23-year veteran snubs Shawn Michaels after winning first WWE title; backstage controversy sparks flames

The latest episode of WWE NXT featured an incredible title match between Shawn Spears and North American Champion Tony D’Angelo. The superstars unleashed the best spears from their arsenal.

After competing for several minutes and landing significant blows on each other, Shawn Spears gained momentum towards the end and executed his signature maneuver, C4, but only achieved a two-count. D’Angelo gathered his strength and attempted a pop-up, but his back failed him. Spears flipped him over and pinned Tony, becoming the new WWE North American Champion of the developmental brand.

Following his triumphant victory, everyone backstage was celebrating and filled with emotion for Shawn Spears. However, a viral clip has sparked controversy, as the new North American Champion ignored Shawn Michaels when the legend extended his hand to congratulate him.

Shawn Spears won his first-ever title in the Stamford-based promotion. The 44-year-old star made his professional wrestling debut in 2002, joined WWE NXT in 2013 as Tye Dillinger, and, after a mediocre run, joined AEW in 2019. After announcing his departure from All Elite Wrestling, The Chairman returned to the pro-wrestling juggernaut in 2024, and the rest is history.

With tensions seemingly boiling between Spears and Michaels, it will be interesting to see the NXT star face problems after bluntly ignoring senior executive HBK.