WWE has officially announced the teams and the brackets of the 2022 NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. As expected, there will be eight teams vying for the trophy, and those who win the whole thing will earn an NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship opportunity. The current champions are Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin) so they are not included in the tournament.
The first round matches are as follows –
Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray vs. Lash Legend & Amari Miller
Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley vs. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta vs. Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai
Cora Jade & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Valentina Ferox & Yulisa Leon
The first two matches will take place this Tuesday, Feb. 22 on NXT 2.0 with the bouts from the left side of the brackets. Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray vs. Lash Legend & Amari Miller as well as Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley vs. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro will kick things off.
The official WWE.com preview reads as follows:
The second annual Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is set to kick off this Tuesday following the announcement of this year’s bracket.
The 2022 Dusty Cup features a variety of newly formed and veteran partnerships, all vying for an opportunity to challenge Toxic Attraction for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. The inaugural Dusty Classic winners Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai are once again in the tournament although joining forces with new teammates.
After earning her respect, Cora Jade will pair up with Big Mami Cool while in a surprising move, Kai and up-and-comer Wendy Choo will look to take their unlikely pairing all the way to the mountaintop of the tag team division. Both teams will have their young partnerships tested against tag team veterans with Jade & Gonzalez squaring off against Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon and Choo & Kai taking on Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta who look to earn another title opportunity after falling to Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne at NXT Vengeance Day.
Another surprising partnership comes in the form of Amari Miller & Lash Legend who started off as rivals in Legend’s debut match on 205 Live. They will take on the powerhouse duo of Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray in the opening round of the tournament.
The final opening round matchup features Diamond Mine’s newest prospect Tatum Paxley and “The Pitbull” Ivy Nile looking to start their alliance off on the right foot against the formidable Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter, the only returning tag team from the 2021 Dusty Classic.
Will the variety of new partnerships prove victorious, or will an established tag team put their experience to use, and more importantly which team will take the first step towards etching their name on the Dusty Cup and earning a title opportunity?
Find out when the 2022 Women’s Dusty Classic kicks off Tuesday night with opening round matches between Shirai & Ray and Miller & Legend as well as Nile & Paxley against Catanzaro & Carter on NXT 2.0 at 8/7 C on USA!
Along with the first two matches of the tournament, the debut of Nikkita Lyons on NXT 2.0 takes this week as well.
Who do you think will advance to the finals of the tournament and will eventually win this year’s Dusty Cup to earn a championship match? Join the discussion below.
