WWE Announces Major Tournament; SmackDown, RAW & Other Brands Set To Be Involved

”
], { type: “text/html” }
);
const iframe = document.createElement(“iframe”);
iframe.src = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
iframe.style.cssText = “width:100%;height:100%;border:0;”;
container.appendChild(iframe);
attachIframeMessageListener(iframe);
}
const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, obs) => {
const entry = entries[0];
if (entry.isIntersecting) {
obs.unobserve(entry.target);
requestIdleCallback(() => {
initWidget(entry.target);
}, {
timeout: 200
});
}
}, {
root: null,
rootMargin: “300px 0px”,
threshold: 0.01
});
requestIdleCallback(() => {
$all(“.nl-inline-form-container”).forEach((c) => {
observer.observe(c);
});
});
})();

Stone has already teased that this year’s tournament could be the strongest edition yet. According to him, he has been in talks with several notable figures across WWE, including SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce, AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio, and Evolve General Manager Timothy Thatcher.

Those discussions seemed to have helped Stone put together an expanded tournament featuring teams from across WWE and its affiliate promotions.

WWE RAW, SmackDown, NXT, AAA, and Evolve tag teams are on a collision course

The 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will feature 14 teams representing AAA, NXT, RAW, SmackDown, and Evolve. The cross-brand element gives the upcoming tournament a different feel from many of its previous editions and could provide several fresh matchups when the action gets underway.

As mentioned, the contest will officially kick off on the September 22 episode of WWE NXT. While the promotion has yet to reveal the complete bracket, the inclusion of teams from RAW and SmackDown means the competition could quickly become one of the most interesting tag team events.

For Stone, bringing back the Dusty Rhodes Classic is also part of his ongoing effort to strengthen the tag team division of the company’s developmental brand. The return of the tournament also gives him the opportunity to showcase teams from different parts of the company.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has been a major part of NXT’s history since its introduction in 2015. The tournament was created as a tribute to the late Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and has helped establish several notable tag teams over the years.