Big Update On Tony D'Angelo's Return From Injury
Tony D'Angelo is set to return to in-ring action on next week's "WWE NXT" in what will be his first match in over two months.
On the 11/29 episode of the show, Shawn Michaels and fellow WWE Hall of Famers Sean Waltman, Road Dogg, Alundra Blayze and Molly Holly were seen in a backstage segment discussing the participants for the Iron Survivor Challenge. During the conversation, Blayze nominated D'Angelo for the first-time ever match at Deadline, while praising The Don's quick rise as a pro wrestler within a year of his "NXT" debut. This led to Michaels – WWE's Senior VP of Talent Development Creative – providing an update on D'Angelo's road to recovery from a knee injury. Michaels said that while he appreciates D'Angelo's "competitive desire" to get back to the ring, the young wrestler was "still a couple of weeks away" from a comeback, ruling out D'Angelo as a participant in the Iron Survivor Challenge.
Later in the show, D'Angelo confronted Dijak in the parking lot, thanking the former Dominik Dijakovic for attacking Wes Lee in his "WWE NXT" return the previous week.
"Thank you for softening up Wes Lee last week," D'Angelo told Dijak. "We really appreciate that. Between you and me, I'm back in the ring next week."
Dijak then denied "doing any favors" for D'Angelo, stressing that Lee was just a casualty in his path of destruction. In response, D'Angelo hinted at challenging Lee for the "WWE NXT" North American Championship in the near future.
"Whether Wes Lee is on your list or not, I'm going to see to it that his days as North American Champion are numbered," D'Angelo said.
D'Angelo suffered a knee injury in a Halloween Havoc ladder match qualifier against Lee on September 14 (the match aired on September 27) and has continued to call out the reigning North American Champion through various promos and social media posts. In October, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo accused Lee of intentionally hurting D'Angelo during their match, referring to Lee as "a wolf in sheep's clothing" who will face the consequences for his actions.
WWE has yet to announce D'Angelo's opponent for next week. It remains to be seen if Lee vs. D'Angelo is announced for the Deadline premium live event on December 10.