The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is one of WWE NXT’s signature tournaments, and after a two-year absence, the Dusty Cup is back.
The tournament returns Tuesday night with 14 teams from across WWE and AAA competing for a trophy named after WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes.
For newer WWE fans, though, the tournament’s significance goes well beyond another trophy.
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What Is the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic?
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is a single-elimination tag team tournament created by WWE in 2015 to honor the late Dusty Rhodes.
Rhodes died in June 2015 at 69 years old. While “The American Dream” had already built a Hall of Fame career in the ring, he also became an important figure behind the scenes during NXT’s formative years.
Rhodes worked closely with WWE’s developmental talent as a coach and mentor, helping future stars develop their characters and learn how to connect with an audience.
WWE announced the inaugural tournament at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015. Sixteen teams competed, with Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe eventually defeating Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the final at NXT TakeOver: Respect to become the first Dusty Cup winners.
How Does the Dusty Rhodes Classic Work?
The format has changed somewhat over the years, but the basic concept is simple: teams advance through a single-elimination bracket until one remains.
The 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic features 14 teams, with talent representing NXT, Raw, SmackDown, WWE Evolve and AAA.
Because 14 teams do not create an even tournament bracket, two teams have received first-round byes: NXT Tag Team Champions Vanity Project and AAA Tag Team Champions El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno.
Beginning with the 2019 tournament, the winners have also earned a future NXT Tag Team Championship opportunity. The 2026 tournament is slightly different, however, because the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions, Vanity Project, are themselves competing in the field.
Who Has Won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic?
The tournament has produced some impressive winners since Bálor and Joe captured the inaugural Dusty Cup in 2015.
Past winners include The Authors of Pain, The Undisputed Era, Aleister Black and Ricochet, The BroserWeights, MSK and The Creed Brothers.
WWE also introduced a women’s version of the tournament in 2021, with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez becoming the inaugural Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners.
The most recent men’s tournament took place in 2024, when Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin defeated Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams in the final at NXT Vengeance Day. Breakker and Corbin went on to win the NXT Tag Team Championship later that month.
Who Is in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic?
This year’s tournament reaches well beyond the regular NXT tag team division.
The 14-team field includes:
- Birth Right
- Mini Vikingo & Chaz Starboy Hall
- Fraxiom
- DarkState
- Romeo Moreno & Noam Dar
- Los Americanos
- Vanity Project
- Tokyo Bad Boys
- Sean Legacy & Dorian Van Dux
- The Creed Brothers
- Harley Riggins & Jaxson Presley
- Shido Ash & Viktor Zanov
- Hank & Tank
- El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno
The Creed Brothers are the only previous Dusty Cup winners in this year’s field after winning the tournament in 2022.
NXT Tag Team Champions Vanity Project and AAA Tag Team Champions El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno enter with first-round byes.
The mix of talent from across WWE and AAA makes this year’s Dusty Classic particularly interesting. It also gives WWE an opportunity to create matchups that wouldn’t normally happen on weekly NXT television.
Notably, no TNA tag teams have been announced for this year’s tournament, another potential sign that WWE’s partnership with the Nashville-based promotion has cooled.
