The field is down to four teams in the 2026 WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic after a pair of eventful quarterfinal bouts on the October 13 episode of NXT. The Vanity Project, represented by reigning NXT Tag Team Champions Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor, advanced past Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall. Later in the night, Romeo Moreno and Noam Dar delivered another tournament surprise by defeating the former two-time NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom.
Those outcomes established one of the tournament’s semifinal matches: The Vanity Project will face Moreno and Dar with a place in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final on the line. It is a significant matchup for all four men, particularly because Smokes and Baylor entered the bracket carrying the championship advantage, while Moreno and Dar reached this stage by overcoming a team with extensive experience and a proven history of title success.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has long put a premium on surviving changing styles and capitalizing on a single opening. The two matches on October 13 followed that formula closely. Mini Vikingo and Hall pushed the champions hard with their speed and aerial offense, only for The Vanity Project to seize a late mistake. Fraxiom controlled stretches of their quarterfinal through their established chemistry, but Moreno and Dar had answers for the former champions’ biggest attacks and found the sequence that ended the match.
The Vanity Project Survives Mini Vikingo And Chazz Hall
Smokes and Baylor received a bye into the quarterfinals as the reigning WWE NXT Tag Team Champions, but that positioning did not make their first tournament outing straightforward. Their opponents had already shown they could disrupt expectations. Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall arrived in the quarterfinal round after upsetting BirthRight in the opening round, and they carried that momentum into their match with The Vanity Project.
For more background on this topic, read Kendal Grey Medically Cleared To Return To NXT Competition.
Vikingo and Hall had the crowd behind them throughout the contest, with both men repeatedly relying on high-risk offense to keep the champions under pressure. Mini Vikingo connected with a Tornillo and later added a Phoenix Splash Senton. Hall also displayed his athleticism, landing a Standing Phoenix Splash and making several dives as he and Vikingo worked to maintain the advantage.
For much of the bout, the challengers’ pace created problems for Smokes and Baylor. The Vanity Project could not simply lean on their championship status; they had to weather an attack built around quickness, elevation and sudden momentum swings. Vikingo and Hall had already demonstrated in the first round that they were capable of beating a more established team, and their quarterfinal performance made it clear that their victory over BirthRight was not an accident.
Still, the difference in the match came when Hall went back to the top rope for another aerial attack. Hall attempted a Moonsault, but Smokes got his knees up. At the same time, Baylor had taken Mini Vikingo out on the floor, leaving Hall without a partner available to break up the deciding pinfall.
The champions immediately turned that opening into their finishing combination. Smokes and Baylor delivered a Double Foot Stomp and Reverse DDT combination to Hall, securing the victory and their spot in the semifinals. It was a clinical finish from The Vanity Project after a match in which the challengers had repeatedly threatened to pull off another upset.
The win also reinforced the importance of the bye that brought Smokes and Baylor directly to this stage. They had fewer matches to navigate than teams that started in the opening round, but their first tournament test still demanded composure. Mini Vikingo and Hall made the champions absorb a great deal before one mistimed risk gave The Vanity Project the chance they needed.
Moreno And Dar Answer Fraxiom’s Best Offense
The other quarterfinal saw Romeo Moreno and Noam Dar take on Fraxiom, the duo of Nathan Frazer and Axiom. Fraxiom entered with a major experience edge. As former two-time NXT Tag Team Champions, Frazer and Axiom have a level of familiarity and big-match success that makes them difficult opponents in any elimination setting.
That experience showed early. Fraxiom had the upper hand in the opening stages, using the timing and teamwork that previously helped them reach the top of the NXT tag team division. Moreno and Dar, however, stayed connected to the match through their contrasting strengths. Dar used his technical ability to slow and counter portions of Fraxiom’s offense, while Moreno brought speed and high-flying offense to keep their team competitive.
The key to the upset was not merely surviving the early stretch. Moreno and Dar had clearly prepared for Fraxiom’s signature offense and were able to withstand the moves that have defined Fraxiom’s past championship success. They avoided a Golden Ratio attempt, and they also endured the Spanish Fly and Phoenix Splash combination that had previously won Fraxiom the NXT Tag Team Championship.
That sequence of resistance changed the direction of the match. Fraxiom had been unable to put away Moreno and Dar even after bringing out attacks with championship history behind them. Rather than allowing the pace to overwhelm them, Dar and Moreno waited for an opening and made their own closing stretch count.
Moreno landed an Avalanche Fallaway Slam on Axiom. When Frazer tried to enter and make the save, Dar cut him off with a Spinning Back Elbow. With Frazer removed from the immediate equation, Moreno and Dar connected with a Russian Leg Sweep and High Kick combination on Axiom for the decisive pinfall.
The result sends Moreno and Dar into the final four and removes one of the tournament’s most decorated teams. Fraxiom’s history as two-time NXT Tag Team Champions made them a formidable quarterfinal opponent, but their past accomplishments could not offset Moreno and Dar’s preparation in the decisive moments. The pairing showed that their different styles can work effectively together when the match demands both technical control and explosive offense.
A Semifinal With Championships And Momentum At Stake
The semifinal between The Vanity Project and Moreno and Dar presents a compelling contrast. Smokes and Baylor are the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions and entered the tournament in the quarterfinals because of that status. Their win over Mini Vikingo and Hall showed that they can endure a sustained aerial assault and quickly convert an opponent’s error into victory.
Moreno and Dar arrive from a different position. They are not entering as the champions, but they have just eliminated Fraxiom after withstanding some of the most recognizable offense in the NXT tag division. Their victory was built on scouting, resilience and a final exchange in which each partner played a crucial role. Moreno created the opening with the Avalanche Fallaway Slam, while Dar prevented Frazer from breaking up the fall before the team delivered its finishing combination.
That makes the semifinal difficult to predict. The Vanity Project possesses the confidence and pressure that comes with holding the titles, plus the added benefit of having started their tournament run later than many of the teams in the field. Moreno and Dar, meanwhile, have already proved they can defeat a team with championship pedigree and can adapt when an opponent brings a fast, coordinated attack.
For Smokes and Baylor, the task will be avoiding the kind of disruptive rhythm Moreno and Dar established against Fraxiom. For Moreno and Dar, the challenge will be finding a way through a champion team that was able to remain patient against Mini Vikingo and Hall before striking at precisely the right moment.
The October 13 quarterfinals also underlined the volatility of the tournament. Mini Vikingo and Hall had reached this round by beating BirthRight, only to fall after pushing the champions to the limit. Fraxiom brought their record as former two-time champions into their match, but Moreno and Dar denied them despite the former champions connecting with offense that had produced title victories in the past.
With The Vanity Project set to meet Romeo Moreno and Noam Dar, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic now has a semifinal pairing shaped by both championship credentials and upset momentum. Smokes and Baylor remain alive with the NXT Tag Team Championships around their waists. Moreno and Dar are alive because they refused to fold against Fraxiom’s most dangerous sequences. One more win will determine which of those stories reaches the tournament final.
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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.