Part I - Time Travel

Road to NXT: Great American Bash

WWE NXT - June 10th, 2020

The Post-Takeover XXX show begins with Garza's theme hitting, he begins to march down the ring, with a new set amount of confidence after his victory this past weekend. Having a microphone already by his side, he starts off by stating that after Saturday night, there is no denying that he belongs in the NA division. And while he may of wanted to make excuses before, there is none to be made after toppling him fair-and-square. Continuing on to a new subject, he begins to grow angry, expressing that it's his chance to step up to the next level, and that next step per-say, is to have a shot at the NA Championship! Garza proceeds to call out the NXT General Manager, William Regal, yelling for him to answer his request this instant!

With that said, Garza's attention would be pointed to the titantron above, where Regal was seen standing directly outside of his office. He says that Garza needs to calm down a tad bit, that while his victories in the past few months have been nothing short of remarkable, but there is also others here on NXT, that deserve a shot at the NA Championship aswell. And that is why, since the aforementioned belt is currently vacant, there will be an 8-man tournament to decide the next champion, with the finals set to take place NXT: Great American Bash, on August 22nd.

WWE NXT - June 17th, 2020

With Regal's blockbuster announcement, now in the rear-view mirror, it's finally time for the North American Championship tournament to get underway. With Dream already warming up inside the squared circle, Garza is seen still backstage, pacing back-and-forth, before eventually beginning to utter a few words. He starts off by expressing that, this tournament was designed for him, and only for him, this is a chance to prove that he not only belongs in this division, but owns it aswell. Tonight is only the beginning, and while his opponent tonight, knows all too well about being a North American Champion, he has never experienced such a presence as him, and tonight he will make sure he remembers his name.

Angel Garza v. Velveteen Dream - NA Championship Tournament: 1st Round

Upon entering the ring, he begins staring daggers at Dream, knowing that this is his one-and-only shot at making a true name for himself. A match between two of the most versatile men on the roster, despite the fact that Dream has much more experience in this division, one would struggle to find somebody as adaptable than Garza. And as such, the contest would be extremely hard hitting, these two competitors duking it out. The match would be held at a slower pace than the rest of the matches we’d so far witnessed, taking their time on picking out their opposition's strengths and weaknesses, methodically picking them apart. Even with the experience factor to his name, he couldn’t stop the Garza onslaught, in-which Garza took advantage, landing a WINGCLIPPER FOR THE VICTORY!

Angel Garza def. Velveteen Dream to advance to the Semi-Finals (15:00)

WWE NXT - June 24th, 2020

Roderick Strong is calling for it... END OF HEARTACHE to Isaiah "Swerve" Scott! 1...2...3...! Strong has seemingly overcome his first challenge in this tournament, and is just one-step closer, to reclaiming the North American Championship. In recent months, it has seemed that Strong has been trailing behind some of his peers, but with just a couple more victories, that could all be turned around. Upon raising his hand after a triumphant victory, he is interrupted by a certain theme playing... it's Angel Garza! Also victorious in the first round, Garza begins to march down the entrance ramp, keeping his eyes locked on his Semi-Finals opponent, eventually entering the ring thusly. He begins to get in the face of Strong, showcasing the amount of confidence he currently possesses, it's quite clear that he believes he will walk out on top in their eventual contest.

WWE NXT - July 1st, 2020

Fresh off his victory last week, Strong is seen in the ring, set to talk about the events that transpired last week. He begins by stating that finally having his future bestowed upon him, felt extremely good, he respects Scott and what he stands for, but unfortunately for him, he was the superior competitor at the end of the night. Talking about his North American Championship reign next, he says that he isn't too fond of it, that he knew he could have done better, and with this second chance, he aims to do just that, but he has to get past one man before that is possible. Angel Garza!

Last week, Garza showed an incredible amount of confidence, especially against a man he has yet to ever share a ring with, and that is extremely telling. Not to just his character, but his in-ring skills aswell, he knows how good he is, and over the past week has done his homework on him, but that won't let that it stop him from achieving his destiny, of finally getting back in the title picture. And nothing, not even Garza, will stop him from once again becoming champion, the North American Champion.

WWE NXT - July 7th, 2020

With Garza/Strong only two weeks away, the former is seen in the backstage area, re-watching what Strong had to say last week, with each word passing, Garza only grows more frustrated. Strong's remarks clearly irritating him. However, before he can react to the video, he is interrupted by the rest of The Undisputed Era, beginning to approach Garza, O'Reilly steps ahead of the other two, growing closer to the target. He says that while Garza is highly talented, he needs to realize who he is dealing with, he isn't just dealing with Strong, he has to worry about them aswell. He promises that no matter the result, this isn't the last time he will see O'Reilly, because they will meet again.

The three of them then leave the area, Garza not really fazed by this, as he shakes this off, not truly understanding what that was all about. Clearing his mind, he begins to speak, stating that he isn't focused on all four of them, because this isn't about them. This is only about the two of them, and proving who is truly the better out of the two, which you don't have to look any further than right here, as you are looking at the next North American Champion! He is also sick of proving all of his critics wrong, there is no doubt he deserved his spot in this tournament, and he's going to prove that, by making it to the finals.

WWE NXT - July 14th, 2020

With only a week left until their Semi-Finals showdown, both Garza and Strong take to the ring, having one last face-to-face confrontation before facing off. The latter is booming with confidence, as he talks about how much this tournament means to him, being on the sidelines for sometime now, it has made him realize how much he wants to get back in the title picture. This match is a chance to do just that, and with being the much-more experienced veteran, it's time for him to officially step up, and step into a new gear, and remind the world why he's truly one of the best in the world. Garza responds that this isn't possible, it has been quite a while, since the world has seen a fire lit underneath him, and he doubts we will ever see it again, atleast not in their match, as he has no chance at defeating him. Not now, and not ever, as he is too close to simply lose next week.

With Garza's final remarks said tonight, Strong fires back, stating that Garza isn't allowed to say that, only he can know that. That the fire hasn't been lit just yet, but that it hasn't been blown out either, and that next week, he will do everything in his power to keep it lit for as long as humanly possible. Strong proceeds to drop the microphone down on the canvas, as it hits roughly on the canvas, proceeding to get in the face of his future opponent, proving that he isn't fearful of Garza. Attempting to get in the head of Strong, he slaps him, laughing directly in his face, in-which STRONG TAKES HIM DOWN WITH A HUGE LARIAT! Picking him right back, he looks into Garza's face, telling him this is his fate, as he LANDS A END OF HEARTACHE FOR GOOD MEASURE!

WWE NXT - July 22nd, 2020

Angel Garza v. Roderick Strong - NA Championship Tournament: Semi-Finals

The main event of tonight would pit two extremely talented and supremely athletic competitor's against each other, Strong's extraordinary technical prowess against the Lucha Libre blend of Garza. Both men used their various skills to their advantage, with little weaknesses being shown in the end. The two were very even through, during the entirety of the contest kept the crowd enthralled, but perhaps they were too even, neither able to land their finishing maneuver, until eventually reaching the 15-minute mark of this contest, a vast error from Strong would be seen, which gave his opponent a chance to land a WING CLIPPER FOR THE VICTORY! GARZA ADVANCES TO THE FINALS!

WWE NXT - August 5th, 2020

In the wake of his successful semi-final victory, Garza was given a week off to recover from such a grueling contest, but has officially returned tonight, and proceeds to take to the ring. With a microphone by his side, he states that he told us all this would happen, and even with so many doubting him, he stands here with a guaranteed shot to become the next North American Champion. Having already defeated two of the best in the division already, he knows that it will be a difficult task to put away the final man, but if anyone can do it, it's definitely him, and he will finally be able to prove that this is his division for the taking.

With his final regards bestowed upon the NXT faithful, the man he was speaking of, the other challenger for the vacant North American Championship appears... IT'S DAMIAN PRIEST! "The Archer Of Infamy" was able to fend off talented competitors such as, Grimes and Thatcher, in order to reach the finals, and similarly to his future opposition, he marches down the entrance ramp with utter confidence. Upon eventually entering the same airspace as Garza, he speaks about finally reaching his full potential after months-upon-months of trying to, and pushing anyone to the side that attempts to get in his way, and that includes Garza.

WWE NXT - August 12th, 2020

With Great American Bash less than two weeks away, it is only fitting that a contract signing, takes place for the North American Championship match. With the General Manager William Regal, and the two contestants of this eventual matchup, already standing in the ring, the latter begins to sit down in their individual chairs, ad Priest has the chance to speak his mind first. He speaks about this being his first opportunity at an NXT Championship since joining the company, and he isn't going to let this slip through his fingertips, he has just made it too far, to lose here. He realizes how talented Garza is, and how much he has improved over these past few months, but he believes he's just that much better.

Garza is up next, he begins to snicker, stating that he can't be serious, he has had to scratch and claw his way to this opportunity, while Priest got a couple of lucky wins to make it to this moment. Like he has said many times before, this tournament was designed for him, and he will be damned if Priest comes in here, and takes away everything he has worked so damn hard for, he simply won't let it go down that way. With those words ushered into this airspace, PRIEST THROWS THE TABLE ON TOP OF GARZA, BRINGING HIM FULLY DOWN WITH A BIG BOOT! Clearly having enough of Garza's remarks, he picks up his contract, and signs on the dotted line, making a clear statement to end the segment.

WWE NXT - August 19th, 2020

On the Great American Bash go-home show, the North American Championship matchup is hyped up, in video package form. It begins to showcase the events that transpired, throughout the duration of the tournament, and how we eventually got to to the final two competitors, that being both Garza and Priest. Much like the contract signing, both men were able to have one last chance to make their claims, Priest kept it short-and-sweet this time around. As he expressed that this Sunday, it will end up being his night, as he will once again knock Garza's head in. The latter went next, telling the world that he is completely focused, and more confident than he has ever been, having no doubt that he will away as the next North American Champion.

NXT Takeover: Great American Bash - August 23rd, 2020

Angel Garza v. Damian Priest - North American Championship Tournament Finals

Following a month long tournament, we have finally arrived to it's finale! Priest makes his way out to the ring first, the NXT faithful firmly behind him, as he awaits for his ever-confident challenger to make his way out next. Right on cue, Garza follows in suit, as he quickly gets into the face of his threatening challenger, set to claim what he feels he truly deserves! Priest strikes first, using his various punches-and-kicks to get an upperhand, while Garza used his Lucha Libre nature to find a loophole to Priest's relentlessness. However, once the closing moments of this contest neared, it seemed as Damian may have had this match in the bag, before landing a Wing Clipper to finally capture the North American Championship!

Build to Halloween Havoc

On the road to possibly the freakiest night of the year, as Garza is set to make his first North American title defense. This being quickly seen, when his celebration was quickly cut short by Kyle O'Reilly, reminding the champion of the promise he made to him a few weeks back, and that he wants to keep his word by ending Garza's reign before it can truly begin. Garza fires back, by stating that he has toppled his stablemate before, and he will do the exact same to him, and that's his promise.

Up until the event, these two wouldn't keep apart for too long, as Garza made sure to taunt his challenger for the next few weeks, continuously stating that O'Reilly doesn't deserve this opportunity, and that he will find the same fate, that Roderick Strong did not too long ago. On the other hand, O'Reilly kept his head up, not being bothered by his future opposition, as he is sticking to his word, still promising to Garza that his reign will not last very long. On the go-home show, Regal makes the match official for Halloween Havoc, a shot for both men to prove their worth once again!

NXT Halloween Havoc - October 3rd, 2020

The match was completely nasty, as both O'Reilly and Garza fire away with variations of strikes, delivering everything with a little extra oomph. The latter adapted well, finding himself in hiskind of fight, but Garza refused to allow Kyle to get overly comfortable. Showing more fight, in a way that we don’t usually see from the graceful O'Reilly, he continued showing his undeniable skills, cutting down the legs of the champion. Slamming in double footstomps to Garza's knees, over-and-over until he would eventually became immobilized. Garza didn’t stop him, fighting through the streaming tears like he was trying to slay a monster. And with that said, confidence began to boom for the challenger, which made him vulnerable once making several errors, in-which Garza fired back by slaying a monster of his own, cleaning house with a Wing Clipper for the successful retention.

Angel Garza def. Kyle O'Reilly to retain the North American Championship (24:08)

Build to NXT Takeover: Wargames IV

Coming off a monumental victory over O'Reilly, Garza is seen confidently strutting in the backstage hallways, feeling absolutely invincible, only to run into an unexpected face... Johnny Gargano! He stops him in his tracks, proceeding to congratulate him on his recent victory, but reminds Garza that while he currently is the North American Champion, Gargano knows exactly how it feels to hold that strap, matter of fact he has done so a total of And that he would love a shot at making that a record total of three times. Garza replies with a simple no, stating that he can't just ask for one, he will have to earn one, so until he does so, the answer will remain a no.

With that being said, Gargano would make sure his voice would be heard, going straight to the boss himself. He asked for Regal to give him an opportunity to earn a North American title opportunity, and he would indeed get that chance. As the following week, he took on a formidable opponent, with that man being Cameron Grimes. Given a chance to possibly rectify his loss to Garza, he admittedly took it to Gargano, as both men give it all they got, only for an unfortunate error made by Grimes, allowed Gargano landing a One Final Beat for the victory! With that win, the match is made official for Wargames IV!

NXT Takeover: Wargames IV - November 22nd, 2020

A title match that has the NXT faithful incredibly hyped up, is Garza's second title defense, and it surely won't be an easy one at that. They completely went at eachother, not wanting to let up at all, and they kept good on not doing so, which made this matchup even more competitive. This contest had a big fight feel written all over it, and that was seen throughout the duration of this contest, and it looked like this matchup was coming to a close, Gargano looked to close the deal with a One Final Beat, but unfortunately for him, Garza kept his head help up high, and caught Gargano in mid-air. Countering it into a nicely done Wing Clipper for his second successful retention of this North American title run!

Angel Garza def. Johnny Gargano to retain the North American Championship (22:09)

Build to NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day

Following his second title defense, Garza continues moving forward, providing the NXT faithful with a luxurious reign. Defeating the likes of Kyle O'Reilly, Johnny Gargano, Roderick Strong, and Pete Dunne, he has once again proven on why he owns the North American division. That being until after his most recent retention, one man came out from the shadows, and reemerged... FINN BALOR! "The Prince" makes sure Garza knows exactly who he is, pointing both his finger guns towards him, and proceeding to LAY OUT THE CHAMPION OUT WITH A NASTY PELE KICK! Almost immediately after, he picked up the North American Championship, and lifted it up high in the air, making his motives crystal clear.

NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day - February 14th, 2020

The first match of the night pit Angel Garza defending his North American Championship, against Finn Balor. Being a former NXT Champion himself, this is all about reclaiming his spot as The Prince, and proving that NXT isn't the same without him. During this contest, both men proved to be on top of their games, not letting up one bit, and it showed throughout the duration of this bout, which reached over 20 minutes all together. It eventually came down to who wanted this victory more, and unfortunately for the champion, he would fall short after a failed Wing Clipper that eventually turned into a 1916, transitioned into a Coup De Grace for the victory!

Finn Balor def. Angel Garza to win the North American Championship (21:33)