Who did Naraku defeat to secure his spot at the Great American Bash?

Naraku defeated Tony D’Angelo on the June 9 edition of NXT to earn his place in the Great American Bash main event.

When did the NXT match between Naraku and Tony D’Angelo take place?

The match occurred on Tuesday, June 9, as part of the televised NXT main event.

What is the primary criticism regarding Naraku's win?

Skeptics argue that the match suffered from a lack of proper narrative buildup and pacing, suggesting that the booking relied on shock value rather than a meaningful storyline.

Why are fans divided over Naraku's recent NXT victory?

Fans are split because some view Naraku as a refreshing talent who adds intensity to the mid-card, while others feel he is being pushed too quickly at the expense of Tony D’Angelo’s long-standing status.

What does the author suggest is missing from Naraku's current push?

The author suggests that the booking lacks proper emotional investment because there were no promo packages or vignettes to explain why Naraku deserved his sudden title shot.

Naraku wins big and the NXT comment section is an absolute dumpster fire

The Great American Bash just got a whole lot weirder

If you spent your Tuesday night glued to the tube watching NXT, you saw Naraku punch his ticket to the Great American Bash. After five years of Tony D’Angelo doing the heavy lifting to build his status as the Don, we now have a challenger who basically walked out of a fever dream to snatch the spot. The match went down on June 9, and honestly, the finish has caused more arguments online than a debate about whether a hot dog is a sandwich.

The internet wrestling community is currently split right down the middle like a cheap pair of wrestling trunks. Half the crowd is cheering for fresh blood, while the rest are convinced the booking team is just throwing darts at a roster board. It is the kind of chaos that makes the Performance Center feel like a high-stakes poker game played in a hurricane.

The enthusiasts vs. the booking skeptics

The positive camp is riding high on the momentum. One user on the subreddit described the finish as the most electric moment of the summer so far, claiming that Naraku has the kind of gritty intensity that makes viewers actually care about the mid-card again. They see it as a necessary shake-up, provided D’Angelo doesn't get buried in the process of putting over a newer name.

Then you have the skeptics who are absolutely livid. The prevailing thought here is that D’Angelo spent half a decade building an empire, and now he is being used as a stepping stone for someone who lacks the same narrative weight. One viewer pointed out on X that the pacing felt rushed, arguing that a clash of this magnitude deserved a longer build-up than a single main event slot.

We are seeing matches unfold that make about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine, and this booking fits that bill perfectly. When Naraku pulled off the win, the immediate reaction in the chat wasn't even about the technical wrestling. It was immediate confusion regarding the long-term stakes for the brand.

My take on the mess

Look, I love a good underdog story as much as the next guy who spent way too much money on front-row tickets in 2012. But there is a line between keeping the booking fresh and just sabotaging your own champions. Naraku is talented, sure, but skipping the build-up makes for poor television that relies on shock and awe rather than actual ring craft.

The criticism regarding the lack of a proper buildup cycle for this challenger is valid. We are talking about the NXT Championship here, not a house show opening match in Topeka. When you rush these things, you rob the fans of the emotional investment required to actually care when the bell rings for the 30-minute main event at the Bash.

The most confusing part is that the show has officially entered a fever dream state where logic goes to die. If you aren't going to give us a proper promo package or a series of vignettes to explain why Naraku is suddenly chasing gold, don't expect the casuals to jump on board. It feels like the booking sheet was written in crayon during a thunderstorm.

The contrarians are out in full force saying this is actually 4D chess from the creative team, but I refuse to buy that. Sometimes, a missed spot is just a missed spot. Sometimes, bad pacing is just bad pacing. There isn't always a hidden depth to a match that leaves the audience asking themselves if they missed an episode.

Ultimately, the strongest argument lies with the people who just want a clear story. Wrestling works best when it builds toward a climax, not when it flips a coin and hopes the crowd likes the heads-up call. We have a massive show coming in July, and right now, the challenger has all the personality of a beige wall.

Tony D’Angelo deserves better, and the NXT faithful deserve a reason to believe this match matters. Unless we get some serious course correction before the Great American Bash, we are looking at a title defense that might just be remembered for being the night the booking finally jumped the shark. Let’s hope I’m wrong and the match pulls a rabbit out of a hat, but for now, I’m holding my breath for all the wrong reasons.

The reality is that whether this was a stroke of genius or a total disaster, it has everyone talking. And in this business, that has always been the primary objective. Even if the fans are currently screaming at their monitors, they are still watching. That is the genius and the curse of modern booking.