The mysterious disappearance of Tony D’Angelo from WWE NXT television has been a topic of discussion among fans, and a new report has shed some light on the situation. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the absence of “The Don of NXT” is not due to an injury.
Instead, Meltzer reports that D’Angelo personally requested time off from the company. “Regarding the disappearance of Tony D’Angelo, it is not injury related but he asked for time off,” Meltzer wrote. It’s unclear when he will make his return.
D’Angelo has been a featured figure on the NXT brand since his debut in late 2021. He quickly rose to prominence and formed his own faction, “The D’Angelo Family,” which at its peak included members like Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino, and others. The group was highly successful, with D’Angelo himself capturing the NXT North American Championship, the NXT Heritage Cup, and holding the NXT Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions.
Earlier this year, however, the D’Angelo Family imploded, leading to a rivalry between its former members. The feud ended in a Triple Threat match on the July 15 episode of NXT, where D’Angelo defeated his former associates, Stacks and Crusifino. This would be his last televised match, as his final appearance came on the July 29 episode of NXT in a cryptic segment. In that final scene, D’Angelo was shown sitting alone at a table before being approached by a shadowy, unidentified figure, at which point the screen cut to black. The segment was widely compared to the infamous final scene of the hit television series The Sopranos, leading many fans to believe that the character had been “whacked.”
The brand is currently in the midst of a full-scale invasion angle with TNA Wrestling, a storyline that will culminate in a special “Showdown” event on October 7. The NXT North American Championship, a title D’Angelo once held, is now in the possession of Ethan Page, who is set to defend it against TNA’s Mustafa Ali at the “Showdown” special.
