The 2024 NXT Stand & Deliver event is set for Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This will be the fourth annual Stand & Deliver event. However, there’s a twist as the NXT Champion was just abducted weeks before the event.
Tony D’Angelo and his Sopranos gimmick has been known to borrow from the pages of classic mob tactics. During this week’s NXT, they ran an old-school abduction play.
The Set-Up
During the March 12 episode of WWE NXT, they showed Tony D’Angelo and his Family out to dinner. They were very pleased about his upcoming NXT Title match at Stand & Deliver.
Then Ilja Dragunov showed up with his NXT Title around his shoulder. The Don motioned for his cohorts to depart, and they left the table.
Ilja Dragunov then congratulated Tony for all that he’s accomplished. He’s a titan of industry and has his hands in many things. However, Ilja said that the NXT Title is all that he has, and he will make sure that after NXT Stand & Deliver, the title will stay with him.
“Is that so?” D’Angelo asked. “I’m afraid it is,” Ilja Dragunov replied.
Then Tony D said that he likes Ilja Dragunov, and “whatever happens here” … suddenly, Tony’s associates plucked Ilja Dragunov up and carried him off.
Tony D’Angelo finished his wine, and stood up from the table. After thanking the owner of the establishment for the meal, he left.
The next shot showed Stacks closing the lid to the trunk of their car. It is supposed that they’re running a kidnapping angle now, with Ilja Dragunov in the trunk. Then they drove off into the night with no sight of the NXT Champion.
I'm not too sure that was a smart idea.. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/fjhnnVUkiZ
— V. ?? (@HaangEmHiigh) March 13, 2024
What Happened Next
Later on, they showed Ilja Dragunov and Tony D’Angelo on a bridge. This was apparently the place where they wanted to have a conversation.
Tony threatened to throw Ilja off the bridge without really saying anything. Then, he told Dragunov to “have a nice walk back.” Ilja Dragunov then said that “one thing you’ll find about me is I always find a way.”
This was quite an intense angle, and it certainly added a lot to this story as they get closer to Stand & Deliver.
"I can end everything with the snap of my fingers"@TonyDangeloWWE is sending a clear warning to @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR. This is a road the champ has never been down before ?#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/QkfGpZO4Gz
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2024
What’s Next
We will have to see how things progress from this point. If Ilja Dragunov can’t get out of the mob’s clutches, then he may not make it to Stand & Deliver.
SEScoops will keep our eye on this story for more updates. There will certainly be more stories to tell on the road to NXT Stand & Deliver.
WWE NXT 2024 Stand & Deliver Card (So Far):
- Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Tony D’Angelo – Singles match for the NXT Championship
- Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker (c) vs. Tournament Winners – Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
- Carmelo Hayes vs Trick Williams
