10 Must-See WWE Matches, Moments & Segments From This Week

8. The Dusty Classic: Where You'll See Good Tag Team Wrestling

james Ellsworth AJ Styles
WWE.com

Tag team wrestling was seemingly on the verge of its own revolution earlier this year. New Day was peaking as a trio of engaging personalities, Enzo and Cass staked their claim to be a modern incarnation of the New Age Outlaws, and the Revival was blowing the roof off of every arena in which they were afforded the opportunity to have high profile matches against the likes of American Alpha and D.I.Y.

Then, the brand split happened and, ever since, the tag scene - while relevant - has experienced a bit of a downturn. Enter the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to give the genre as a whole in WWE a shot in the arm.

This week on NXT, the fun-loving tandem of Rich Swann and No Way Jose took on the impressive team famous for their short but impressive stints in the Cruiserweight Classic, Tony Nese and Drew Gulak. It was a blast and, though there were not many candidates on Raw or SmackDown to provide much competition, it was pretty comfortably the only other contender for Match of the Week (won by Jericho vs. Rollins on Raw). There was also the NXT debut of Roderick Strong, a former Ring of Honor Champion, as the partner of Austin Aries.

Contributor
Contributor

"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition. Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.