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Along with the Wagners, the AAA Tag Team Champions, the Vanity Project will have a first-round bye. The Creeds recently returned to NXT and were also announced for the classic.
With the work that’s been done to legitimize the tag division, several teams could win this year’s tournament. It could be another team from the main roster or one from AAA. The next five WWE duos could win the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
#5. Los Americanos wrestle anywhere in WWE
Los Americanos have been allies of El Grande Americano. With El Grande capturing the AAA Mega Championship, it could be time for Rio and Bravo to add gold of their own.
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, the stars under the mask, have done fantastic work as masked luchadors. With La Catalina confronting NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a few AAA teams are in the field.
Rio and Bravo have competed in NXT before, so their involvement wouldn’t be a surprise. WWE could even have a few angles from AAA spill into the tournament.
#4. The War Raiders get back on track
The War Raiders are former NXT Tag Team Champions. They’ve held gold on SmackDown as well, but recently lost the AAA Tag Team Championships to Galeno and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
Erik and Ivar were after Damian Priest and R-Truth when they held the WWE Tag Team Titles, but the champs ducked the challenge for months. When the titles were finally on the line, the MFTs captured them instead.
Since they’ve had questionable booking in 2026, the War Raiders could enter the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Adding them would provide the field with a smashmouth duo and proven team that would be a threat to go all the way.
#3. Birthright claims their legacy
The members of Birthright have been correct when addressing how they’ve been presented in NXT. WWE has traditionally booked legacy members well. Charlotte Flair, Randy Orton, the Bloodline, and Cody Rhodes have been booked as top stars in part because of their family name.
That hasn’t been the case for Charlie Dempsey, Lexis King, and Uriah Connors. King has charisma and is a good worker. Connors and Stacks are a good tag team. Dempsey is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world.
While Stacks is engaged to Arianna Grace, he isn’t a second- or third-generation star like the other members of the group. Feuding with Zilla Fatu will only lead to more burial.
To truly book the faction as they should be, they could win the 2026 Dusty Classic. The tournament is named after one of the greatest wrestling minds in history.
The Rhodes family is one of the most influential in the business. Having generational stars win a tournament named after one of wrestling’s most legendary families makes too much sense for WWE.
#2. The Creeds won in 2022
Brutus and Julius Creed dominated NXT’s tag team ranks when they were part of the brand. The brothers won tag team gold and eventually joined RAW. Despite some good showings, they couldn’t win titles on WWE’s main roster.
Turning heel to align with Chad Gable helped their stock briefly, but once he pivoted to his luchador gimmick, they fell by the wayside. They were either unused or booked on Main Event.
The brothers eventually donned masks during the El Grande Americano feud, but again fell to the background once Gable unmasked. Instead of using them to revamp the tag team divisions on RAW or SmackDown, the former champs returned to NXT.
Stone announced Brutus and Julius as one of the first entrants. They could win again to restart their push, especially if they face the Vanity Project for the titles. It would be a high school match between the jocks and the rich kids.
#1. The dark horse duo of Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux
Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux have excited fans as one of NXT’s newer tag teams. They even challenged for the NXT Tag Team Titles once but lost because of outside interference. They lost to the Vanity Project the same way.
The WWE crowd is already behind Legacy and Van Dux, so Shawn Michaels should seriously consider the duo to win the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. A fan favorite team should win and dethrone Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes (provided the winners get a title opportunity).
It would help both men grow in NXT. The Vanity Project has already had two runs with the belts. With such a talented roster, they don’t need the tag titles and the North American Championship.
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