Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to begin on WWE NXT on September 22; key matches announced

General Manager Robert Stone announced last week that the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will begin on the September 22 edition of WWE NXT, which will air from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. That episode will also feature AAA Reina de Reinas Champion La Catalina and Thea Hail facing NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan and NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria, plus a six-man tag pitting Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux against Birth Right (Lexis King, Channing Lorenzo & Uriah Connors).

WWE has revealed the full list of teams entered in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The promotion said the tournament’s entrants include competitors from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Evolve alongside talent from Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The September 22 episode of NXT will host the tournament’s opening round. Fans in the United States can watch on The CW at 8 PM ET on Tuesdays; international viewers can access the episode on Netflix, excluding select markets.

WWE disclosed the field for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic ahead of the tournament’s first matches on September 22. The company described the bracket as comprising teams drawn from multiple WWE brands and AAA. The opening round will be contested on the NXT broadcast that week.

A tag team match on the card pairs AAA Reina de Reinas Champion La Catalina and Thea Hail with NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan and NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria as their opponents. WWE said the match follows a heated segment involving the four competitors on last week’s show. The clash will take place on the September 22 edition of NXT.

A six-man tag has been scheduled for the same episode, with Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux set to face Birth Right, composed of Lexis King, Channing Lorenzo and Uriah Connors. WWE’s promotional material lists that match as part of the September 22 lineup. The bout will be held on the live NXT broadcast from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

WWE promoted the September 22 episode and its matches on social media in a post that included the advertised start time. The promotion’s on-air and online messaging confirms the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will commence on that NXT show. The social post read: NEXT WEEK on #WWENXT:🙌 The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic begins!🔥 @kelani_wwe & @ZariaWWE_ vs. @LaCatalinagar & @theahail_wwe😤 @Sean_Legacy1, @Zillafatu, & @DorianVDwwe vs. BirthRight📺 8 ET/ 7 CT on @TheCW pic.twitter.com/GsGgUZEvO6

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic opens on the September 22 edition of WWE NXT, with the tournament’s first-round matches scheduled for that show. Viewers in the United States can watch live at 8 PM ET on The CW, and international audiences can access the episode on Netflix, excluding select markets.