The field is now complete for the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, with WWE NXT confirming the final group of entrants ahead of the tournament’s start on this week’s episode of NXT.
The annual tag team competition will feature 14 teams in total. Twelve of those teams are set to begin in the opening round, while The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers have each been awarded first-round byes. Specific first-round matchups for Tuesday’s NXT have not yet been announced.
The latest announcement adds five teams to the tournament: The Tokyo Bad Boys, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux, Harley Riggins and Jax Presley, Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov, and the established pairing of Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, better known as Hank & Tank.
Those entrants join the six teams revealed earlier: Fraxiom, Los Americanos, Mini Vikingo and Chaz “Starboy” Hall, BirthRight’s Stacks and Uriah Connors, DarkState’s Cutler James and Osiris Griffin, and Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno. The Creed Brothers were also included among the tournament participants.
For more background on this topic, read Natalya Explains How Pitching WWE Characters Changed From Vince McMahon to Triple H.
Complete Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic lineup
With the final announcement made, the full 2026 tournament field is as follows:
- Uriah Connors and Stacks
- Mini Vikingo and Chaz “Starboy” Hall
- Fraxiom
- Cutler James and Osiris Griffin
- Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno
- Los Americanos
- The Creed Brothers
- The Tokyo Bad Boys
- Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux
- Harley Riggins and Jax Presley
- Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov
- Hank Walker and Tank Ledger
- The Vanity Project (first-round bye)
- The Wagner Brothers (first-round bye)
The 14-team total creates an immediate distinction between the two teams receiving byes and the dozen teams that will need to survive from the first round. WWE has confirmed the byes for The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers, but has not yet laid out the complete bracket or identified which teams will meet when the competition begins.
A field blending familiar pairings and new combinations
The lineup brings together a broad mix of NXT’s tag division. Some teams enter with existing chemistry and a defined identity, while other pairings will have the chance to establish themselves under the pressure of a single-elimination tournament.
Fraxiom arrives as one of the more recognizable tandems in the announced field. Hank & Tank also enter as a familiar NXT pairing, and The Creed Brothers provide another established team in the bracket. Their presence gives the tournament several combinations with clear experience alongside one another before the opening bell.
DarkState will be represented by Cutler James and Osiris Griffin, while BirthRight’s Stacks and Uriah Connors bring their own group affiliations into the event. The tournament will also include Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, as well as Los Americanos.
Mini Vikingo and Chaz “Starboy” Hall are among the more distinctive partnerships announced for the field, while the remaining group of additions expands the range of competitors considerably. The Tokyo Bad Boys, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux, Harley Riggins and Jax Presley, and Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov all now have a place in the competition.
That mix is central to the appeal of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The tournament format puts a premium on coordination, preparation, and the ability to adapt quickly. An experienced team can use an established rhythm to move through the early stages, but a newer duo can alter the landscape with one upset. Until the first-round schedule is revealed, the possible paths through the bracket remain open.
Byes place attention on The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers
The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers will not be required to wrestle in the first round. Their byes give both teams a direct route into the next phase of the tournament, while the other 12 entrants will need to compete before reaching that point.
A first-round bye can be valuable in any tournament setting. It means fewer matches are required to reach the final, but it can also leave a team waiting while the rest of the field creates momentum and reveals more of its strategy. In this case, WWE has not announced how the bracket will be arranged after the opening round, so it is not yet known which first-round winners could ultimately be placed on a collision course with either bye team.
The announcement ensures that the opening round will be significant from the outset. Every team without a bye begins with no margin for error, and the winners will not only advance but also become the first teams to define the tournament’s competitive picture.
The Dusty Rhodes legacy
The tournament carries the name of Dusty Rhodes, one of the most influential figures in professional wrestling history and a foundational presence in the development of NXT. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has become a recurring showcase for the brand’s tag team division, giving established teams an opportunity to reinforce their standing while also opening the door for newer combinations to gain attention.
For the teams involved, a tournament run can matter beyond a single match result. A strong showing can establish a partnership, sharpen a rivalry, or place a team closer to championship contention. WWE has not announced what, if anything, the eventual winners will receive beyond the tournament victory itself, so the immediate focus remains on the competition and the field now set to take part.
There is no shortage of different dynamics represented in this year’s entries. There are teams connected to larger groups, established pairings looking to add another major result to their resumes, and duos whose tournament performances may provide their clearest opportunity yet to stand out on NXT programming.
The first-round byes also provide an added narrative element. The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers have already avoided the risk of an opening-round elimination, but the teams coming through the first set of matches will have an opportunity to build momentum before facing the next stage of the bracket.
Tournament begins on Tuesday
WWE has confirmed that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic begins on Tuesday’s episode of NXT. As of the final field announcement, the company had not revealed the specific matches scheduled for the first night.
That leaves the opening card as the next major piece of information to be unveiled. The tournament now has its complete cast: 12 teams ready for first-round action, plus The Vanity Project and The Wagner Brothers waiting with byes.
Whether the early rounds favor experienced tandems such as Fraxiom, Hank & Tank, and The Creed Brothers, or create opportunities for combinations such as Mini Vikingo and Chaz “Starboy” Hall, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux, Harley Riggins and Jax Presley, or Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov, will begin to take shape when NXT goes on the air.
For now, the key details are clear: the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has a 14-team field, the two first-round byes have been assigned, and the road to the tournament final starts this Tuesday on WWE NXT.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.