Tony D'Angelo suffers fireball attack ahead of NXT championship match

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Fire OMG! 🔥 Naraku just set the NXT Title Contract on FIRE! pic.twitter.com/TNGILqUhBL — WWE (@WWE) June 24, 2026 There’s nothing in wrestling quite like the fire ball. Naraku used it to great effect here before the advertised contract signing. Why do I bring this up? Besides the fact that it became the crux of this episode, it spoke to NXT going a bit old school to reestablish itself. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. NXT is always at its best when it keeps things simple. The matches can get as complex as possible, but the stories and emotions need to keep it basic. Tony D’Angelo’s opponent burned his face with a fireball. Tony spent most of the episode in a “medical facility,” only to reemerge looking like a bootleg phantom of the opera: TONY D IS HERE 👊 Naraku better get ready because @TonyDangeloWWE is NOT messing around anymore! pic.twitter.com/iDnBUID0Z5 — WWE (@WWE) June 24, 2026 The crowd reaction didn’t say they were overly enthused to see the champ, but I liked the image of a misshapen bandage covering up his “burnt” face with either blood or burns seeping through. It made him look tough and a little psychotic. That keep it simple vibe ran through Orlando. All of the stables are going through drama that’s simple to understand and very human. The feuds are very personal and not just about “opportunities.” And even the title matches some personal stakes involved besides the obvious. This wasn’t the most exciting episode of NXT but it was consistently entertaining. That’s exactly where they want to be as they prepare for The Great American Bash. B-Sides Saquan Shugars is pretty sweet on the mic. I couldn’t help myself. In fact, I’ll see myself out. I’m back! Seriously, he knows how to talk and doesn’t sound like anyone else. That DC accent is heavy, so maybe it’s because he reminds me of a few friends, but I like that he feels fully formed as a character. The same goes for Dion Lennox. Putting these two against each other brought out the best in them. They have purpose and a story filled with emotion. Their back and forth also hinted at some insecurities for Saquan. Dion knows him best, so when he talks about his former friend’s weaknesses, it hits a bit harder. Saquan can talk all day about being better than Cutler James and Osiris Griffin, but for a moment, he looked like he doubted whether he’s better than Dion. BirthRight can’t get, well, right. That was the story going into this tag match against Hank & Tank. Well, the Belly Boys showed they’re no one’s get right game. They handed Stacks & Uriah Connors an L, which sucks for BirthRight. But it doesn’t suck as much as how. Charlie Dempsey, aiming for Matt Matthews, accidentally hit Lexis King. Not once, but twice! Charlie even ended up head butting Lexis in the groin. Very different definition of “head to head.” This wrestling royalty crew is struggling in the ring and out of it. BirthRight just isn’t captivating. There’s no personality to the group although there’s plenty of personality within it. Their whole personality is “our dad’s wrestled” and that’s just not enough. Hank & Tank, on the other hand, don’t have that problem. Of course, BirthRight’s problems could just be limited to only one X chromosome. Arianna Grace is the number one contender for Wren Sinclair’s Speed title. She defeated Izzi Dame, who lost as a result of everyone’s favorite GPS leading her right into a ditch. This was only part of the story with The Culling… Part 2? Shawn Spears is out of the band! After losing a very fun tag match against Dorian Van Dux & Sean Legacy, Niko Vance betrayed his partner in crime. And he did so with Izzi’s approval. The NXT announce table went through a lot this week, but Niko putting Shawn through it was the most satisfying of its incidents. This was a long time coming. NXT is in a destroy and rebuild phase, and a longtime trio like this needed a demolishing. They hit their ceiling. Kendal Grey and Lola Vice should have a dope match at Bash. They really should. I’m looking forward to it. But because of their reps, not because of their contract signing segment. I didn’t find anything wrong with it but it was just filled with cliche. The challenger gave the champ all the props in the world. The champ returned the favor and made sure to mention how said challenger is the future. But also noted the future is not now. They talked about what they have in common. Lola acknowledged Kendal will be champ one day. Kendal said this is part of her redemption story. Rinse. Repeat. Standard fare beneath both women. Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper went longe than I predicted. And that’s a good thing. I’m usually a fan of mismatches like this; a monster all about power vs. a smaller cat who plays the finesse game. It showcases both talents while telling the natural David vs. Goliath tale that almost always works in wrestling. Like Sex Panther, 60 percent of the time, it works every time. EK survived an early onslaught only to pick up the win that he seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Of course that didn’t matter since Keanu showed his sore loserness and put EK through the announce table. That was the first sign of trouble for the table this week. Keanu’s logic doesn’t quite track for me: He’s going to decimate people like that until he gets a title shot. Now, you’d think winning would get him that title shot quicker but no. I guess his plan is to force Stone into giving him what he wants by treating random NXT bodies as hostages. It would’ve made more sense for me if he defeated EK, and still put him through the table. I was really confused about Jaida Parker losing to Nattie. But at least the story isn’t finished. Nattie’s mean girl set teased Ms. Parker and she, yet again, did nothing. Props to NXT acknowledging continuity by bringing in Jaida’s former OTM running mates to check on her. She’s not good and I have no idea what will get her there. Zaria really doesn’t want anyone stealing her shine. She’s mad at Tatum Paxley for doing just that. Zaria wants all of this to be about her, which means she wants everyone to bask in her glory. It’s an interesting addition to her character that shows her issue with Sol Ruca was about something deeper. Like I said, not the most exciting episode but an entertaining one that handled the basics very well. And it got me excited for The Great American Bash, which means job well done, Heartbreak Kid. What say you, Cagesiders?

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This week’s episode of NXT television was set to feature a contract signing between Naraku and Tony D’Angelo for their NXT championship match at the upcoming Great American Bash event scheduled for this weekend on The CW. Instead, The Don of NXT took a fireball to the face courtesy of the very EVIL challenger: OMG! 🔥 Naraku just set the NXT Title Contract on FIRE! pic.twitter.com/TNGILqUhBL — WWE (@WWE) June 24, 2026 If it made you think of Keith Lee right away, you aren’t the only one. Also, nothing good has ever happened in the parking lot of the Performance Center, I have no idea why Tony D didn’t realize shenanigans were afoot. Anyway, the champion was taken out in an ambulance and they spent the rest of the show making like he wasn’t going to be able to defend his title. Naraku told NXT General Manager Robert Stone to simply hand the belt over and make him the new champion while others, like Jackson Drake and Mason Rook campaigned for the spot. In the end, we got the dramatic same show return from the champ with the Two-Face wrap on his mug: TONY D IS HERE 👊 Naraku better get ready because @TonyDangeloWWE is NOT messing around anymore! pic.twitter.com/iDnBUID0Z5 — WWE (@WWE) June 24, 2026 The match is still on. Ready for it? Get complete NXT results and coverage of this week’s entire episode by clicking here.