NXT Sets Dusty Classic Semifinals for October 27

The 2026 NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has reached its final four, with the semifinal matches set for the October 27 episode of NXT.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger punched their ticket by pulling off one of the tournament’s bigger upsets, knocking off The Creed Brothers on the October 20 episode of NXT. It is not the first big moment for the duo — they previously shocked fans by beating Fraxiom for the NXT Tag Team Championship in 2025, though that reign did not last long. They are set to face The Wagner Brothers in the semifinals.

The Wagner Brothers, Galeno and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., received a first-round bye before beating Birthright to reach this stage. The duo also holds added gold outside of NXT, having won the AAA World Tag Team Championship from The War Raiders at AAA TripleMania 34.

On the other side of the bracket sits The Vanity Project, made up of current NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes. After also drawing a first-round bye, the champions got past Mini Vikingo and Chazz “Starboy” Hall on the October 13 episode of NXT to reach the quarterfinals, then advanced from there to the semifinals as one of the tournament’s presumptive favorites given their championship status.

Standing in their way is the pairing of Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, one of the tournament’s more unexpected storylines. The two originally met as opponents before joining forces, and they have clicked well enough to knock out the former champions Fraxiom in the quarterfinals. Should they keep winning, Dar and Moreno would have to get past two sets of tag team champions — The Vanity Project and potentially The Wagner Brothers — to walk away with the Dusty Cup.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has long served as a showcase for NXT’s tag division, often elevating teams that go on to bigger things on the brand or even the main roster. This year’s final four reflects just how deep that division has become, mixing homegrown teams like Hank and Tank with championship pedigree from both NXT and AAA, plus the wild-card chemistry of Dar and Moreno.

With two championship teams, a cinderella story and an unlikely alliance all still in the mix, the semifinals on October 27 should go a long way toward determining who lifts the trophy this year. Whichever duo wins will add their name to a list of tag teams that have used the tournament as a springboard, and all four teams enter with a real case for making it to the finals.