Finn Balor and Samoa Joe Win NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

And the winner is…..

During tonight’s NXT “Takeover:Respect” special, NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe won the Inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, beating Baron Corbin and Rhyno to win the Memorial Trophy.

In order to make their way into the finals match, both teams competed earlier in the evening. Balor and Joe took on The Mechanics, while Corbin and Rhyno took on Chad Gable and Jason Jordan. While both matches were closely contested, even receiving praise online for their quality, both teams were able to survive, earning the chance to face off later in the night.

The finals match was highly anticipated, and it was highly competitive. The match came to a finish when Balor hit the “Coup De Gras” on Rhyno, right after Joe had hit him with the “Muscle Buster.”

This tournament was announced several weeks ago, shortly after Rhodes’ untimely death. Several teams had the honor of competing in this tournament, and you can see the complete bracket below:

Bracket A – First Round Matches
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady defeated Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated The Lucha Dragons

Bracket B – First Round Matches
The Vaudevillians defeated Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeated Tucker Knight and Elias Samson

Bracket C – First Round Matches
Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder defeated Noah Kekoa and Alexander Wolfe
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable defeated Neville and Solomon Crowe

Bracket D – First Round Matches
Rhyno and Baron Corbin defeated The Ascension
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa defeated Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey

Bracket A – Second Round Matches
Balor and Joe defeated Enzo and Cass

Bracket B – Second Round Matches
The Mechanics defeated The Vaudevillains

Bracket C – Second Round Matches
Gable and Jordan defeated The Hype Bros

Bracket D – Second Round Matches
Rhyno and Corbin defeated Gargano and Ciampa

Semi-Finals
Balor and Joe defeated The Mechanics

Semi-Finals
Rhyno and Corbin defeated Gable and Jordan

Finals
Samoa Joe and Finn Balor defeated Rhyno and Baron Corbin

With H/T to WrestlingInc.com.

Editor’s Note:

I loved the concept for this tournament, and it was fitting since Rhodes was so passionate about his “NXT kids.” I think at some point Joe turns on Balor to go after the NXT Championship, but for now they will honor “The American Dream.”

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