On tonight’s episode of WWE NXT, WWE announced that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be returning.
The annual tournament, which first took place in 2015 following the passing of the wrestling legend, will begin on January 13, 2021. The team of Adam Cole and Roderick Strong have already declared. The rest of the teams and brackets will be revealed next week on New Year’s Evil.
The winning team will receive an NXT Tag Team Championship opportunity.
Previous winners of The Dusty Cup are:
2015: Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe
2016: The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
2018: Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
2019: Aleister Black and Ricochet
2020: Riddle and Pete Dunne
Below is the full announcement from WWE.com:
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returns for 2021
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back!
As announced on Wednesday’s NXT, the 2021 edition of the tournament honoring the late WWE Hall of Famer and one of the pioneers behind NXT’s success, will commence in two weeks on NXT. The winners earn an NXT Tag Team Championship opportunity.
Adam Cole & Roderick Strong already declared their intention to compete on behalf of The Undisputed ERA. Brackets and the remaining competitors will be revealed next week on NXT New Year’s Evil.
The unlikely duo of Pete Dunne & Riddle won last year’s Dusty Classic, and they went on to defeat The Undisputed ERA for the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT TakeOver: Portland. Other previous winners include Ricochet & Aleister Black, current NXT Champion Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe, and The Undisputed ERA’s Cole & Kyle O’Reilly.
Who will raise The Dusty Cup this time around? Find out by tuning in to NXT on Wednesdays at 8/7 C on USA Network!