Full Bracket For 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Revealed Ahead Of WWE NXT

In a matter of hours, the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will kick off with a pair of opening round matches. Before the action officially gets underway, though, WWE has revealed the tournament's full bracket.

As "WWE NXT" General Manager Robert Stone relayed last week, this tourney includes 14 teams from across AAA, "NXT," "WWE Evolve," "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown." First round matches on the left side of the bracket are: Birthright's Uriah Connors and Channing Lorenzo vs. Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall, Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) vs. DarkState's Osiris Griffin and Cutler James, and Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs. Los Americanos (Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano). The winners of the Birthright-Vikingo/Hall match will move on to face the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes, who received an automatic bye to the second round.

On the right side of the bracket, the Tokyo Bad Boys (Kento and Takuma) will take on Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux. The winner of this bout will advance to the second round, where a match against AAA Tag Team Champions The Wagner Brothers awaits them. Elsewhere in the openers, The Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus Creed) will collide with Harley Riggins and Jax Presley from "Evolve." Former NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, meanwhile, will battle Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov.

The bracket for the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic! 🔥

The tournament kicks off TONIGHT on #WWENXT!!@TheCW | @TheCW_Sports pic.twitter.com/NI4DwHzYKK

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 22, 2026

On Tuesday night's episode of "NXT," the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will begin with the first-round matches pitting Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano against Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno as well as The Creed Brothers vs. Riggins and Presley.

Given that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has historically been associated with the "NXT" brand, I'd be shocked if it produced a winning pair not originating from there. That's why I can reasonably rule out all non-"NXT" teams competing.

That automatically eliminates half the field as potential winners, leaving Birthright, DarkState, Dar-Moreno, Legacy-Van Dux, the Creed Brothers, Hank and Tank, and NXT Tag Team Champions Vanity Project as the remaining contenders. From there, it's worth noting that The Creed Brothers have already won this tournament back in 2022. I doubt that WWE will repeat history, but I can see the brothers going deep once again with the ultimate goal of putting over an up-and-coming team in the process. Similarly, Hank and Tank have already tasted the NXT Tag Team Championships, and haven't been as prominently positioned on programming as of late, so I'd be surprised if they walked out as the victors.

With the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic typically receiving an NXT Tag Team Championship match, I also don't foresee Vanity Project triumphing, because then they'd face themselves? Due to Vanity Project's status as heels, logic would dictate that their future challengers would be babyfaces, which means DarkState and Birthright must be ruled out as well.

To me, that leaves the teams of Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno as well as Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux as the most likely winners. Both are relatively newer duos. Legacy and Dux should win for a few reasons, though. Firstly, they have a pre-existing history with Vanity Project, having vied for their titles as recently as July. Secondly, they're exciting to watch in the ring. If WWE truly wants to elevate its newer stars, too, DVD and Legacy are the ones to invest in. Dar has worked under the WWE banner for several years, long-faced inconsistent booking, and unfortunately, I'm not confident that will change anytime soon.