Grand Slam Champion in the brand’s history.
History is something that Robert Stone, the NXT general manager, reflected upon in a recent tweet, looking back at D’Angelo’s time as a WWE star, stating:
“I met Tony D’Angelo when he first came to NXT, and he was brand new to the industry and learning on the fly.
“It didn’t take long to see he was built for this. He picked things up incredibly fast, and he’s backed it up every step of the way by capturing EVERY championship throughout his NXT career.
“He’s a husband, soon-to-be father, and the new NXT Champion. What a journey.
“Congrats to Tony D’Angelo on winning the main event of Stand & Deliver. Well deserved.”
Signed to a WWE contract in 2021, D’Angelo had a small number of matches under the name Joey Ariola on the independent scene in the two years prior.
A First For WWE NXT
With the quality of stars from the independent scene who have passed through NXT, it’s hard to believe that the brand only had its first Grand Slam Champion in 2026.
D’Angelo was the third NXT Triple Crown Champion prior to his recent title win, joining Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano, who both took the accolade back in 2019. In all three cases, the Triple Crown was made up of the NXT Championship, the North American Championship and the Tag Team Championship.
The only other NXT-related Triple Crown Champion actually predates Gargano and Cole, with Tyler Bate being the only name to have held three titles in the now-defunct NXT UK, being a former Tag Team Champion, Heritage Cup holder and NXT UK Champion.
Adam Cole has since parted ways with WWE and is currently signed to AEW, while Gargano recently challenged for the North American Championship, failing to defeat Myles Borne at NXT Stand and Deliver.
Now no longer the ‘Don of NXT’, D’Angelo had been the subject of speculation related to a potential main roster call-up previously, and addressed his absence from July of last year to January 2026 in recent comments, describing it as a ‘reset’ as well as discussing events in his personal life.
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