Tony D’Angelo Left Burned by Naraku Ahead of Great American Bash, The Culling Turns on Shawn Spears on NXT

Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT wasted no time getting the drama rolling, as the show opened with Tony D’Angelo on the warpath. Flanked by Robert Stone, D’Angelo stormed through the Performance Center in search of Naraku — the man formerly known as EVIL in New Japan Pro-Wrestling — who had yet to put pen to paper on a contract for their match at this Sunday’s Great American Bash.

The hunt eventually led them to the parking lot, where they tracked down Naraku. The former NJPW star produced the contract and handed it over to D’Angelo — but the exchange didn’t go the way the Don of NXT was hoping. Per the episode’s notes, D’Angelo wound up on the wrong end of the encounter, getting burned in the process. With Great American Bash now just days away, the segment added an extra layer of tension to what figures to be a heated showdown between the two.

Elsewhere on the show, The Culling made a significant pivot, turning their backs on Shawn Spears. The faction’s split from Spears marks a notable development for one of NXT’s more sinister acts, and raises immediate questions about where both Spears and The Culling go from here.

Between the contract chaos surrounding D’Angelo and Naraku and the fracturing of The Culling’s alliance with Spears, NXT’s go-home episode delivered on multiple fronts heading into Great American Bash this Sunday.