TNA Is Conspicuous By Its Absence In WWE's Latest Inter-Promotional Angle... (WWE News)

The 2026 Dusty Cup features NXT, AAA, Evolve, and even Raw and SmackDown talent... but no TNA names.

by Andrew Pollard
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic 2026
WWE

With TNA one of the companies WWE nowadays has a working relationship with, it's a little strange to see the Anthem outlet missing from WWE's latest crossover event.

As announced by NXT General Manager Robert Stone last night, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is returning for the first time since 2024. However, this time out, there are a couple of changes to the usual format. Firstly, the tournament will feature 14 teams rather than the traditional eight. Secondly, the 2026 Dusty Classic will be made up of teams from NXT, AAA, Evolve, Raw, and SmackDown. As of this writing, no teams have been announced just yet.

What makes this particularly noteworthy for TNA is that they're conspicuous by their absence. Considering TNA and WWE - particularly the NXT brand - have worked together so frequently across the past few years, it does seem strange that TNA isn't involved in this multi-brand, multi-company crossover tournament. Then again, the NXT presence on TNA has been scaled back a lot in the past few weeks and months, and likewise, the TNA presence on NXT has similarly been stripped back during that time.

Advertisement

As for the Dusty Rhodes Classic itself, it was established in 2015, being a tag team tournament where the winners get themselves a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles. The inaugural winners were Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, and the tourney continued annually up until 2022, and would return in 2024 to be won by the Wolfdogs tandem of Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker. 2021 and 2022 would see a short-lived women's Dusty Cup, with Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai the first winners, and Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray the second winners.

The teams for this year's Dusty Classic will be announced later this week, with the tournament starting on next week's NXT with two first-round matches.

Advertisement

The WCW Conspiracy Iceberg EXPLAINED!

Ilja Dragunov Expected To Start With AEW Imminently (AEW News)

Nyla Rose Addresses "Frustrating" Absence From AEW Television (AEW News)

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.