The 4-time WWE Champion was spotted backstage after months of absence

A 30-year-old WWE wrestler who has not been seen or heard from since July of this year was recently spotted backstage. This was the first time many members of the active roster had seen Tony D’Angelo in the company.

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

The report revealed that he was not dressed for filming or training. The 30-year-old is expected to be called up to the main roster, but the report said he has not received any confirmation on that. The report also did not mention any injuries the star could be dealing with.

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

Another former champion made an appearance in WWE NXT

While Tony D’Angelo remained behind the scenes, Aoba Femi entered the arena as last week’s episode of NXT went off the air. The Governor appeared immediately 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 dropped the NXT Championship to the Saints. Fans expected that the Nigerian wrestler would get a call-up to the main roster, just like Tony D, but it looks like he will be spending more time in the developmental box.

Thus, Ricky Saints could defend his title against The Ruler in a rematch, which is still awaiting an official announcement from WWE. It will be interesting to see if the Saints can beat Femi a second time.