The 2026 WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic bracket continued to take shape on the October 6 edition of NXT, where Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, as well as BirthRight, secured places in the quarterfinal round. The two closing first-round contests delivered sharply different paths to victory: Hank and Tank overcame the imposing WWE EVOLVE pairing of Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov, while Charlie Dempsey and Lexis King capitalized on an unexpected opportunity after a backstage attack changed the scheduled tournament match.
For Hank and Tank, the win reaffirmed the value of experience in a tournament built around the division’s deepest teams. Walker and Ledger entered their opening-round bout against Ash and Zanov as former NXT Tag Team Champions, giving them an obvious edge on paper over a tandem still looking to establish itself on the NXT stage. Yet the match was far more difficult than their championship background may have suggested.
Ash and Zanov, both former Olympian judokas, brought a bruising and highly physical approach to the match. Their ability to control Walker through the early stages prevented Hank and Tank from finding the energetic, fast-moving rhythm that has often made them a threat in tag competition. The WWE EVOLVE representatives repeatedly used their strength and judo-based offense to isolate Walker, making it clear that they were not interested in simply serving as a stepping stone for the established former champions.
Hank and Tank withstand a stern WWE EVOLVE challenge
The momentum began to shift once Ledger received the tag. Tank brought fresh urgency into the contest, allowing the former champions to finally put Ash and Zanov on the defensive. From there, Hank and Tank were able to build toward the type of coordinated finishing stretch that has defined their strongest performances together.
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The decisive sequence saw Ledger launch himself to the floor with a Tope Suicida, taking Viktor Zanov out of the equation on the outside. That created room for Walker to strike Shido Ash with a major lariat inside the ring. Ledger returned to join his partner, and the two connected with a Double Splash before delivering a combined powerslam-and-forearm sequence for the three-count.
The victory moves Hank and Tank into a quarterfinal meeting with The Creed Brothers. It is a matchup that immediately raises the stakes for both teams, as Walker and Ledger will be facing another former NXT Tag Team Championship duo. The Creeds’ amateur wrestling pedigree and explosive power have made them among the most difficult opponents in the field, while Hank and Tank have now shown they can weather an opponent’s physicality before creating an opening of their own.
That quarterfinal presents a familiar tournament question: can a team survive the punishment of an early-round fight and quickly reset for an even more established opponent? Hank and Tank had to absorb a great deal from Ash and Zanov before getting their offense going. Against The Creed Brothers, sustained control and well-timed tags will be especially important. The match also gives Walker and Ledger a chance to prove that their first-round victory was not merely about surviving, but about reasserting themselves among NXT’s top tandems.
Backstage attack alters the other first-round match
The other tournament match on October 6 came together under far less conventional circumstances. Tokyo Bad Boys, Kento and Takuma, had originally been scheduled to face Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux. That bout did not happen as planned, however, after Legacy and Van Dux were attacked backstage earlier in the night.
BirthRight were responsible for the attack, with the confrontation stemming from their anger over Zilla Fatu defeating Lexis King in the evening’s opening match. The result left Legacy and Van Dux unable to compete in their scheduled Dusty Classic contest, creating a vacancy in the bracket and placing NXT General Manager Robert Stone in position to make a decision.
William Regal met with Stone and argued that the appropriate replacements were his son, Charlie Dempsey, and King. The arrangement required King to compete twice on the same night following his earlier loss to Fatu, while Dempsey joined him to form the version of BirthRight that entered the tournament. Stone accepted the proposal, changing Tokyo Bad Boys’ opponent at the last possible moment.
For Kento and Takuma, the sudden switch represented a daunting challenge. Instead of facing the team they had prepared for, they found themselves opposite Dempsey, a wrestler with a punishing technical style, and King, who was looking to rebound immediately from the setback against Fatu. Still, Tokyo Bad Boys did not allow the unexpected situation to keep them from making a strong impression.
Tokyo Bad Boys come close to a tournament upset
Kento and Takuma had the NXT crowd behind them as they used high-flying offense to surprise Dempsey and King. Their pace and willingness to take chances repeatedly put BirthRight in uncomfortable situations. Both members of Tokyo Bad Boys landed dives to the outside, while Kento added a spear through the middle rope to Dempsey as the underdogs fought to take command.
Takuma then appeared to bring the match to the brink of an upset. He connected with a One-Man Spanish Fly on Dempsey and followed it with a Springboard 450 Splash. Those moves put Tokyo Bad Boys in a position where a victory felt possible, especially considering the late change in opponents and King’s earlier match on the card.
But Dempsey was able to reverse the momentum when Takuma attempted to go airborne again. Takuma’s repeated aerial risks had been central to Tokyo Bad Boys’ offense, but that same approach left an opening. Dempsey caught him with an Avalanche Butterfly Suplex, a punishing answer that stopped the challenger’s momentum outright. Dempsey then followed with a Fisherman’s Suplex to secure the pinfall and send BirthRight into the quarterfinals.
The finish was a significant display of Dempsey’s ability to turn a match with one opening. Tokyo Bad Boys had forced BirthRight to react for much of the contest, and their high-impact offense came close to producing a major tournament result. Yet Dempsey’s ring awareness and suplex-based attack proved decisive when it mattered most. King, despite pulling double duty and entering the match after the loss to Fatu, leaves the night still alive in the Dusty Classic.
The Wagner Brothers await BirthRight
BirthRight’s reward is a quarterfinal showdown with The Wagner Brothers, the AAA Tag Team Champions. The bout continues the tournament’s international dimension and provides Dempsey and King with a formidable obstacle. The Wagner Brothers enter with championship status and the cohesion that comes from competing as a decorated tandem, while BirthRight arrive after a chaotic night that began with King’s singles loss and ended with a hard-earned tournament victory.
The matchup also creates an intriguing contrast in styles. Dempsey’s grappling-heavy approach and King’s opportunistic offense will be tested by a championship-caliber team from AAA. The Wagner Brothers will have the advantage of entering the contest as a defined, accomplished unit, whereas BirthRight were put together for this tournament opportunity after the attack on Legacy and Van Dux. Dempsey and King nevertheless showed against Tokyo Bad Boys that they can adapt rapidly when a match becomes unpredictable.
With the final first-round matches now complete, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has moved beyond introductions and into the portion of the tournament where every win can reshape the tag division. Hank and Tank have a collision with The Creed Brothers ahead of them, pitting two former NXT Tag Team Champion teams against each other. On the other side, BirthRight will attempt to carry their momentum into a meeting with AAA Tag Team Champions The Wagner Brothers.
The October 6 results established that neither remaining path will be easy. Hank and Tank had to withstand the strength of Ash and Zanov before finding their finishing combination. BirthRight had to navigate a replacement match, Tokyo Bad Boys’ aerial attack, and a demanding night for King before advancing. As the quarterfinals approach, both teams have survived their first major tests—but the competition only becomes more difficult from here.
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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.