Joseph Arriola (born June 9, 1995) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

where he performs on the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

under the ring name Tony D'Angelo.

Professional wrestling career

On the October 5, 2021 episode of

, Ariola made his WWE debut under the ring name Tony D'Angelo, with the

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

gimmick of an Italian-American mobster, defeating Malik Blade in a few minutes. On December 5, at

NXT WarGames NXT WarGames (originally known as NXT TakeOver: WarGames) was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territ ...

, D'Angelo,

Bron Breakker Bronson Parmar Rechsteiner (born October 24, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring nam ...

Carmelo Hayes Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. Hayes is a former one-time NX ...

and

Grayson Waller Matthew Farrelly (born 21 March 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Grayson Waller. Before signing to WWE, he previously wrestled on the independent ...

defeated Team Black & Gold (

Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...

LA Knight Shaun Ricker (born November 1, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name LA Knight. Ricker is known for his time in Impact Wrestling as Eli Drake. Rick ...

Pete Dunne Peter Thomas England (born 9 November 1993) is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Butc ...

and

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent ...

) in a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

. After a series of victories against Ru Feng,

Dexter Lumis Samuel Robert Shaw (born January 17, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Dexter Lumis. He is also known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestl ...

and

Andre Chase Chance Barrow (born April 22, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he performs for the NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand under the ring name Andre Chase. He was previously known by the ring name Harlem Bravado where h ...

, D'Angelo suffered his first loss against Dunne on the December 21 episode of NXT 2.0, then brutally attacking Dunne himself with a crowbar. As a result of the feud that ensued, D'Angelo defeated Dunne in a Crowbar On a Pole match at the January 11, 2022 episode of NXT 2.0. On the January 25 episode of NXT 2.0, D'Angelo lost to

Cameron Grimes :not to be confused with actress Camryn Grimes who voices Mrs. Claus in Mickey Saves Christmas Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ...

due to interference from Dunne, failing to challenge him for the NXT North American Championship. On the February 15 episode of NXT Vengeance Day, D'Angelo lost to Dunne in a Weaponized Steel Cage match. On April 2, at NXT Stand & Deliver, D'Angelo pinned Tommaso Ciampa. After his victory over Ciampa, D'Angelo called himself "The Don of NXT". On June 4, at

NXT In Your House In Your House (known as NXT TakeOver: In Your House in 2020 and 2021 and then NXT In Your House beginning in 2022) is a professional wrestling series of events created by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events o ...

, D'Angelo and his henchmen Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Troy "Two Dimes" Donovan defeated

Legado del Fantasma Legado Del Fantasma is a professional wrestling stable composed of leader Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Zelina Vega currently performing in WWE on the SmackDown brand. The trio was formed in 2020 when El Hijo del Fantasma tur ...

and, as per the stipulation, this stable had to join the D'Angelo Family. On the June 21 episode of NXT 2.0, D'Angelo was defeated by Carmelo Hayes, missing out on an opportunity to capture the NXT North American Championship, due to

Santos Escobar Jorge Luis Alcantar Bolly (born April 30, 1984), is a Mexican second-generation ''luchador'' (professional wrestler). He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Santos Escobar. Before his WWE ca ...

interfering. On the August 2 episode of NXT 2.0, D'Angelo and Lorenzo faced The

Creed Brothers The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). They are currently working for the professional wrestli ...

for the NXT Tag Team Championship but were defeated due to Escobar's interference. On the August 16 special episode

NXT Heatwave NXT Heatwave was a television special, special List of WWE NXT special episodes, episode of WWE's weekly television series ''WWE NXT, NXT'', broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on August 16, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, ...

, D'Angelo defeated Escobar in a Street Fight and, as per the stipulation, Legado del Fantasma had to remain linked to the D'Angelo Family, while Escobar had to leave NXT (kayfabe). On the September 27 episode of NXT, D'Angelo faced

Wes Lee Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wes Lee, and is the current NXT North American Champion in his first re ...

to qualify for a ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship at NXT Halloween Havoc but was defeated via referee decision. On the December 27 episode of NXT, D'Angelo then faced Lee for the NXT North American Championship but, due to interference from Dijak, he lost the match. On January 10, 2023, D'Angelo turned

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

and challenged Dijak to a match at NXT: New Year's Evil, where he would lose.

Championships and accomplishments

*''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' **Ranked No. 182 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

in 2022

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Angelo, Tony 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Oak Park, Illinois Professional wrestlers from Illinois American male professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers