WWE Rumors: Huge Tournament Confirmed To Return To NXT Later This Year

NXT is one of the biggest things in wrestling today, and the promotion is easily competing with WWE, Ring of Honor, TNA and other companies from around the world. They are not only the next generation of wrestling, but many NXT stars are today’s generation as well. NXT is innovative, inventive and unique, and now it has been confirmed that a huge and popular tournament is returning for a second straight year.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was created in 2015 as a tribute to the legendary wrestler and promoter who passed away in the summer of last year. He had made the rounds during his wrestling career and eventually ended up as a booker and head guy in NXT.

It was truly a big blow to the wrestling world when Rhodes died, but he will always be remembered and honored by WWE. That was when the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was created and took place in NXT as numerous superstars got involved and partnered into teams to win the trophy.

The tournament began in September on the weekly NXT television show and then culminated with the semifinals and finals at NXT Takeover: Respect in October. Many wondered if it was going to be a one-time event or happen again each year.

There has not been a definite word of any kind and WWE has said nothing as of yet. It appears now, though, that there has been relative confirmation and it is coming from someone with direct links to the namesake of the tournament.

411 Mania noticed that Cody Rhodes a.k.a Stardust was asked if the tournament was going to happen again in 2016, and he answered affirmatively on Twitter. The tweet was directed to his personal Twitter account instead of the one associated with Stardust, since he stays in character on that one.

Each year. You can’t build enough trophies or monuments high enough for Dad. He was a hero and he was my hero. https://t.co/4ezDgXyKwL

— Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) March 16, 2016

WWE still hasn’t said anything about the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returning to NXT in 2016, but it likely wouldn’t happen again until the fall anyway.

The tournament was actually really good, and it pitted the top names from throughout NXT against one another. Some of the participants were those who were already in established tag teams such as The Revival, The Vaudevillains, Blake and Murphy, and The Ascension.

There were a total of 16 teams in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Other participants were teams like Neville and Solomon Crowe, Rhyno and Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey, plus Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. Oddly enough, it would be two of the thrown together teams that would make it to the finals.

At NXT Takeover: Respect, Samoa Joe and Finn Balor battled it out with the team of Rhyno and Baron Corbin in a violent but great match. Joe and Balor ended up grabbing the win and winning the trophy in the inaugural tournament.

It wasn’t long after they won the tournament that Samoa Joe finally turned heel in NXT and attacked Finn Balor. That heel turn ended up leading into a great feud between the two that will culminate at NXT Takeover: Dallas on Friday for NXT Championship.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is a tournament that brought a lot of focus and attention to NXT, and it would be surprising if WWE didn’t bring it back again. Rhodes meant a lot to WWE and all of wrestling, and it would mean a lot to Cody Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes and the whole family to have the tournament return.

[Image via WWE]