The Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament is back with a bang for a second consecutive year. The tournament, in memory of one of the legends of pro wrestling, will feature the best tag teams competing for top honors at NXT.
Some of the teams for the tournament have been announced and we can’t wait to see them in action. By the looks of it, the WWE developmental is going from strength to strength after the culmination of the Cruiserweight Classic.
The biggest announcement coming out is the inclusion of Kota Ibushi and Hideo Itami into the mix. Ibushi and Itami are two sides of the same coin. The hard hitting style of Itami and Ibushi will be a potent threat to the other teams competing in the tournament.
Kota Ibushi, who made a name for himself in Japan before coming the the United States, became the star of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic as he put on match after match that oozed with five-star action and excitement. His road to the coveted prize, however, was cut short by one T.J. Perkins who eventually, as we all know, triumphed over Gran Metalik to win the Cruiserweight Championship.
It is a safe bet to assume that Ibushi didn’t make his way to the coveted prize because he had earlier not agreed to be a part of Monday Night RAW’s cruiserweight division.
Before Ibushi’s loss in the semifinal to Perkins, he competed in a singles match on NXT, against Buddy Murphy. It was the best match of the night where Ibushi hit a kick to the head of Murphy and a German Suplex. Ibushi eventually won the match with a sit-out powerbomb.
Other teams announced for the Dusty Rhodes Classics are Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli, Andrade “Cien” Almas & Cedric Alexander, The Revival, and Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa. Another improbable team, Perfectly Glorious, comprising of Tye Dillinger and Bobby Roode was also formed.
There are a number of possibilities on who might walk away with the tournament laurels this time round. While Ibushi and Itami make a threatening combination, the team of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are no pushovers either.
Add to that the veteran pair of Dillinger and Roode and things are quite unpredictable. Roode is a tag team specialist and has won multiple championships with different partners. If the duo can keep their huge egos aside, then they might be destined for tag team greatness.
The finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic will take place at NXT TakeOver in Toronto on Survivor Series weekend.
