WWE has finally taken the mystery out of the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Ahead of the September 22 episode of WWE NXT, the company dropped the complete tournament bracket, revealing every first-round matchup and the two teams getting a free pass into the next round.
The full bracket features 14 teams, meaning Vanity Project and Wagner Jr. & Galeno will both receive first-round byes. Everyone else has to survive an opening-round fight before they can even think about getting close to the finals.
On the left side of the bracket, Birthright will face Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall, with the winner moving on to face Vanity Project. Fraxiom will also collide with DarkState, while Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno are set to take on Los Americanos.
The other side is just as loaded. Tokyo Bad Boys will meet Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux, with Wagner Jr. and Galeno waiting for the winner. The Creed Brothers will battle Harley Riggins and Jax Presley, while Shido Ash and Viktor Zandv face Hank & Tank.
The complete first-round bracket looks like this:
- Birthright vs. Mini Vikingo & Chazz Hall
- Fraxiom vs. DarkState
- Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno vs. Los Americanos
- Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Sean Legacy & Dorian Van Dux
- The Creed Brothers vs. Harley Riggins & Jax Presley
- Shido Ash & Viktor Zandv vs. Hank & Tank
- Vanity Project — first-round bye
- Wagner Jr. & Galeno — first-round bye
Two of those matches are already locked in for tonight. WWE previously announced Los Americanos against Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, followed by confirmation that Julius Creed and Brutus Creed will face Harley Riggins and Jax Presley.
The tournament was announced last week by NXT General Manager Robert Stone, but WWE held back the actual bracket until now. With the full field finally laid out, there are no more guessing games about who stands between each team and a shot at winning the Dusty Cup.
The September 22 NXT card also includes La Catalina and Thea Hail against NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan and NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria. Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux are also scheduled to face Birthright’s Lexis King, Channing Lorenzo and Uriah Connors.
The full Dusty Classic bracket makes one thing very clear: there isn’t much room for a bad night. Some of these teams are going to be gone before the tournament even gets settled in, while Vanity Project and Wagner Jr. & Galeno get the luxury of watching the first-round damage from the sidelines.
Ringside News will have complete coverage of the September 22 episode, including live results and updates through our WWE NXT results hub.
Which team do you think has the clearest path through the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic bracket? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
