Bron Breakker's NXT run could have looked very different.
The second-generation star was one of the biggest success stories coming out of the NXT revamp in late 2021, dubbed 2.0. He surprised everyone with his debut performance in September that year. It was the result of his impressive showings that the 28-year-old won the NXT title only 4 months after his first match for the brand.
During a recent interview with No Contest Wrestling podcast, Tony D’Angelo talked about this early period of the rebranded NXT. He revealed that originally, the officials had planned for him to be part of a tag team with Bron Breakker, which would have leaned into the latter's wrestling heritage more prominently:
When we first got in, me and Bron were in a tag together. So we were doing that for a minute. Not on TV, but they were priming us, ‘This is what you’re gonna do,’ kinda like the new age Steiner Brothers type of deal. I was [to wear a singlet], but I was wearing a singlet before that anyway, so that wasn’t foreign.
We're Not Doing This: Tony D’Angelo
The idea was nixed shortly before the development brand was given a new identity. According to Tony D’Angelo, it was Road Dogg who informed him of the decision:
I just remember one day, Road Dogg came up and he was like, ‘Hey man, we’re not doing this,’ and this is right when 2.0 first kicked off, they kinda just, ‘Clean slate, everybody, we kinda have a lane for you,’ and I had to figure out quick what I was gonna do,
Tony D'Angelo would go on to introduce The D'Angelo Family faction in April 2022. Bron Breakker would be moved to the main roster in February 2024, while D'Angelo has remained with NXT.
