Robert Stone said bringing back the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has been one of his priorities since he took over WWE NXT.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio on Wednesday, he pointed to the depth of the tag team division and the tournament’s history of creating stars.
“So now, about eight months that I’ve been GM of NXT. When I first started, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish within my first year. One of the things I put on my list was definitely bringing back the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.”
Stone’s ties to tag team wrestling go back before WWE. As Robbie E, he won the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice alongside Jessie Godderz as the BroMans.
“I was a tag team wrestler for the majority of my career, and I was always a fan of watching the Classic. So bringing it back in 2026—we have so many tag teams on the show, and the tournament creates stars—so it was a no-brainer. At some point, I was gonna get it done, and now it was a great time.”
Stone had already put together another tag team tournament in March. Los Americanos won and challenged for the NXT Tag Team Championship at Stand & Deliver.
WWE officially announced the return of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on Tuesday’s NXT. The field will feature 14 teams from NXT, Evolve, AAA, Raw and SmackDown, with the first matches set for next Tuesday.
The Dusty Classic hasn’t been held since 2024. Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker won the last edition, beating Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes in the final before capturing the NXT Tag Team Championship nine days later.
The Creed Brothers, who won the tournament in 2022, are confirmed for the field.