4-time WWE champion spotted backstage after months of absence - Reports

A 30-year-old WWE wrestler who hadn’t been seen or heard from since July of this year was recently spotted backstage. It was the first time several members of the active roster saw Tony D'Angelo in the company.

Tony D is a former NXT North American Champion, two-time NXT Tag Team Champion, and a former NXT Heritage Cup Champion. According to a report by Fightful Select, D'Angelo was seen backstage on the November 11 episode of NXT.

The report revealed that he wasn’t dressed for a shoot or for training. It is being speculated that the 30-year-old would be getting a main roster call-up, but the report said it didn’t get any confirmation about it. The report also made no mention of any injuries the star could be possibly dealing with.

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Tony D was last seen on television on July 15, 2025, where he defeated Channing Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino in a Triple Threat. He wrestled his last match in a house show in Orlando on July 25, 2025, where he defeated Anthony Luke.

Another former champion made an appearance on WWE NXT

While Tony D’Angelo remained backstage, Oba Femi entered the arena as last week’s NXT episode went off air. The Ruler showed up right after Ricky Saints defeated Trick Williams to retain the NXT Championship in a Last Man Standing match.

Femi was last seen at No Mercy on September 27, 2025, where he had dropped the NXT Championship to Saints. Fans speculated that the Nigerian wrestler would receive a main roster call-up, just like Tony D, but it seems he will spend some more time on the developmental territory.

Thus, Ricky Saints could defend his title against The Ruler in a rematch, which still awaits an official announcement from WWE. It would be interesting to see if Saints would be able to overcome Femi a second time.

Edited by Neda Ali