In the latest episode of “WWE NXT: No Mercy,” the Denver crowd witnessed a clash that could only be described as a collision of titans, but with fewer roars and more grunts of desperation. Oba Femi, the reigning men’s NXT North American Champion, faced off against Tony “The Don” D’Angelo in a match that made the ring itself question its life choices.
Femi, clearly in a hurry to get back to his regularly scheduled programming of bench-pressing small vehicles, unleashed a barrage of blows on D’Angelo that could only be described as “aggressively persuasive.” Early on, “The Don” appeared to tweak his ankle, possibly after realizing that Femi was not just playing around but instead aiming to send D’Angelo’s family reunion into overdrive. Despite this minor inconvenience—like stepping on a Lego but worse—D’Angelo bravely soldiered on, the pride of the D’Angelo name hanging in the balance.
The Denver faithful and the wider “NXT” Universe collectively lost their minds when D’Angelo, defying every law of physics and good sense, kicked out after one of Femi’s notorious powerbombs. According to the commentary team, this was the first time anyone had survived Femi’s powerbomb, which left many wondering if D’Angelo had secretly enrolled in a crash course on durability from a local demolition derby.
Not to be outdone, D’Angelo managed to land a spinebuster that rattled Femi’s ribcage. But as fate would have it, D’Angelo’s momentum was shorter-lived than a Hollywood marriage. Femi, perhaps realizing he had a dinner reservation to catch, quickly regained control, delivering not one but two powerbombs in rapid succession. The final sit-out powerbomb not only sealed D’Angelo’s fate but also reminded everyone why Femi’s title reign is as stable as his biceps are large.
While the status of D’Angelo’s ankle is still up in the air—possibly awaiting a second opinion from Dr. Google—he was later seen receiving comfort from The Family, who were likely reassuring him that sprains heal but titles last forever…or at least until the next pay-per-view. Had D’Angelo won, this would have marked his first singles title since his brief love affair with the NXT Heritage Cup, a reign that lasted 91 days and ended thanks to Charlie Dempsey’s cruel sense of humor.
As for Oba Femi, his iron grip on the men’s NXT North American Championship has now reached an impressive 235 days. Femi’s dominance has him inching closer to breaking records, threatening to surpass both Wes Lee’s single-reign record of 269 days and Carmelo Hayes’ cumulative reign of 272 days. The only thing standing in his way now? Possibly running out of worthy opponents to crush under the weight of his powerbombs.