Coming off his successful title defense against ECW legend Nunzio, WWE NXT North American Champion Tony D'Angelo met his next challenger on tonight's episode of "WWE NXT." That challenger, of course, was the crafty 22-year veteran Shawn Spears.
Last week, D'Angelo faced Spears' ally Brooks Jensen in a non-title singles match, and ultimately emerged victorious. As an apparent show of respect, Spears extended his hand for D'Angelo to shake after the match. This turned out to be a ruse, however, as Jensen instead attacked the back of D'Angelo's knee.
The effects of Jensen's attack carried over to this week's NXT North American Championship match, with D'Angelo hobbling at various points and Spears repeatedly targeting his knee. Despite the pain, D'Angelo managed to fight through it and pin Spears for the win after hitting a Spinebuster.
Much like last week, Jensen looked to attack D'Angelo from behind post-match. This time, though, D'Angelo saw him coming, and subsequently laid out both him and Spears. D'Angelo's momentum was eventually spoiled by the unexpected appearance of Spears' new recruit Niko Vance, who wiped out the NXT North American Champion with a big clothesline before helping Spears and Jensen to their feet. Together, the trio stood tall over D'Angelo, while delivering mischievous stares to Adriana Rizzo.
Elsewhere on "NXT," Ethan Page secured his spot in the 2024 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge with a victory over NXT Tag Team Champion Axiom. Next week, the previously unsuccessful qualifying match participants will receive one final shot to solidify their spot in a pair of multi-person Last Chance Qualifying matches.
