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Earlier this week, PWInsiderElite.com sat down with WWE NXT's Tony D'Angelo ahead of this Saturday's NXT Halloween Havoc special on the CW Network.
Mike Johnson: Hey everybody, it's Mike Johnson in the audio section of PWInsiderElite.com. It is Monday, October 26th as we are recording this Saturday, Halloween, one of the best holidays of the year. And for the first time, Halloween Havoc is actually airing on Halloween night. The CW Network will present WWE NXT Halloween Havoc at 7:00 PM Eastern. It's also streaming internationally on Netflix and also on ESPN Unlimited. The main event will feature the NXT Champion Grayson Waller defending against a man who has held that championship before. Our guest at this time, Tony D'Angelo. How are you, sir?
Tony D'Angelo: Hey, hey, thanks for having me. I appreciate ya. Good time.
Mike Johnson: I appreciate you coming on. So, we're still very early on in the NXT PLEs or pay-per-views, whatever people want to call them these days, airing on the CW Network. This is gonna be a big one obviously; you're in the main event. How does this show airing live on CW and broadcast TV change how you and the entire locker room approach an event like Halloween Havoc?
Tony D'Angelo: Look, it does a lot. I think everybody is excited because it's putting more eyes on the brand. So everybody is trying to do a good job. And we're just gonna do what we're used to doing anyways. Just making some hard-hitting matches, and everybody having a good time. So yeah, very excited. And on top of that, it'll be on the ESPN app if you got the unlimited. So yeah, tons of different ways to stream this match, so it's gonna be a good time.
Mike Johnson: So you're gonna be challenging Grayson Waller for the championship. Obviously, he's been a hell of an antagonist since returning to NXT. I have to ask you, he made a lot of waves with that initial return promo. What were your thoughts when you saw basically him declaring war against the whole brand, including yourself?
Tony D'Angelo: Look, I thought it was incredibly disrespectful. I get it, he wanted to come in here and make a scene and go viral 'cause that's all he cares about. But he did it in a extremely disrespectful way, basically saying nobody works hard, and nobody's stepping up, and I was like, I know this guy's not talking about me. And then he decided to bring my son, my baby boy, my brand new son that we had, and put his name in his mouth, and that's something I'm not okay with. I'm big on family, and I got a right hook waiting for him. So yeah.
Mike Johnson: You've been such a strong piece of NXT literally from the beginning of 2.0 when that version of NXT was created. I want to ask you, and I've never asked anyone this, but you were in the Performance Center for about six, seven months before you got to make your TV debut. Is it more stressful knowing you're gonna make your debut or getting through the Performance Center every week waiting for that opportunity to make it to television?
Tony D'Angelo: I mean, I guess I only have this experience to pull from, but we were just thrown into deep waters. And it was a sink or swim situation, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I think learning on the job, it forces you to either do good or crumble under pressure. And I think my class did a really good job of not folding, and like I said in my promo last week, all those 2.0 guys that came around at the same time are still around. They're still here, they're on Raw and SmackDown and they're doing well on top of it. So I think, in my opinion, the sink or swim way of doing things can be beneficial. And the anticipation of, 'Oh, I'm gonna have a match in two weeks,' that whole build-up probably stresses you out too much. So I like to just get thrown into it and let's see how you do.
Mike Johnson: Obviously just a couple of years ago at Halloween Havoc in 2024, you were beating Omos in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match as they called it. Memories of that moment because obviously Omos pretty much looks like he's earmarked to be a major part of WWE in the future. But you had a lot of time with him in the ring. So thoughts on him?
Tony D'Angelo: He's a big dude. To say the least, and for how big he is, he is very agile. So he is very multi-faceted, and I think that's what makes him such a big future player in WWE. So yeah, he's someone to not be trifled with, for sure. But if you want to beat him, you are gonna have to meet him in the middle of the ring and get to it. There's no other way. And I wouldn't have it any other way as well because I'm a former college wrestler, and that's just how you do business. You shake hands in the middle of the ring and get to it. And may the better man win.
Mike Johnson: You mentioned the background in collegiate wrestling, college wrestling. It seems to be depending on the talent, the transition is either hard or very easy. Did you find the transition, or how would you describe the transition from the muscle memory of college wrestling to professional wrestling? How hard was the transition or was it easy?
Tony D'Angelo: I think there's certain aspects that make it easy and then also make it a little difficult. Body awareness, learning how to pick a body up and put 'em down, learning how to fall, that's all part of collegiate wrestling, but the one thing that is difficult, I'd say, for most college wrestlers that transition over is showing emotion. In wrestling you don't want to let the other guy know that you're in pain or anything because then they smell blood in the water, so if you're very closed off, I mean it might work for some people depending on what they're doing, but you want to show emotions, you want it to be big and grand, everything. So I think that for me personally was the hardest thing to overcome here.
Mike Johnson: Obviously the WWE-CW Network connection has been very beneficial as a relationship reached sides. You got to appear on Wild Cards playing in Jaws a couple years back. What was it like getting the opportunity to represent NXT on one of the CW series?
Tony D'Angelo: It was great, man, and listen, everybody at CW has been awesome to me and they're good people, they're giving everybody opportunities, they're very involved, and every time they come to a show, they're happy to be here. And then they obviously gave me an opportunity to be a part of Wild Cards, which was an awesome experience, and I still had to audition for it, but they gave me that opportunity, I ran with it, and met some good people on that show, it was fun. I enjoyed the acting portion of wrestling, so I'm super thankful that they thought of me for that part. But look, CW is great. Can't say enough good things about the people that run it.
Mike Johnson: You've had quite the opportunity in NXT to showcase different aspects of yourself, whether it's the storylines with the family or facing people like Cruz Montana or others, but I know the one question that I know I'm gonna get yelled at by suscribers if I don't ask is about the main roster. Do you feel pressure trying to get there? Do you feel confident being a part of just NXT and helping to build that brand on the CW and on the road? How much of the feeling of 'I gotta get to the main roster at some point' do you carry with yourself, or do you just believe in waiting for the process because each person's different?
Tony D'Angelo: Look, I think waiting is, everybody has a different timeline. So I'm not gonna sit here, I was stressing for a little bit, but I'm not, it is what it is. Why stress out every day on something that you can't really control. NXT has been good to me, Shawn, Johnny, Bloom, like all these people have been real good to me, so whatever I can do to help, I'll do that, but of course I want to get to the main roster, like that's always been a goal since I got here. But I'm not gonna sit here and dwell on why not now, asking all these questions that I'm never gonna get answers to, so all I can control is what I do and how hard I work and the things I do to get myself there. And then whatever happens, happens, I got a family at home that I get to see every night, so I'm not upset about that.
Mike Johnson: Obviously a major opportunity facing Grayson Waller in the main event of Halloween Havoc this Saturday on the CW Network. What does it mean to you that the company continues to put that faith in you by putting you in yet another main event and knighting you so to speak to help continue bringing in the CW audience?
Tony D'Angelo: Well like I said, Shawn and Johnny and Bloom and all those guys in the room have been nothing but great to me. Shawn said it in previous interviews that he felt the whole staff felt that I had strong enough shoulders to carry this brand, so they're giving me opportunities and they're letting me do my thing and they believe in me, which gives me more confidence in myself, so yeah, it feels great. And I'm gonna keep working my butt off to, that's my thank you.
Mike Johnson: Obviously it's Halloween Havoc, this is the end of the spooky season of our year. Are you a horror fan? Are there any major franchises you enjoy or you like to go back and revisit during this time of year?
Tony D'Angelo: I'm not huge into the horror films. If my family's listening they'll probably laugh about that. But would you count Stranger Things as a horror?
Mike Johnson: Absolutely. Yeah, it's got jump scares in it, why not?
Tony D'Angelo: Yeah, I like Stranger Things. I like 80s music and stuff, so those first couple seasons and the soundtracks of it is great, also the later seasons when it becomes kind of like a bloody horror, that stuff I'm kind of like eh. But the classics, Halloween and Scream and Freddy Krueger, all those, those are all right, but it's not my go-to genre of movies. I'll say that.
Mike Johnson: Fair enough. Danhausen's going to be hosting this Saturday. Thoughts on him? Obviously a very unique personality in WWE.
Tony D'Angelo: Yeah, he's a spooky guy. I just hope he doesn't put a curse on me. Unless it's in a, I don't know if there's a good curse, actually. Has that ever been a thing?
Mike Johnson: Not yet, but we could break new ground. It's WWE, anything can happen.
Tony D'Angelo: Yeah, right, look, hey, Danhausen, you want to put a good curse on me? If that's a thing, be my guest. But super excited to have him down in NXT and hosting the show.
Mike Johnson: Perhaps he can uncurse you the way he uncursed the Knicks, and then we know what happened there.
Tony D'Angelo: Bingo. Hey man, you want to uncurse me and get me on Raw or Smackdown, be my guest.
Mike Johnson: Is there one talent you're dying to step in the ring with and test yourself against that you just haven't had that opportunity? Is there someone you want to lock up with just to say that you did it or in your brain you think there's gonna be great chemistry there and it's gonna be something that will mean the world to the fans? Is there that perfect opponent in your brain that you just haven't had the chance to enter the ring with yet?
Tony D'Angelo: I think if I had to pick one person, it would be Bron Breakker. I think we would have good chemistry, I think we could match each other's intensity. Yeah, I think we could make magic in the ring and I think the fans would really enjoy that. On top of, we could go do that, and then afterwards have a beer and go fish, so, I think that would be a good one.
Mike Johnson: Tony D'Angelo is going to be fishing for the NXT Championship this Saturday night at Halloween Havoc 2026 against Grayson Waller. Tony, I know we're running out of time here, why should fans make sure they're tuning in on Halloween night?
Tony D'Angelo: Tune in to watch me beat the snot out of Grayson Waller and get my NXT Championship back. It is going to be a good one, it's going to be a fun one, NXT you always can expect the unexpected, alright? Now you can tune in on the CW Network at 7 o'clock Eastern time on Halloween, October 31st, or the ESPN app if you got the unlimited, so tune in, it's gonna be a good one.
Mike Johnson: Alright everybody, of course you can watch NXT every Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on the CW Network and ESPN app as well. Until next time I'm Mike Johnson, Tony, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Best of luck to you and the family, best personally and professionally going forward, and we're looking forward to Halloween Havoc. Thanks so much for giving us a little bit of your time today.
Tony D'Angelo: Absolutely, thanks Mike for having me, I appreciate it.
Mike Johnson: Anytime, until next time everybody, I'm Mike Johnson, thanks for listening to PW Insider Elite.
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