Summary

Ricky Saints had a frustrated reaction to falling short in the NXT Championship match at Stand & Deliver, but he still made it clear he thinks Tony D'Angelo earned the moment.

Tony D'Angelo won the NXT Championship in a fatal four-way match against Saints, Joe Hendry, and Ethan Page at Stand & Deliver, adding that milestone to a run that also made him an NXT Grand Slam champion. Saints later reflected on the result and said D'Angelo's climb to the top was deserved after years of work in NXT.

That reaction also fits with how NXT has framed D'Angelo in recent months. Tony D'Angelo saying Shawn Michaels and WWE coaches helped him through his NXT hiatus already pointed to how much support and investment there has been in his push.

Quote from Ricky Saints

Speaking on TMZ's *Inside The Ring*, Saints said:

"Damn it, why couldn't it have been me? I think beyond that, kudos to Tony. Honestly, his story about him being here is very well documented, and I think a person who can withstand so much deserves something like that. I'm not going to say that NXT is in good hands now that he's champ because it would be in good hands forever, if only I'm champion, obviously, but I think it'll be okay. I think it'll be just, just good. Just right with old Tony D. So, you know, you love to see somebody: here's the thing. I'm not going to even sugarcoat this. The guy works hard. The guy has put in the work for what? Four years, five years in NXT. So to see him actually get to that mountaintop, that's just the peak for him. Or excuse me, that's just the beginning for him, right? That's not even the peak. So I'm really excited to see what happens now. I'll say that."

What Tony D'Angelo's win means for NXT

Saints framing Tony D'Angelo's title win as a beginning matters because it positions the new champion as more than a one-night payoff after Stand & Deliver. It also keeps Saints in the conversation, since his mix of disappointment and respect leaves room for NXT to revisit that rivalry while D'Angelo settles into his reign.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.