WWE NXT's Tony D'Angelo Looks Back On NA Title Match With Oba Femi, Teases Backstory
Last Tuesday on "WWE NXT," Tony D'Angelo defeated Oba Femi via roll-up to win the WWE NXT North American Championship. It was a surprising title change in many ways, as Femi had held the title for 273 days, but one person who wasn't shocked was D'Angelo. Appearing on "Busted Open Radio," D'Angelo looked back on his title win and explained what he thought made it stand out.
"It was a hard-hitting match," D'Angelo said. "It was just fun, you know? We weren't going 100 miles per hour, just worrying about moves, which is sometimes what happens nowadays, but we took our time and let things breathe as much as time allowed. But it was very exciting."
D'Angelo referred to the victory as the highlight of his wrestling career thus far, while also taking the time to point out his opponent's skills. The duo used the story of classic boxing movie "Rocky" as a touchstone for the match, with D'Angelo attempting to overcome the "giant" that is Femi.
"Oba — he's a good dude, when he's not trying to rip my head off," D'Angelo continued. "Easy to work with, man. We just wanted to have a great match, you know?"
In addition to "Rocky," the new champion cited longtime WWE producer Fit Finlay as an important reason why the match succeeded. D'Angelo stated that Finlay told the men to avoid high-flying moves and stick to the ground, due to their sizes. The "WWE NXT" star then began looking to the future, teasing another development on tonight's episode.
"You'll find out a little more in the backstory ... as to what was going on in my head," D'Angelo stated.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.