Published: 5 seconds ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 5 seconds ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE
Over on WWE NXT, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic gets underway on September 26, with fourteen teams vying for victory.
Fourteen teams have been announced for the tournament, with stars from Raw and SmackDown joining those in NXT and AAA to form the bracket, although the partnership with TNA Wrestling doesn’t stretch this far.
Representing WWE Raw, fans can expect to see The Creed Brothers and Los Americanos in action, while SmackDown sees Fraxiom competing.
Los Americanos are also well known for their work in AAA, with The Tokyo Bad Boys (Kento & Takuma) and Mini Vikingo also competing, with the latter teaming with Chazz “Starboy” Hall of Evolve fame. The Wagner Brothers (El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr & Galeno) will also be in competition, but advance to the quarterfinals, being the AAA World Tag Team Champions
Alongside Hall, Evolve will also be represented by Harley Riggins & Jax Presley, and the team of Shido Ash & Viktor Zanov.
NXT stars obviously feature heavily in the Classic. Vanity Project, the NXT Tag Team Champions, advance to the quarterfinals, while Birthright (Uriah Connors & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo) will compete in the bracket alongside DarkState (Cutler James & Osiris Griffin), Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno, Sean Legacy & Dorian Van Dux, and Hank Walker & Tank Ledger.
With so many competitors, the final may be weeks away, but could lead to a battle between WWE NXT and Raw for supremacy:
Representing WWE NXT:
The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes)
When it comes to absolute arrogance in NXT, there’s few who can do it quite as well as Vanity Project.
Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes are the current NXT Tag Team Champions, and very much in their second reign. Seeing the pair progress to the final would no doubt stroke their ego.
There’s also the chance that this tournament, with its mix of main roster stars, could prove a testing ground for a future on Raw or SmackDown
Representing WWE Raw:
Los Americanos
Already popular in AAA, Bravo & Rayo Americano have given another dimension to Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne, respectively, which has proven why they are the asset that they are to WWE.
Dunne has recently addressed claims that he is transitioning into a backstage role, stating he is “far from done” when it comes to an in-ring career.
Los Americanos have been an entertaining pairing since they were brought together under the masks, and the tournament will no doubt continue that trend.
And The Winner Is:
Los Americanos.
Arguably, neither team “needs” to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, yet it is another feather in their cap when it comes to their record in WWE.
For Los Americanos, it would be a major victory for Rayo & Bravo, leading to a potential feud with Vanity Project as they try to overturn the perceived “injustice”.
Both teams have crossed paths before, with Baylor & Smokes retaining the NXT Tag Team Championship against Los Americanos at Stand & Deliver back in April of this year. A victory in the tournament final would put them at 1-1 in tag team action, although the championship isn’t on the line, lending itself to a program going forward.
Outside of the story, putting Vanity Project up against Los Americanos could bode well for a move to the main roster for Baylor & Smokes. It’s surely only a matter of time before the whole of the NXT faction outgrows their environment, and testing them against two solid technical main roster wrestlers with a flair for the theatrical would be a good benchmark.
All three male members hold titles in NXT, with Jackson Drake as North American Champion. Myka Lockwood may be without a championship, but it’s likely only a matter of time before she entertains that picture, assuming that they aren’t all called up to the main roster at the same time.
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