Tony D’Angelo Says He Felt Validated After NXT Title Win

Tony D’Angelo says that winning the NXT Championship helped get the monkey off his back in terms of pressure on him to succeed. D’Angelo won the title at NXT Stand & Deliver in a Fatal Four-Way Match against Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, and Ricky Saints. It was the culmination of a long road to get to the top of the brand.

D’Angelo spoke with Love Wrestling for a new interview and during the conversation, he was asked about how it felt when he won the title. He noted that it was validating for him against all the doubts that people had about him. You can see the highlights below:

On How It Felt To Win the Title:

“It was almost like a monkey off my back, you know? I had been working so hard for so long, and I had to change what I was doing. And I got people on the internet going, ‘Is he ever going to make it to the main roster? Is he ever going to blah,’ you know? And it felt good. All the hard work that I’ve put in and you know, I stayed the course and I trusted the right people. And you know, it finally came to.

“And it also felt really good just to make my family proud. And that, you know, they’re always going to be proud of me. But it just was another thing that I can do for myself and my family.”

On Who He Called First After the Win:

“Yeah, I soaked it in for a hot second and then I called my wife, who at the time was pregnant with our firstborn. And then I called my parents and you know, I got a bunch of brothers and sisters and they were all on the line. I come from a big Italian family, so they were all super excited for me. And you know it’s — yeah, I love them.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Love Wrestling with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.