Current NXT North American Champion Tony D'Angelo has grown in stature in "WWE NXT" over the last year and has credited his success to the brand's head, Shawn Michaels.

D'Angelo was asked on "The Ringer Wrestling Show" about his relationship with two-time WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, and the "NXT" star only had good things to say about the legendary star.

"Shawn is all for the business, so if you show that you're willing to work hard and willing to do what's best for everything, he will help you," D'Angelo answered. "It's 'HBK', 'Mr. WrestleMania', he's the man. We'll do film and whatnot, and he just has ideas and sees things that three-and-a-half years in the business I wouldn't see, but his mind for the business is insane. He's a genius, he's always cooking as what the internet says. He's got his chef hat on."

D'Angelo's comment on Michaels "cooking" and the chef hat is in reference to a segment on "WWE Raw" in August 2009 where Triple H went looking for Shawn Michaels to re-form D-Generation X, finding Michaels working as a chef in a restaurant dressed in culinary attire. After a laugh over the chef hat reference, "The Don of NXT" further added about his relationship with Michaels.

"He's awesome, he's been great to me, I've got nothing but good things to say about the guy," D'Angelo said. "He's welcomed me into this business and with open arms and, of course, I gotta show him that I'm willing to work and I think that I've proved that. So now it's just about putting out what's best and working together and I trust him to lead the ship."