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– NXT had organized a tag team tournament in the memory of the ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes.
The Dusty Rhodes Classic was held throughout the previous weeks and will end on the 7th October NXT Takeover Respect. The trophy will be presented to the winning tag team by Dusty’s sons Goldust and Stardust/Cody Rhodes.
It was confirmed by Cody in an interview. He also stated that he had some opinions and inputs for the trophy design and that they would be present for the event. WWE issued the following statement:
It will be an emotional night at NXT TakeOver: Respect, as two teams battle it out to pay tribute to their mentor in the final of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The American Dream’s family will be well represented on Oct. 7, as his sons, Cody and Dustin Rhodes, will be on hand to present a trophy to the tournament winners.
The tournament was announced by NXT General Manager William Regal during the historic TakeOver: Brooklyn broadcast on WWE Network as a way for NXT to pay tribute to the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. In addition to the impact Rhodes made inside the ring, he also left a tremendous mark on NXT, where he served a mentor to the entire roster, helping them find their way in the sports-entertainment world.
In the month since, 16 teams have battled it out in tribute to the late Hall of Famer, leaving it all on the line in hopes of making it to TakeOver: Respect. Now, only four teams remain. They will square off in the semifinals early in the night, with the winners of each match returning to the ring for the final bout. The semifinal matches are:
– NXT Champion Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder– Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Baron Corbin & Rhyno
– WWE will have a complete week dedicated to NXT before the NXT Takeover Respect which will take place on Wednesday. There have been shows and events lined up from the 5th to the 7th October before capping of everything with NXT Takeover Respect. These are the events as follows.
Monday, October 5thWWE 24: NXT, one-hour special after RAW goes off the air at 11:06 pm EST
“WWE 24 cameras follow the men and women of NXT in this revealing behind the curtain look at the NXT: TakeOver event from Brooklyn, NY.”
Tuesday, October 6thNXT “Takeover: Respect” preview show at 6 am EST, one-hour show hosted by Corey Graves
“Join Corey Graves for this in-depth preview of NXT TakeOver: Respect!”
Wednesday, October 7thTable For 3 with Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose at 4 pm EST
“Join Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and Kevin Owens as they share ‘indy’ experiences, life on the road and their career goals and aspirations in WWE.”
Wednesday, October 7thNXT “Takeover: Respect” thirty-minute Pre-show at 7:30 pm EST
Wednesday, October 7thNXT “Takeover: Respect” live at 8 pm EST, running 2 hours and 30 minutes for the first time ever
